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Nuclear Weapons Transport

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the provision of aid to the Russian Federation to assist the safe transport and storage of nuclear weapons. [26263]

Mr. Soames: The UK, at a cost of some £35 million, has provided Russia with 250 armoured weapon containers and 20 heavy armoured transport vehicles to provide additional protection for its nuclear warheads in transit and in storage. These warheads are those made surplus under the strategic arms reduction talks treaty. Russia has expressed its appreciation for this assistance.

Married Quarters Estate

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he has made for the management of the properties of the married quarters estate which his Department will continue to occupy after the proposed sale. [26454]

Mr. Arbuthnot: As we explained in the preliminary information memorandum, a copy of which is in the Library of the House, my Department will retain responsibility for the management and maintenance of the quarters which we lease back. This responsibility will continue to be discharged by the Defence Housing Executive after the sale.

Home Defence Facilities

Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities for home defence and the wartime administration of the armed forces have been provided within the Kincardine-on-Forth area of Scotland since 1970 (a) in facilities established for that purpose and (b) otherwise; and what the costs of establishing and maintaining such facilities have been during the period. [25545]

Mr. Soames [holding answer 18 April 1996]: There are no records or knowledge of any facilities for home defence or wartime administration in the area of Kincardine-on-Forth.

Emergency Communications Links

Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what purpose emergency communications links were provided between Lanark, Strathclyde and the former underground wartime command centre of the headquarters, United Kingdom land forces at Sopley, Hampshire; for how long they were established; and at what cost. [25546]

Mr. Soames [holding answer 18 April 1996]: There are no records or knowledge of emergency communication links between Lanark, Strathclyde and the former underground wartime command centre of the headquarters, United Kingdom land forces at Sopley.

Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what purpose emergency communications links were provided between Inverbervie near Montrose and the former underground wartime command centre of the headquarters, United Kingdom land forces at Sopley, Hampshire; for how long they were established; and at what cost. [25547]

23 Apr 1996 : Column: 86

Mr. Soames [holding answer 18 April 1996]: There were no specific emergency communication links between the former home defence and wartime administration facility at Inverbervie near Montrose and the former underground wartime command centre of the headquarters, United Kingdom land forces at Sopley.

The only permanent communication system at Inverbervie was based on British Telecom telephone lines at a cost of £8,000 per annum. All communication systems had been removed by January 1994.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Police Authorities

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if police authorities are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter. [25974]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 22 April 1996]: Police authorities, established under the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994, are not open to investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner but by the Commissioner for Local Administration. Similarly, they are subject to scrutiny by the Audit Commission, not the National Audit Office. Also, the Audit Commission's citizens charter performance indicators include a range of indicators that apply to the police service, and police authorities are required to publish these annually. As regards statutory provision for open government, police authorities are bound by rules similar to those that apply to local government.

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, (c) minutes of meetings, (d) agendas of meetings and (e) registers of members' interests are published by police authorities; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [25969]

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 22 April 1996]: The Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994, which established the new police authorities, requires them to publish an annual report on local policing for that year and to copy that report to the Home Secretary. Under the Act, they are also bound by provisions in the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, which require agendas, minutes of proceedings and accounts to be open to inspection during reasonable hours and also requires members to declare any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in business which is under discussion. Additionally, regulations are being prepared which will extend to police authorities a requirement to maintain a register of members' interests which is similarly open to public inspection.

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was (a) the gross public spending for each year since 1990-91, in 1995-96 prices and (b) is the projected expenditure for each year to 1997-98, in 1995-96 prices, of police authorities. [25975]

23 Apr 1996 : Column: 87

Mr. Maclean [holding answer 22 April 1996]: Expenditure in 1995-96 prices by police authorities in England and Wales in the period 1990-91 to 1995-96 was as follows:

1990-91: £5,607 million
1991-92: £5,896 million
1992-93: £6,150 million
1993-94: £6,309 million
1994-95: £6,449 million
1995-96: £6,606 million (estimated)

Details of projected police authority expenditure are not available beyond 1996-97, for which the figure is £6,715 million.

Police Complaints Authority

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects provisions to be in place to allow the Police Complaints Authority discretion to publish information to inform the public of the outcome of investigations; and if he will make a statement. [26370]

Mr. Maclean: The disclosure of information by the Police Complaints Authority is governed by section 98 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. We have already announced our intention to amend section 98 to allow the PCA discretion to publish such information as is reasonably necessary to inform the public of the outcome of investigations and we await a suitable legislative opportunity.

Dr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to give the Police Complaints Authority powers to recommend disciplinary charges if evidence shows that on the balance of probability an offence has been committed by a police officer. [26371]

Mr. Maclean: The Police Complaints Authority already has powers to recommend or, ultimately, to direct that disciplinary charges be brought against a police officer.

Alcohol and Drug-related Crime

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of crimes that were committed under the influence of (a) alcohol, (b) heroin, (c) ecstasy and (d) cannabis for each of the past five years. [26345]

Mr. Maclean: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Buckley Hall Prison

Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 3 April, Official Report, columns 289-90, about the timing and implementation of improvements and other recommendations at Buckley Hall prison, (a) on what dates verbal recommendations were made by the area manager for Buckley Hall, (b) how these are recorded by the Home Office controller and the director of the prison and (c) what system is in place to ensure that the recommendations are carried out. [25759]

23 Apr 1996 : Column: 88

Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the 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 23 April 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about verbal recommendations made by the area manager regarding Buckley Hall prison.
The area manager makes regular visits to the establishment. He also chairs a monthly progress meeting at which any recommendations are recorded in the minutes. During scheduled visits he meets the Director and Controller and he may make recommendations, which are then monitored by the Controller as part of her normal duties.
The area manager's recommendations can be separated into those which attract an immediate solution and those which do not. In the case of the former, the Director will seek to act upon comments by the area manager without delay. In the case of the latter a more formal approach would be taken. The Director would be required to submit a full report to the area manager at the next progress meeting. The Controller would be required to monitor progress both before and after to that meeting.
The Controller also produces a monthly progress report for the area manager and monitors any points raised on his behalf.

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