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Private Prisons

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who conducts adjudications at private prisons in England and Wales. [36211]

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 Mr. Alex Carlile, dated 10 July 1996:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about adjudications at contracted prisons.


10 Jul 1996 : Column: 175

Young Offender Institutions

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to close young offender institutions. [36213]

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 Brian Landers to Mr. Alex Carlile, dated 10 July 1996:


Driving Insurance (Prosecutions)

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 17 April, Official Report, column 523, how many (a) arrests and (b) police cautions, there have been for driving without insurance in each of the last five years; how many (i) custodial sentences, (ii) fines and (iii) suspended sentences, have been handed down following prosecutions for driving without insurance in each of the last five years; what has been the reconviction rate for driving without insurance in each of the last five years; and what action he is taking to discourage drivers from driving without insurance. [36221]

Mr. Maclean: Information on the number of people arrested for specific offences is not available centrally.

The number of written warnings for the offence of driving without insurance cannot be distinguished from other insurance offences in the statistics available centrally. The following list gives the number of written warnings issued by the police in England and Wales for all vehicle insurance offences:


Figures for 1995 are not yet available.

The penalties available for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks do not include custodial and suspended sentences. The following list shows the number of fines imposed following conviction for this offence:


Figures for 1995 are not yet available.

10 Jul 1996 : Column: 176

Statistics of reconviction rates for this offence are not available.

The enforcement of road traffic law, including the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks, is a matter for chief officers of police. As the hon. Member knows, there were 446,559 court proceedings for this offence in England and Wales during 1994.

Mr. Raghbir Singh

Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations have been received from Raghbir Singh about (a) conditions in his prison and (b) on requests for escorted leave from prison for compassionate purposes; what action has been taken in respect of (a) and how many requests made under (b) were (1) accepted and (92) refused. [36402]

Mr. Howard [holding answer 9 July 1996]: I have received one letter from Raghbir Singh which contains representations about his conditions in prison. He has made two requests for escorted leave for compassionate purposes. The details of these requests are contained in the reply given to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) on 1 July, Official Report, column 312.

Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bail applications have been made by Raghbir Singh and how many (a) have been refused and (b) are under consideration. [36403]

Mr. Howard [holding answer 9 July 1996]: Raghbir Singh has applied once to the High Court and once to the Court of Appeal for leave to apply for judicial review, and for a writ of habeas corpus. On each occasion, the court refused the application and, although the written application to the court included a request for bail, that was not pursued in court.

Statutory Instruments

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many statutory instruments his Department introduced in (a) 1994, (b) 1995 and (c) between 1 January 1996 and 1 May 1996 which had the effect of repealing one or more previous statutory instruments without replacing them with a new regulation. [35041]

Mr. Howard [holding answer 3 July 1996]: The information that the hon. Member requests is as follows:


10 Jul 1996 : Column: 177

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Immigration Appellate Authority

Mr. Henderson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many persons detained under Immigration Act powers were released on bail by the Immigration Appellate Authority in (a) 1994, (b) 1995 and (c) 1996 to date. [35600]

Mr. Streeter: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Henderson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many appeals against a refusal of asylum are currently outstanding with the Immigration Appellate Authority. [35608]

Mr. Streeter: As at the end of June 1996, there were 16,809 appeals outstanding.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

Baltic Exchange

Dr. John Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what estimate English Heritage has made of the cost of rebuilding the St. Mary Axe facade of the Baltic exchange; and if she will permit the listing of the building to be withdrawn. [35898]

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley: English Heritage has not estimated the cost of rebuilding the St. Mary Axe frontage of the Baltic exchange. I have asked English Heritage to let me have a report on the exchange's listed status. However, it should be borne in mind that such a review can consider only evidence relating to the building's architectural or historic interest. Commercial or economic considerations would not be relevant; these are matters which can be addressed in the context of an application for listed building consent. General guidance on requests to delist buildings is given in paragraphs 6.26 and 6.27 of planning policy guidance note 15.

Television Licence Fee

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when she expects the BBC to introduce a weekly cash instalment scheme for payment of the television licence fee. [36942]

Mr. Sproat: The Government laid a regulation yesterday that will enable the BBC to introduce an easy entry scheme for payment of the television licence fee. This scheme will enable people in receipt of at least one income-related state benefit to pay for their first licence in small weekly cash instalments over a period of six months, in arrears. The BBC intends to launch a national pilot of the scheme later this summer.

Millennium Exhibition

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list the recent decisions which have been made concerning the funding and organisation of the national millennium exhibition. [33889]

10 Jul 1996 : Column: 178

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 21 June 1996]: This is a matter for the Millennium Commission. I shall reply to the hon. Member in my capacity as chairman of the commission and place copies of my reply in the Libraries of the House.

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