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Racial Discrimination
Mr. Khabra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his plans for publicising and disseminating the observations made by the United Nations committee on references to the elimination of racial discrimination in the United Kingdom's 13th periodic report. [22269]
Mr. Kirkhope: The concluding observations of the committee on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination, following the United Kingdom's oral examination on its 13th periodic report, will be placed in the Library. The corrected summary records of the hearing will also be placed there once they have been issued by the committee. Both documents are published by the United Nations, and copies may be obtained from that source. Copies are also available from the Home Office on request and the non-governmental organisations which, to our knowledge, submitted evidence to the committee will be informed of these arrangements.
Harassment Prosecutions
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place under the offence of causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. [22154]
Mr. Maclean: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen (Ms Anderson) on 13 February, Official Report, column 523.
Animal Welfare
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he proposes to take to ensure that the code of practice for the housing and care of animals used in scientific procedures is effectively enforced. [22195]
Mr. Sackville: The code provides guidance on best practice in the treatment and use of laboratory animals. It does not purport to set mandatory requirements which must be followed in all circumstances. I am satisfied that the code makes a valuable contribution to the effective operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. We have no present plans for further action.
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure that detailed housing requirements are included in the code of practice on the housing and care of animals used in scientific procedures for all laboratory animals to ensure appropriate environmental enrichment and social contact for each species; and if he will make a statement. [22147]
Mr. Sackville: We have no plans to amend the code of practice for the housing and care of animals used in scientific procedures. The existing code of practice is sufficiently flexible to reflect developments in scientific knowledge about the needs of particular species.
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Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he proposes to take to ensure accountability for welfare standards for laboratory animals on the part of the designated certificate holders, the named veterinary surgeons, the named day-to-day carers and the individual Home Office inspectors; and if he will make a statement. [22148]
Mr. Sackville: No changes are necessary. Of the five categories of persons identified as holding responsibilities under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, three--the personal licence holder, the project licence holder and the holder of the certificate of designation--are directly accountable to the Home Office. The other two--the named day-to-day care person and the named veterinary surgeon--are accountable to the certificate holder for the maintenance of standards of husbandry and care and for the provision of advice on the health and welfare of animals, respectively.
The inspectors are accountable to the Secretary of State for checking that the specific responsibilities of these person are adequately met.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many exemptions he has granted in each of the last five years for the supply of animals for experimentation which have not come from a designated supplier; what were the animals concerned; and what was his reason for granting the exemption in each case. [22149]
Mr. Sackville:
Schedule 2 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 lists the kinds of animals which may be obtained only from designated breeding or supplying establishments, unless the Secretary of State believes that an exemption from this requirement is justified.
Comprehensive information on the number of such exemptions is not recorded centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. In almost all cases, the reason for granting the exemption would have been lack of availability of suitable animals from designated sources.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are made on non-designated supply establishments for laboratory animals prior to his granting an exemption allowing them to be used; and if he will make a statement. [22150]
Mr. Sackville:
No person may breed or supply animals of the species listed in schedule 2 to the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 for use in regulated procedures unless designated under the Act. By definition, therefore, any non-designated supplying establishment must be abroad, and outside the jurisdiction of United Kingdom law.
In respect of non-human primates, the Home Office inspectorate has taken steps to familiarise itself with conditions in the principal overseas breeding and supplying establishments. Arrangements shortly to be introduced will, in addition, require those wishing to use primates from abroad to submit to the Home Office details of the operations and facilities in the establishments from which they wish to obtain their animals.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many primates have been imported to the United Kingdom in each of the last five years to
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establishments licensed to perform procedures in animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 or to establishments designated to supply animals under that Act. [22151]
Mr. Sackville:
The figures for the number of primates directly imported to establishments licensed to perform procedures on animals under the 1986 Act are as follows:
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was his Department's response to the letter of 24 August 1994 from J. L. Frogley, laboratory superintendent to the Home Office inspector about the import of rhesus monkeys; what consideration he gave to the possibility of instructing the establishment to wait until animals became available from a designated breeding establishment; and if he will give the reasons for his decision. [22152]
Mr. Sackville:
The request was handled in accordance with the current Home Office policy that primates may be acquired from non-designated sources only if suitable animals cannot be acquired from designated sources.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the third report of the racial attacks group; and if he will make a statement on its recommendations. [22153]
Mr. Kirkhope:
The draft report is still being discussed by members of the racial attacks group. Its principal purpose will be to report upon local multi-agency work to tackle this problem, and to make recommendations as to how this work can be made more effective.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests the police have made under the offence of production and distribution of racist material under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. [22155]
Mr. Maclean:
Information on the number of people arrested for specific offences is not collected centrally.
Information on cautioning and court proceedings data under section 155 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, which made offences under section 19 of the Public Order Act 1986 arrestable under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 on 3 February 1995, will not be available until the autumn of 1996.
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Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will institute an independent inquiry into the deaths of racehorses at national hunt meetings; and if he will make a statement. [22206]
Mr. Sackville:
No. The safety of horses at racecourses is the responsibility of the racing authorities, and I understand that they are to hold a full inquiry into the recent events at the Cheltenham festival.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the total number of staff for each of the Welsh police constabularies indicating (a) uniformed and (b) civilian employees for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [22374]
The figures do not include primates imported by designated breeders and suppliers under authorities which do not require notification the Home Office in respect of each consignment.
1991: 80
1992: 240
1993: 373
1994: 765
1995: 551
| Year | Police officers | Civilian staff(4) |
|---|---|---|
| Dyfed-Powys | ||
| 1991(2) | 935 | 263 |
| 1992(2) | 947 | 279 |
| 1993(2) | 967 | 295 |
| 1994(2) | 965 | 306 |
| 1995(2) | 976 | 312 |
| 1995(3) | 977 | 335 |
| Gwent | ||
| 1991(2) | 999 | 325 |
| 1992(2) | 1,009 | 335 |
| 1993(2) | 1,004 | 349 |
| 1994(2) | 993 | 346 |
| 1995(2) | 997 | 351 |
| 1995(3) | 1,006 | 378 |
| North Wales | ||
| 1991(2) | 1,349 | 471 |
| 1992(2) | 1,347 | 485 |
| 1993(2) | 1,360 | 507 |
| 1994(2) | 1,352 | 506 |
| 1995(2) | 1,366 | 521 |
| 1995(3) | 1,352 | 472 |
| South Wales | ||
| 1991(2) | 3,137 | 1,173 |
| 1992(2) | 3,168 | 1,182 |
| 1993(2) | 3,176 | 1,201 |
| 1994(2) | 3,131 | 1,266 |
| 1995(2) | 3,014 | 1,193 |
| 1995(3) | 2,954 | 1,240 |
(2) As at 31 March.
(3) September.
(4) Includes traffic wardens.
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