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Drugs (Searches)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of people stopped and searched for possible drugs in the Metropolitan police area during 1995. [18263]
Mr. Maclean: Statistics on stops and searches for 1995 are not yet available.
Fire Services
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the advantages of setting up a national committee of inquiry into the structure, funding and organisation of the fire services. [18289]
Mr. Sackville: My right hon. and learned Friend has no such intention at present. The Fire Service has recently been subject to a major value-for-money study by the Audit Commission. The resulting report made important recommendations which are being pursued by the organisations concerned through the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council and elsewhere.
National Joint Unit
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to integrate the national joint unit with (a) the National Criminal Intelligence Service and (b) the proposed national crime squad for England and Wales. [18335]
Mr. Maclean: There are no plans to integrate the national joint unit with the National Criminal Intelligence Service or a national crime squad.
Metropolitan Police (Ethnic Minority Officers)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of ethnic minority police officers in the Metropolitan police area; and what ranks such officers hold in respect of (a) men and (b) women. [18295]
Mr. Maclean: The information below, obtained from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, is correct as at 29 February.
| Rank | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Superintendent | 1 | 0 |
| Chief Inspector | 4 | 0 |
| Inspector | 9 | 1 |
| Sergeant | 45 | 4 |
| Constable | 556 | 177 |
| Totals | 615 | 182 |
Prisons (Greater Manchester)
Mr. Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the number of drug finds in each of the prisons in the Greater Manchester area in each of the last 12 months. [18257]
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.
5 Mar 1996 : Column: 193
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. Jim Callaghan, dated 5 March 1996:
5 Mar 1996 : Column: 194
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the number of drug finds in prisons in the Greater Manchester area in each of the last 12 months.
The attached table shows the number of drug finds in Her Majesty's Prisons Hindley and Manchester for the period 1 February 1995 to 31 January 1996.
Hindley Manchester Month totals
February
Barbiturate 1 --
Cannabis 9 4
Heroin -- 1 15
March
Cannabis 10 5
Heroin -- 1 16
April
Cannabis 7 2
Cocaine -- 1
Heroin -- 1 11
May
Cannabis 3 4
Cannabis Plant -- 1
Heroin 1 -- 9
June
Amphetamine -- 1
Cannabis 8 3
Heroin -- 1 13
July
Cannabis 6 12
Heroin -- 2
Other -- 1 21
August
Amphetamine -- 2
Cannabis 8 8
Cocaine 1 --
LSD -- 1
Other 1 1 22
September
Cannabis 9 3
Cocaine -- 2
Heroin -- 2 16
October
Amphetamine -- 1
Cannabis 8 3
Heroin -- 1 13
November
Cannabis 13 4
Other -- 2 19
December
Barbiturate 1 --
Cannabis 13 9 23
January
Cannabis 7 5
Cocaine -- 1
Heroin -- 1
Other 2 -- 16
Total 108 86 194
John Porter Charitable Trust
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what investigations into the John Porter Charitable Trust have been carried out by the Charity Commission since 1990; what prompted these investigations; and what were their conclusions. [18203]
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 29 February 1996]: An inquiry by the Charity Commission into the John Porter Charitable Trust was conducted between August 1992 and March 1993 and prompted by the commission's own programme of monitoring charity accounts. It did not reveal any material issues which required further investigation.
Fire Service College
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the proposals for dealing with the Fire Service College and its existing debt; and if he will make a statement on the future plans for maintaining the service training provision. [18731]
Mr. Sackville: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) on 13 February, Official Report, column 517.
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the Government's response to the report on the options necessary for the continuation of the Fire Service College. [19108]
Mr. Sackville: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) on 13 February, Official Report, column 512.
Jury Service
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the restrictions on persons excusable from jury service as of right (a) in the United Kingdom and (b) in other EU countries. [18767]
Mr. Maclean: The entitlement to be excused from jury service as of right is restricted to Members of Parliament, the forces, and medical and other similar professions. It has long been accepted that these groups should have a right to be excused on the ground of their special and personal duties to the state, or because of their special and personal responsibilities for the immediate relief of pain or suffering. The royal commission on criminal justice considered the arrangements for selection of jurors but made no recommendation to change the restrictions. We have no present plans to assess the practice in other European Union countries.
Pat Molloy (Dental Records)
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his oral statement of 28 February, Official Report, column 841, if he will make an oral statement on the dental records of Pat Molloy. [18957]
5 Mar 1996 : Column: 195
Mr. Kirkhope: No. The relevant information has been disclosed to the solicitors acting for the late Mr. Molloy's estate.
Prisoners' Brains
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have had their brains removed for medical research in the last year for which figures are available. [18909]
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 A. J. Pearson to Mr. Harry Cohen, dated 5 March 1996:
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question on the number of prisoners who have had their brains removed for medical research in the last year for which figures are available.
When an inmate dies in the custody of the Prison Service the disposal of the body becomes a matter for the coroner and the next of kin. Prison Service staff would not be involved in soliciting body parts either for organ donation or medical research whatever the wishes of the inmate might have been.
Stalking
Ms Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to make stalking a criminal offence; and if he will make a statement. [16380]
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 4 March 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Dulwich (Ms Jowell) on 6 February, Official Report, column 111.
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