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Munitions Dumping
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 11 March, Official Report, columns 510-11, what was the use of Bedenham quay in Hampshire in munitions dumping exercises; how long it was in use for those purposes; and what was the volume and type of material which was dumped in each area. [21954]
Mr. Soames: I am not aware of any surviving records that document any past sea dumping of munitions from Bedenham jetty, now part of the Royal Navy armaments depot, Gosport.
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 11 March, Official Report, columns 510-11, what radioactive waste emanating from military establishments has been dumped or loose dumped into the English channel. [21955]
Mr. Soames: Details of the UK's sea disposal programme for low and intermediate-level radioactive wastes, including very low-level contaminated sludges generated by MOD establishments and disposed of at Hurd deep, were contained in a report commissioned by the Department of the Environment titled "Report of the Independent Review of Disposal of Radioactive Waste in the Northeast Atlantic" published in November 1984.
Boi de Mai Residence
Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's asking price for the official service residence Boi de Mai; what was the original purchase price; in what year the property was purchased by his Department; and what was the total amount spent by his Department on improvements to the residence. [21964]
Mr. Soames: Boi de Mai was purchased in November 1992 and furnished for £2.4 million. The price of the house was £1.9 million. The economic recession in western Europe has affected the Belgian residential housing market. As a consequence, our agents advise an unfurnished asking price of £1.565 million. These prices are calculated at the Government accounting exchange rate prevailing at the time. A total of £683,000 was spent on improvements and maintenance to the property. This figure includes an initial refurbishment and "get you in" package of some £235,000--including the installation and subsequent repairs of a security system. Some £150,000 was also spent on other furnishings which will be removed.
21 Mar 1996 : Column: 289
Empty Quarters
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the number of empty Ministry of Defence quarters in southern England (a) by county and (b) by shire district or borough at the latest available date. [21381]
Mr. Soames: My Department has 4,976 empty family quarters in southern England. Of these, 558 are to be modernised, 1,454 have been identified for disposal, 316 are to be demolished and 630 are allocated for incoming service families.
A breakdown by county and local authority is given:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Avon | |
| Woodspring District Council | 207 |
| Berkshire | |
| Bracknell Forest Borough Council | 12 |
| Newbury District Council | 24 |
| Royal Borough of Windsor | 9 |
| Wokingham District Council | 55 |
| 100 | |
| Cornwall | |
| Kerrier District Council | 89 |
| Restormel District Council | 71 |
| Caradon District Council | 11 |
| 171 | |
| Devon | |
| East Devon District Council | 36 |
| Exeter City Council | 10 |
| North Devon District Council | 48 |
| Plymouth County Council | 298 |
| South Hams District Council | 9 |
| West Devon District Council | 9 |
| 410 | |
| Dorset | |
| East Dorset District Council | 18 |
| North Dorset District Council | 188 |
| Poole Borough Council | 18 |
| Purbeck District Council | 81 |
| Weymouth and Portland Borough Council | 33 |
| 338 | |
| East Sussex | |
| Wealden District Council | 76 |
| Hampshire | |
| East Hampshire District Council | 53 |
| Fareham District Council | 21 |
| Gosport Borough Council | 238 |
| Hart District Council | 22 |
| Havant District Council | 20 |
| Portsmouth County Council | 142 |
| Rushmoor City Council | 120 |
| Test Valley Borough Council | 101 |
| Winchester County Council | 63 |
| New Forest District Council | 51 |
| 831 | |
| Hertfordshire | |
| Watford District Council | 22 |
| Three Rivers District Council | 23 |
| Hertsmere District Council | 40 |
| 85 | |
| Kent | |
| Dover District Council | 191 |
| Gravesham District Council | 17 |
| Rochester upon Medway District Council | 127 |
| Shepway District Council | 210 |
| 545 | |
| London | |
| Barnet Outer London Borough | 230 |
| Bromley Outer London Borough | 3 |
| Camden Inner London Borough | 7 |
| Croydon Outer London Borough | 3 |
| Greenwich Outer London Borough | 206 |
| Harrow Outer London Borough | 21 |
| Hillingdon Outer London Borough | 82 |
| Hounslow Outer London Borough | 122 |
| Kensington and Chelsea Inner London Borough | 24 |
| Kingston Outer London Borough | 60 |
| Lambeth Inner London Borough | 3 |
| Lewisham Inner London Borough | 11 |
| Merton Outer London Borough | 1 |
| Richmond Outer London Borough | 15 |
| Sutton Outer London Borough | 12 |
| Wandsworth Inner London Borough | 46 |
| Westminster Inner London Borough | 139 |
| 985 | |
| Oxfordshire | |
| Vale of the White Horse District Council | 67 |
| Somerset | |
| South Somerset District Council | 44 |
| Surrey | |
| Elmbridge District Council | 4 |
| Guildford Borough Council | 89 |
| Horsham Borough Council | 1 |
| Spelthorne District Council | 5 |
| Surrey Heath Borough Council | 42 |
| Tandridge District Council | 129 |
| Working Borough Council | 28 |
| 298 | |
| West Sussex | |
| Chichester Borough Council | 37 |
| Wiltshire | |
| Kennet District Council | 262 |
| North Wiltshire District Council | 17 |
| Salisbury District Council | 454 |
| Thamesdown Borough Council | 49 |
| 782 |
21 Mar 1996 : Column: 290
HOME DEPARTMENT
Public Houses (Opening Hours)
Mr. Allason: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce legislation to allow public houses to stay open later. [21296]
Mr. Kirkhope: We are currently considering the scope for relaxing evening licensing hours. Any proposals for extending existing hours would be subject to public consultation.
Buckley Hall Prison
Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the responsibilities of the Home Office representatives that are at present at Buckley Hall
21 Mar 1996 : Column: 291
prison in relation to the decision to grant a prisoner a period of release on temporary licence under (a) prison rules and (b) young offenders institution rules; and if the responsibilities of a governor of a privately run prison are identical to those of a governor of a prison directly run by the Prison Service in making a decision to grant a prisoner a period of release on temporary licence under (a) and (b). [21882]
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 Richard Tilt to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 21 March 1996:
Ms Lynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what investigations the Prison Service has carried out into Buckley Hall prison; what information on these is in the public domain; what investigations are currently being carried out; and if details of these investigations will be made public. [21888]
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the respective responsibilities of the Home Office Controller and the Director of a privately-managed prison with regard to granting a prisoner release on temporary licence.
The decision to grant a prisoner a period of release on temporary licence under the Prison Rules or Young Offender Institution Rules is a matter for the Secretary of State. In practice, this will normally be taken on his behalf by the governor of the prison or, in the case of a contracted-out establishment, the Home Office Controller.
Any recommendation to grant a period of temporary release is passed to the Controller for authorisation. The Controller must be satisfied that the systems in place, to allow a risk assessment to be undertaken on all prisoners applying for temporary release, fulfil all contractual requirements.
Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 21 March 1996:
Ms Lynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the objects that were stolen from the hospital in Buckley Hall prison following the break-in by prisoners in August 1995; and if he will list the objects that were subsequently recovered. [21891]
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about investigations the Prison Service has carried out into Buckley Hall prison; the information which is in the public domain; the investigations which are currently being carried out; and whether details of these investigations will be made public.
The Prison Service Controller has carried out six investigations. These dealt with: (a) an allegation that a member of staff had threatened a prisoner; (b) a member of staff had allegedly assaulted a prisoner; (c) the escape of a prisoner from within the prison; (d) an attempted escape; (e) an escape from an escort; and (f) a hospital break-in by prisoners. All the reports were submitted to the area manager. None are in the public domain and there is no intention to make such reports available.
Group 4 are currently examining the number and type of temporary release failures as a normal response to such incidents. Any report produced will also be for internal use only.
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.
21 Mar 1996 : Column: 292
Letter from Richard Tilt to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 21 March 1996:
Ms Lynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed escape attempts have occurred at Buckley Hall prison since its opening; and what is the national average over the same period of time for male category C training prisons. [21889]
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question requesting a list of objects stolen from the hospital at Buckley Hall prison following a break-in by prisoners in August 1995, and a list of the objects subsequently recovered.
The items stolen by prisoners from the hospital at Buckley Hall were:
Valium 2mg x 1000 tablets
Valium 5mg x 300 tablets
Coproxamol x 300 tablets
Diamorphine 5ml x 2 ampules
Temgesic x 28 tablets
DF118 x 460 tablets
Amitriptyline 50ml.
Many of the tablets are believed to have been recovered as a result of later cell searches. it is not possible to identify whether all the tablets recovered were stolen from the hospital or, if some were tablets issued to prisoners which they had failed to take.
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 Richard Tilt to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 21 March 1996:
Ms Lynne:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the recorded number of assaults on prison officers at Buckley Hall prison since its opening; and what is the average number for male category C training prisons over the same period. [20919]
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking how many failed escape attempts have occurred at Buckley Hall prison since its opening; and what is the national average over the same period of time for male category C training prisons.
Between its opening on 14 February 1992 and 29 February 1996, there have been three reported failed escape attempts from Buckley Hall prison by individual prisoners. In the same period, the reported average for the category C training estate is 1.68.
These figures refer to failed escape attempts from within the prison and exclude escorts.
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 18 March 1996]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the temporary Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange a reply to be given.
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