7 Feb 1996 : Column: 181
Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 7 February 1996
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Chernobyl
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage of the post-Chernobyl restricted areas have now been designated free from contamination to the extent that animals originating there are deemed fit for human consumption. [13680]
Mrs. Browning: Approximately 94 per cent. of the original area in England which was restricted in 1986 as a result of the Chernobyl accident is now free from contamination such that the animals originating there are totally free from all controls and are fit for human consumption.
In addition, approximately half of the remaining restricted area has been found to be free from contamination but is currently being held under controls due to the open nature of the land and the presence of common grazing.
Sheep Dip
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the development of the research programme on the control of sheep scab and the use of organophosphorus dips. [14420]
Mrs. Browning: My Department has just approved two research projects to investigate alternatives to chemicals such as organophosphorus dips for the control of sheep scab. These will run for three years and cost about £1.2 million. They will form a significant addition to the existing research programme and will be directed to developing and testing new approaches to the identification of possible sheep scab vaccines and identifying the most effective methods of application. Additionally the research will develop models to maximise the impact of future control strategies.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Sentencing Policy
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish his White Paper on changes to sentencing; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the proposals on the prison population in England and Wales. [13280]
Mr. Maclean:
We intend to publish a White Paper in the spring setting out full details of the Government's proposals on sentencing, including our assessment of their implications for the prison population.
7 Feb 1996 : Column: 182
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to clarify the law relating to manslaughter to enable operators of seriously defective vehicles which subsequently kill to be liable to charges for serious offences. [13274]
Mr. Maclean:
The Law Commission is examining the issue of corporate liability for manslaughter as part of its review of the law on involuntary manslaughter. The Government will consider whether to clarify the law in this area in the light of the commission's final report.
Ms Janet Anderson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons were stopped and searched by police forces in England and Wales during (a) 1989 and (b) 1994 and were subsequently (i) arrested, (ii) cautioned and (iii) charged, broken down by ethnic background; [13464]
(3) how many of those persons who were stopped and searched since 1989 by the Metropolitan police in England and Wales and subsequently charged, were convicted, breaking down the figures by ethnicity and gender; [13455]
(4) how many persons were stopped and searched by the Metropolitan police in England and Wales during (a) 1989 and (b) 1994, and were subsequently (i) arrested, (ii) cautioned and (iii) charged, broken down by ethnic background. [13463]
Mr. Maclean:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to her question on 5 December 1995 Official Report, column 212.
Details of the ethnic group of those stopped and searched during 1994-95 will be available shortly.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 708, how many offenders cautioned each year since 1991 had already been cautioned on two or more occasions. [13431]
Mr. Maclean:
The information requested is not routinely collected. The table below shows results from special studies of those cautioned for indictable offences in one week in each of 1991 and 1994 in England and Wales.
(2) how many persons who were stopped and searched since 1989 by police forces in England and Wales and subsequently charged, were convicted, breaking down the figures by ethnicity and gender; [13454]
| Number of previous cations | 1991 | 1994 |
|---|---|---|
| None | 80 | 85 |
| One | 12 | 10 |
| Two or more | 8 | 5 |
7 Feb 1996 : Column: 183
Prisons (Compensation and Damages Payments)
Mr. Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in each of the past 10 years payments for (a) compensation and (b) damages with or without the admission of liability, have been offered by his Department to individuals as a result of disturbances in Her Majesty's prisons; if he will list the number of payments and amounts involved on each occasion; and how many other such claims have been made but refused. [13895]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter for prisons in England and Wales has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given. Responsibility for prisons in Northern Ireland and Scotland is a matter for the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland and for Scotland respectively.
Letter from Alan Walker to Mr. Jim Dowd, dated 7 February 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about payments for compensation and damages which have been made to individuals following disturbances in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years.
This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Prisons (Drugs Tests)
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults on (a) staff and (b) prisoners occurred before and after mandatory drugs testing took place in (i) February to April, (ii) May to June and (iii) August to October in (1) 1993, (2) 1994 and (3) 1995 and (iv) November to January in (4) 1993-94, (5) 1994-95 and (6) 1995-96. [13898]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Alan Walker to Mr. Doug Hoyle, dated 7 February 1996:
(1) Includes attempting, inciting and assisting in an assault.
(2) Provisional information.
7 Feb 1996 : Column: 184
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the numbers of assaults on staff and prisoners for specific periods back to 1993.
Mandatory drug testing began in eight pilot establishments in February 1995. A phased programme to introduce it to all remaining establishments began in September 1995, with 23 establishments performing mandatory drug testing by the end of October and 94 by the end of January 1996.
The information requested is given in the attached table.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many refusals there were in respect of mandatory drugs testings in prisons in England and Wales; how many urine samples were provided; of those, how many proved positive for (a) cannabis only, (b) class A drugs only and (c) cannabis and class A drugs; how many days' loss of remission there were consequent on refusals; and how many days' loss of remission there were consequent on positive urine tests for (i) February to April, (ii) May to June, (iii) August to October and (iv) November 1995 to January 1996. [13897]
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Alan Walker to Mr. Doug Hoyle, dated 7 February 1996:
(3) Includes attempting, inciting and assisting. All figures in these tables are based on provisional information.
The rising numbers of both offences are linked to an increase in establishments performing mandatory drug tests from eight between February and June, to 23 by the end of October and 94 by the end of January.
7 Feb 1996 : Column: 185
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about mandatory drug testing.
Between February and November 1995 some 4961 drug screening tests were carried out under the mandatory drug testing programme. Analysis of results from eight pilot prisons over an eight month period show that of those prisoners tested at random, 30.6% tested positive for cannabis while 3.6% tested positive for Class A drugs. Information on the numbers testing positive for both cannabis and Class A drugs is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The attached table shows the number of refusals to provide a sample and the number of addition days added both as a consequence of refusals and as a result of positive urine tests for the periods requested.
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