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Departmental Gun Clubs

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Government Departments have (a) gun clubs and (b) shooting ranges on the premises. [21988]

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Mr. Maclean: Four Government Departments in Great Britain have gun clubs approved by the Secretary of State under section 15 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 in which members may use firearms for target practice without holding a firearm certificate. Information is not held centrally on gun clubs which do not fall under the section 15 scheme. Information about the number of shooting ranges on Government premises could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Involuntary Manslaughter

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consideration the Law Commission has given to the introduction of prison sentences for involuntary manslaughter; [21878]

(2) what action he intends to take following the publication of the Law Commission report into involuntary manslaughter. [21771]

Mr. Maclean: The Law Commission's final report on involuntary manslaughter was published on 5 March. It recommends reform of the existing law by the creation of two new offences of unintentional killing by individuals, for which a penalty of imprisonment would continue to be available, and a new offence of corporate killing for which a penalty of imprisonment would not be available. We are grateful to the Law Commission for the work which it has carried out in this complex area of the law. We will consider carefully the recommendations contained in its report.

Police Driver Training

Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total amount spent by the Metropolitan police on driver training in 1995; and what is the projected budget for 1996. [22405]

Mr. Maclean: Driver training costs incurred by the Metropolitan police in 1995 were £5,410,352. I understand from the Commissioner that projected costs for 1996 are £5,629,832.

Criminal Records

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what records are kept of individuals' criminal convictions. [22157]

Mr. Maclean: Information about criminal convictions for reportable offences, including all imprisonable and specified other offences, is held on the police national computer and in the record library of the national identification service. Local police forces may also keep this information together with information about convictions for non-reportable offences.

Prisoners (Drug Testing)

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners over the last 12 months have tested positive as a result of mandatory drug testing; and if he will make a statement. [22395]

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.

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Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. Elfyn Llwyd, dated 25 March 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the Office, to reply to your recent Question regarding the number of prisoners who have tested positive in the last 12 months as a result of mandatory drug testing.
Between February 1995 and January 1996 8352 prisoners were tested under the random testing programme with 3073 positive test results. Results for February 1996 are not yet available.

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners in Welsh prisons over the last 12 months have tested positive as a result of mandatory drug testing; and if he will make a statement. [22396]

Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 21 March 1996]: 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. Elfyn Llwyd, dated 25 March 1996:

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 prisoners in Welsh prisons who have tested positive in the last 12 months as a result of mandatory drug testing.
Of the three Welsh establishments, Swansea and Usk/Prescoed began testing in December 1995 and Cardiff in February 1996. Results for February 1996 are not yet available. Of 74 prisoners tested at Swansea and Usk/Prescoed in December and January, 22 were found to be positive for drugs.

Departmental Staff (Working Hours)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons in his Department worked in excess of 48 hours per week in any of the last 52 weeks; and what percentage of the staff employed this represents. [21507]

Mr. Howard: Records of the number of hours worked by each employee are not kept centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Contractors and Suppliers

Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department is taking to ensure that its contractors and suppliers (a) pay their employees a wage which ensures such employees do not need supplementary welfare payments via various state benefits and (b) meet workplace health and safety regulations; and if he will make a statement. [21469]

Mr. Howard: Terms and conditions of employment, including wages, are a matter between the contractor or supplier and his employees, subject of course to any relevant legal requirements. Compliance with health and safety regulations is a legal requirement for the contractor or supplier.

Police (Body Armour)

Mr. Allason: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the British police standard of stab-proof ballistic material for soft body armour. [21532]

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Mr. Maclean: Standards are set out in publications by the Home Office police scientific development branch entitled "PSDB Ballistic Body Armour Standard (1993)" and "PSDB Stab Resistant Body Armour Test Procedure (1993)". Copies have been placed in the Library. These standards have been agreed by the Association of Chief Police Officers and are made freely available to manufacturers and other interested bodies.

PRIME MINISTER

Taiwan

Sir Nicholas Scott: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to support the application by Taiwan to join the United Nations organisation and to seek support from Commonwealth and EU partners for it. [22219]

The Prime Minister: No. Membership of the United Nations is open only to states. Her Majesty's Government do not recognise Taiwan as a state.

Rathbone Community Furniture

Mr. Parry: To ask the Prime Minister what reply he gave to Rathbone Community Furniture, Liverpool, in response to its recent letter to him; and if he will make a statement. [22156]

The Prime Minister: My office has forwarded the letter to the Department for Education and Employment which will respond in due course.

Enterprise Zones

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 19 March 1996, Official Report, columns 167-68, to the hon. Member for Easington (Mr. Cummings) if he will list the advantages which will be given to the area by virtue of the creation of an enterprise zone; and how long it has taken from the first proposal for such a zone to the date of coming into effect of such a status. [22382]

The Prime Minister [holding answer 22 March 1996]: The benefits available to businesses during the 10-year life of an enterprise zone are the following: 100 per cent. allowances for corporation tax purposes for capital expenditure on industrial and commercial buildings: exemption from the national non-domestic rate on industrial and commercial property; a simplified planning regime; speedier administration of residual statutory planning controls; exemption from industrial training levies and from the requirements to supply information to industrial training boards; processing applications for certain customs facilities as a priority, and the relaxation of certain criteria; and the reduction of government requests for statistical information. Enterprise zones can effect economic activity over a wide area through displacement effects and are not the appropriate regeneration measure in most circumstances.

The Government announced that they would consider the case for new enterprise zones at Easington in County Durham on 29 March 1993; zones in that area were designated on 29 November 1995.

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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Taiwan

Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals he has to reduce the tension between Taiwan and China. [22411]

Mr. Hanley: We have repeatedly urged China to show restraint and have called for an early resumption of the cross-straits dialogue. We have made these points to the Chinese directly at prime ministerial level and through the EU. We remain fully supportive of the actions taken by the United States to defuse the situation.

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