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FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Kashmir
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library the conclusions of the report prepared by British high commission officials from Delhi on elections held in Kashmir during May; if the officials judged those elections to be properly conducted and free and fair; if they agreed with the official estimates of turnouts; and if he will make a statement. [33997]
Mr. Hanley: The report of the British high commission representative who visited Kashmir during the elections is an internal document which will not be placed in the Library.
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge the Government of India to declare the Kashmir elections invalid; if he will urge that state assembly elections in Kashmir be not held; and if he will make a statement. [34029]
Mr. Hanley: We continue to believe that state elections in Kashmir could contribute to the development of a genuine political process, which is a long-standing element of our policy on Kashmir.
Bahrain
Mr. Fatchett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent visit to Bahrain by the Minister of State, the right hon. Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Harnley), with particular reference to his assessment of the human rights situation. [34263]
Mr. Hanley: I visited Bahrain from 16 to 18 June. I was received by His Highness the Amir and met a number of Ministers and senior officials, as well as the President of the Shura Council.
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The warm welcome I received in Bahrain reflects the strong ties and excellent relations Bahrain has with Britain. We are fortunate to have such good friends, not only in Bahrain but in the region as a whole. We must ensure that the close co-operation we enjoy is maintained.
I discussed a wide range of issues during my visit, including human rights. I used the opportunity to set out a number of human rights concerns which have been raised in the United Kingdom. As a result of my discussions, I am clear that the Bahraini authorities will in the near future conclude an agreement to allow a visit by the International Committee of the Red Cross to take place.
We support the efforts by the Government of Bahrain to address the difficulties there, and I welcome the Amir's recent decision to expand the powers of the Shura Council.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in England and Wales have a conviction for illegal possession of firearms. [32876]
Mr. Maclean:
The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the data in the table show the number of persons convicted at all courts in 1994 for offences of illegal possession of firearms.
| Offence description | Convictions |
|---|---|
| Indictable offences | |
| Possessing etc. firearm or ammunition without certificate [Firearms Act, 1968, section 1(1)] Group I | 400 |
| Possessing etc. shot gun without certificate [Firearms Act, 1968 section 2(1) as amended by CJA 1988 section 44] Group II | 305 |
| Possessing or distributing prohibited weapons or ammunition [Firearms Act, 1968 section 5(1)] Group I | (1)465 |
| Possession of firearms by persons previously convicted of crime [Firearms Act, 1968 section 21(4)] Group II | 42 |
| Possession of firearms by persons previously convicted of crime [Firearms Act, 1968 section 21(4)] Group II | 25 |
| Possession of firearms by persons previously convicted of crime [Firearms Act, 1968 section 21 (4)] Group III | 43 |
| Summary offences | |
| Person under 14 having firearm or ammunition in his possession [Firearms Act, 1968 section 22(2)] Group I | -- |
| Person under 15 having with him a shot gun without adult supervision [Firearms Act, 1968 section 23(3)] Group II | -- |
| Person under 14 having with him an air weapon or ammunition [Firearms Act, 1968 section 22(4) Group III | 7 |
(1) Includes CS gas canisters Group I--Firearms etc., other than
as described in Group II or III.
Group II--Shotguns as described in the section 1(3)(a) of the Firearms
Act 1968.
Group III--Air weapons as described in section 1(3)(b) of the
Firearms Act 1968.
25 Jun 1996 : Column: 67
Guns Amnesty
Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the weapons handed in during the last guns amnesty following the Hungerford tragedy in 1988 were disposed of. [33992]
Mr. Maclean: Firearms selected as being of significant scientific or national heritage value were allocated to suitably authorised, publicly funded museums or other public bodies. The remainder--the vast majority--were destroyed in line with the usual practice of local police forces.
Juvenile Crime
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of reported crime in England and Wales in 1995 was committed by juveniles. [33869]
Mr. Maclean: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Criminal Injuries (Compensation)
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is (a) the shortest and (b) the longest time in the last three years for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board to deal with an application for compensation from victims of crime. [34424]
Mr. Maclean: The shortest time is six weeks and two days. Information about the longest time is not available. Some cases can take several years to settle because of the need to obtain conclusive medical evidence and to deal with any subsequent appeal. The board makes interim awards where possible.
Alternative Burials
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy with regard to the use of (a) alternative coffins and (b) woodland burial sites; and if he will make a statement. [34345]
Mr. Sackville: The type of coffin to be used, and the place of burial, are generally matters for the person responsible for making the funeral arrangements and for the owner of the burial ground. Woodland burial sites are subject to the Local Authorities' Cemeteries Order 1977 if provided by a local authority. Otherwise, their administration is a matter for their owners.
West Midlands Police
Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of West Midlands police into the results of the inquiry by Leicestershire police into 116 allegations made about eight officers. [34437]
Mr. Maclean: No. This is a matter for the chief constable of West Midlands and the Police Complaints Authority.
Metropolitan Police
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to review the funding of, and the funding formula for, the Metropolitan police; and if he will make a statement. [34485]
25 Jun 1996 : Column: 68
Mr. Maclean: Funding is allocated to the Metropolitan police under the formula which divides available resources between all forces in England and Wales. In addition, the Metropolitan police receive a special payment, £130 million in 1996-97, in recognition of their national and capital city functions. We are currently considering what, if any, changes need to be made to the formula, and to the level of the special payment, for 1997-98.
Probation Service
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the original estimated commencement date for the case records administration and management system for the probation service in England and Wales; what are the revised arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [31388]
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 11 June 1996]: The case records administration and management system was introduced in two area probation services on a pilot basis in November 1995 as planned. This piloting identified both some programming faults and changes needed to ensure that the system fully reflects current practice. These are now being undertaken; we expect the system to be ready for operational use within three to four months, about six months later than originally planned.
Mr. Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was originally allocated to CRAMS for the probation service in England and Wales; what is the most recent estimate of the actual cost; and if he will make a statement. [31389]
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 11 June 1996]: The business case for the national probation service information systems strategy, of which the case records administration and management system is a part, was based on an estimate three years ago that the total capital and revenue costs over 10 years of implementing the strategy would be £97 million. That estimate remains valid. The costs of developing CRAMS itself, which is one of 15 prospective software applications within the strategy, are commercially confidential but represent less than 1 per cent. of the total cost of the strategy and remain within budget.
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