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Fine Defaulters

Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of sentence of a fine defaulter. [21114]

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 Anne Campbell, dated 21 March 1996:


Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are currently in prison for (a) non-payment of fines, (b) non-payment of the community charge and (c) non-payment of council tax. [21244]

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 Mr. Gerry Steinberg, dated 21 March 1996:


Fire Service

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library copies of maps of the areas covered by each of the London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds and Bristol fire authorities showing the risk areas together with their minimum statutory response requirements. [21534]

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Mr. Sackville: No. Categorisation of fire risk within a particular brigade area is a matter for the local fire authority concerned.

Replica Weapons

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many convictions have been achieved since the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 came into force for possession of replica weapons as part of a criminal activity; and if he will make a statement. [21711]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 19 March 1996]: The Firearms (Amendment) Act 1994, which came into force on 21 September 1994, introduced a new offence under section 16A of the Firearms Act 1968 of possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Information held centrally shows no record of any convictions under the aforesaid legislation in 1994. The 1995 data will not be available until the autumn 1996.

Firearms Certificates

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the total number of valid firearms certificates in respect of each police district of London for the current year. [21710]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 19 March 1996]: The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The latest figures which are readily available relate to December 1994, when in the whole of the Metropolitan police area there were 9,345 valid firearm certificates on issue.

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is given to police officers in the evaluation of applications for firearms licences; and if he will make a statement. [21712]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 19 March 1996]: Nationally, all police officers are given training in the firearms administration process as part of their probation. Additional training is provided to those undertaking the evaluation of applications for firearms licences at the discretion of individual chief officers of police. In the majority of police forces, applications are evaluated either by dedicated trained police officers or civilian staff, or by nominated officers who are trained and experienced in firearms issues.

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the total number of firearms certificates (a) issued for new applications, (b) which are renewals and (c) which are valid for more than one year in England and Wales for each year since 1985. [21709]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 19 March 1996]: The latest available information is published in the annual Home Office Statistical Bulletin 'Firearm certificate statistics, England and Wales 1994', issue 11/95, table 1, copies of which can be found in the Library.

New firearms certificates granted prior to 1995 were initially made valid for three years and could be renewed after this time for further three-year periods. Since the Firearms (Period of Certificate) Order 1994 came into

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effect on 1 January 1995, the order has extended to five years the life of all firearms certificates granted or renewed after that date.

Gun Clubs

Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the total number of gun clubs in each local authority district of England and Wales indicating the total number of weapons held in each and the total membership for each year since 1985. [21714]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 19 March 1996]: There are currently 2,252 gun clubs in England and Wales approved by the Home Office under section 15 of the Firearms Act 1988 in which members may use firearms for target practice without holding a firearms certificate. More detailed information about these clubs could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information is not held centrally on gun clubs which do not fall within the section 15 scheme.

Firearms-related Crime

Mr. Loyden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further steps he is taking to deal with the problem of firearms-related crime. [13872]

Mr. Howard [pursuant to his reply, 15 February 1996, c. 707) I and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland were in discussion with the police service before the Dumblane tragedy about the possibility of a firearms amnesty. It has now been agreed that such an amnesty will take place in England and Wales and in Scotland. The details are being worked out.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Public Bodies

Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which (a) the Government are required to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) the Government are required to publish their response to advice supplied by them. [21853]

Mr. Willetts: This Department responds publicly to reports of some NDPBs, such as the Standing Committee on Standards in Public Life and the Government panel on sustainable development. We are not, however, required by statute so to do.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

National Lottery

Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the membership of the board of trustees of each national lottery distribution body, indicating for each (a) the salary of the chief executive, (b) the staff complement and (c) the overall annual budget; and if she will indicate the figures for (a) to (c) prior to introduction of the national lottery. [17224]

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Mr. Sproat: The list shows the membership of the board of trustees of each national lottery distribution body. For the details of salary, staff complement, and overall annual budget, prior to the introduction of the national lottery, I would refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 29 February, Official Report, columns 697-700.


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    The Sports Council for Wales
    Ossie Wheatley MA (Chairman)
    Tom Baxter-Wright (Vice Chairman)
    Mrs. Wendy Williams
    Mrs. Jill Edwards
    Councillor Mrs. Dorothy James
    Miss Anne Ellis OBE
    Councillor W. J. Williams
    Mr. Hugh Thomas
    Mr. Robert Turner
    Mr. Harvey Davies JP
    Mr. Peter Gunn
    Mr. Edgar Lewis
    Mr. David Burcher
    The Sports Council for Northern Ireland
    Don Allen (Chairman)
    Stephen Hilditch (Vice Chairman)
    Peter Robinson
    Tony Carlin
    Mrs. Roseanne McCaughan
    Mrs. June Davis
    Mrs. Georgie Hear
    Mrs. Jackie McWilliams
    David Bowen
    Clarence Hiles
    Dr. Ian Corry
    Miss Fionuala McGrady
    Jim Mckeever
    Dawson Stelfox
    Ronnie Trouton
    The GB Sports Council
    Rodney Walker (Chairman)
    Gerald Dennis Esq.
    Trevor Booking MBE
    Julie Bracewell
    Tim Marshall MBE
    Keith Oates
    Graeme Simmers OBE CA
    Dr. Sarah Springman
    Geoff Thompson
    Ossie Wheatley MA
    Derek Casey (Chief Executive)
    The Scottish Sports Council
    Graeme Simmers, OBE, CA
    Alan Grosset
    G. Malcolm Murray, FFA
    David Arnott
    J. Neil Stevenson

21 Mar 1996 : Column: 298

    Miss Lesley Grant, MBE
    Alan Grosset, WS
    Mrs. Evlyn Ruistrick
    Mrs. Margaret Seymour
    Major-General John MacDonald Esq. CB CBE
    Fred Nelson



    The National Heritage Memorial Fund
    Lord Rothschild (Chairman)
    Sir Richard Carew Pole
    Lord Crathorne
    W Lindsay Evans Esq
    Sir Nicholas Goodison
    Mrs Caryl Hubbard
    Sir Martin Jacomb
    John Keegan Esq
    Lord Macfarlane of Bearsden
    Professor Palmer Newbould
    Mrs Diane Nutting
    Mrs Catherine Porteous
    Commander Michael Saunders Watson
    The Millennium Commission
    Rt Hon Virginia Bottomley MP (Chairman)
    Professor Heather Couper BSc D Litt FRAS
    The Earl of Dalkeith
    The Hon T Robin V Dixon, CBE DL
    Sir John Hall
    The Rt Hon Michael Heseltine MP
    Simon Jenkins Esq
    Michael Montague, CBE
    Patricia Scotland QC
    National Lottery Charities Board
    David Sieff Esq (Chairman)
    English Committee
    Ian Clarke Esq
    Stella Clarke
    Amanda Jordan
    Andrew Phillips
    Chirs Woodcock
    Scotland Committee
    Graham Bowie Esq
    William Kirkpatrick Esq
    Philomena de Lima
    Garth Morrison
    Wales Committee
    Tom Jones Esq
    June Churchman
    Linda Quinn
    Alan Higgins
    Northern Ireland Committee
    John Simpson Esq
    Mrs Aideen McGinley
    Ms Monica McWilliams
    Noel Stewart
    UK Committee
    Andrew Phillips Esq
    Amir Bhatia Esq
    Graham Bowie Esq
    Julia Kaufman
    Sir Adam Ridley

21 Mar 1996 : Column: 299

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