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Advertising Standards

Mr. Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent representations he has received about offensive or disturbing advertising on billboards; [30195]

(2) what monitoring he routinely undertakes of the Advertising Standards Authority. [30196]

Mr. Sackville: This year my right hon. and learned Friend has received four letters from Members of Parliament and one letter from a member of the public about offensive advertisements.

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Government contracts with the Advertising Standards Authority are conducted principally through the Department of Trade and Industry, but my right hon. and learned Friend would not hesitate to approach the authority directly if there were grounds for concern over particular advertising material.

Market Testing

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, for each of his Department's agencies, what market testing has been carried out into the services they provide and what were the results. [30122]

Mr. Howard: Services provided by Home Office agencies which has been market tested since their creation are as follows:

Prison Service
Operation of Manchester prison--won by the in-house bid team.
Operation of Buckley Hall prison--contract awarded to Group 4.
Warehousing and distribution, Prison Service stores at Branston--won by the in-house bid team.
Prison Service College, Newbold Revel, administration and maintenance--won by the in-house bid team.

The value of Prison Service business conducted under contract or service level agreement after a market test, exceeds £27 million per annum at 1994-95 prices. Estimated savings are £9.26 million per annum.

No market tests have been completed by the Forensic Science Service, Fire Service College or United Kingdom Passport Agency of the services that they provide to external customers.

British Citizenship

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons resident in the United Kingdom for over 20 years have been refused British citizenship in each year since 1979. [30399]

Mr. Kirkhope: This information is not available.

Maidstone Prison

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many applications were made to undertake rehabilitation courses at Her Majesty's prison, Maidstone per month since April 1993; [30209]

(2) what has been the number of available places on rehabilitation courses at Her Majesty's prison, Maidstone per month since April 1993. [30210]

Miss Widdecombe: Responsibility for these matters 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 Mr. George Howarth, dated 22 May 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about (i) the number of available places and (ii) the number of applications to undertake rehabilitation courses at Her Majesty's Prison Maidstone per month since April 1993.
This information is not available in the form requested.
Sixteen places are provided monthly for prisoners on the sex offender treatment core programme. Records are not kept of how many applications have been received for the sex offender treatment

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core programme. Since April 1993, 60 prisoners have attended the core programme and 81 have attended the extended programme. There are currently 38 prisoners waiting for a place on the core programme and 113 for the extended programme.
Records are not kept of how many applications have been received for the social skills course. This course lasts for two weeks and has 12 prisoners. In 1993 there were two courses; one in 1994; four in 1995; and so far in 1996 there has been one course, with three more planned.
The group work programme, which is run by the probation department in the prison, started in September 1995. There are an average of two groups running per month, which offer 8-10 places per group. There have been 912 applications for places on these groups. Since September 1995, 12 groups have run involving 108 prisoners.
One-to-one counselling sessions are run by the probation and psychology departments in the prison and by outside drug counsellors. Occasional courses on problem drinking, anger management and on relationships are also run. No record is kept of the number of applications for these sessions.

Mr. Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) parole applications and (b) successful parole applications were made at Her Majesty's prison, Maidstone in each month since April 1993. [30208]

Miss Widdecombe: The information requested is not available centrally.

British Board of Film Classification

Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department has given the British Board of Film Classification regarding its powers to review its certification of films for video release at the request of the film maker. [30243]

Mr. Sackville: Under the provisions of the Video Recordings (Review of Determinations) Order 1995, the British Board of Film Classification may, if it thinks fit, review any classification certificate issued before 3 November 1994. It is for the board to decide which video works should be reviewed in this way. There is no power for the board to review any classification certificate issued on or after that date.

Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had with the British Board of Film Classification regarding the application of section 4(a) of the Video Recordings Act 1984 in respect of harm to potential viewers to the certification of films containing gratuitous violence for video release. [30244]

Mr. Sackville: It is for the British Board of Film Classification to apply the classification criteria in section 4A of the Video Recordings Act 1984 to individual video works.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure that independent scientific expertise is included in the membership of the Criminal Cases Review Commission.[30247]

Mr. Kirkhope: The Criminal Cases Review Commission will have access to independent scientific expertise and will be able to request independent scientific tests and reports. It is important that the commission's

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members should reflect as wide a range of relevant skills and experience as possible, however, and we therefore have no plans to specify that scientific expertise must be included among the membership.

Forensic Science Advisory Board

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the establishment of an independent forensic science advisory board; and if he will make a statement. [30246]

Mr. Maclean: According to our records, representations from three organisations or individuals have been received about the establishment of a forensic science advisory board since the publication of the report of the royal commission on criminal justice.

Women (Protection Against Violence)

Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the protection available to women against violence and the threat of violence. [30257]

Mr. Maclean: The response to violence against women involves a number of Government Departments, whose work is co-ordinated at ministerial level. Effective action also requires the commitment and involvement of local agencies, working together to develop local preventive strategies, and to provide help and support to women who are victims of violent or sexual crimes. In order to encourage an effective co-ordinated response by local agencies, the Government published an inter-agency circular on domestic violence in August 1995. In addition, wide-ranging advice on personal safety is contained in the Home Office booklet "Your Practical Guide to Crime Prevention", a copy of which is in the Library. The booklet also contains information on what men can do to help women feel more secure.

We will continue to take measures to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice; that victims receive the necessary emotional and practical support; and that steps are taken, through education and community initiatives, towards prevention in the long term.

Dr. Bayo Omoyiola

Mr. Parry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons a re-entry visa was not granted to Dr. Bayo Omoyiola following a visit to the British Crown colony of Hong Kong; and if he will make a statement. [30452]

Mr. Kirkhope: I have written to the hon. Member.

Merseyside Police

Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effects on operations of the Merseyside police of the police grant report (England and Wales) 1996-97. [30504]

Mr. Maclean: None. It is for the police authority and the chief constable to determine spending and operational priorities on the basis of the resources made available to them.

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