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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 6 November 1996
HOME DEPARTMENT
Shotguns
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation in respect of shotguns providing that (a) they are limited solely to use for pest control on agricultural land, (b) they require annually renewable licences held in the name of either the land-owner or tenant, (c) all users are named on the licence, (d) the maximum number of shotguns and registered users is determined in relation to the acreage owned or tenanted, (e) no more than one licence is issued in respect of any piece of land and (f) they must be stored in secure safe-type cabinets with at least two separate keys; and if he will make a statement [2199]
Mr. Maclean: No. It is already a requirement that shotguns must be stored securely.
Young Offenders
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress in implementing the Government's policy in respect of eliminating the remanding of youths in prison. [2315]
Mr. Maclean: We are committed to ending the remand of 15 and 16-year-old boys to Prison Service establishments as soon as there are sufficient secure local authority places to accommodate them. A building programme of 170 new secure places is under way for this purpose. The first places came on stream last December and all additional places will be available during 1997.
Gun Clubs
Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to gun clubs of the increased security measures which will be required as a result of the Government's proposals. [1479]
Miss Widdecombe: The proposals will result in increased costs for clubs which choose to become licensed pistol clubs. The level of costs involved will depend on the extent of their existing security arrangements. These costs cannot currently be quantified.
General Election Campaign
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish details of the present expenditure limits which candidates may not exceed in a general election campaign; and what plans he has to increase these limits before the next election. [1679]
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Mr. Sackville: The current maximum amounts for candidates' election expenses at a general election are set out in the Representation of the People (Variations of Limits of Candidates' Election Expenses) Order 1994. Those limits are as follows. Consideration is being given to increasing these levels before the next general election in line with inflation movements since they were last increased in 1994.
| Parliamentary general election | £ | Plus pence per elector |
|---|---|---|
| County constituency | 4,642 | 5.2 |
| Borough constituency | 4,642 | 3.9 |
Involuntary Manslaughter
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to respond to the Law Commission report, "Legislating the Criminal Code: Involuntary Manslaughter", with particular reference to its implications for health and safety at work. [2012]
Mr. Maclean: The Law Commission's report on involuntary manslaughter raises some important but complex issues, which the Government are still considering. A major element of that consideration is whether a failure to ensure the health and safety of persons employed in or affected by a company's activities should constitute a new offence of corporate killing. We will announce our response to the report in due course.
Deregulation
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what regulations his Department proposes to repeal by the end of 1996; if he proposes to conduct a compliance cost assessment on each regulation repealed; and what is the estimated cost of undertaking a compliance cost assessment to determine the advantages and disadvantages of each repeal. [1403]
Mr. Howard: I do not propose to repeal any regulations by the end of 1996, but on present plans the Licensing Act 1964 will be amended by the end of this year. Amendments to a number of other Acts should be made in the new year.
The aim of each amendment will be to reduce rather than increase compliance costs, so a compliance cost assessment is not required. We do, however, seek to estimate approximate savings wherever possible. The cost of undertaking a CCA varies from case to case, but it is generally modest. Because part of the cost falls on the businesses consulted, a full CCA would be inappropriate for measures designed to reduce business burdens.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are currently in detention; how many of them are detained in HM prisons; how many asylum seekers have been detained at the port of entry since July; and if he will make a statement. [1763]
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Mr. Kirkhope: As at 1 October 1996, a total of 864 persons, who had sought asylum at some stage, were detained, of whom 343 were held in Her Majesty's prisons.
A total of 642 persons who had sought asylum at ports between 1 July and 30 September 1996 are recorded as having been placed in detention during that period.
Merseyside Police Authority
Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to enable the Merseyside police authority to recruit more police officers in the years 1997 to 2000. [2472]
Mr. Maclean: It is for the police authority and the chief constable to determine the number of police officers in the force, having regard to the resources available to them. On the present basis of allocation, Merseyside police authority's share of the additional funds being made available for the recruitment of 5,000 extra officers in England and Wales would be sufficient for it to recruit 110 constables between April 1997 and March 1999.
Speed Cameras
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) speed cameras and (b) live speed cameras are currently installed in the UK. [2061]
Mr. Maclean: The deployment of speed cameras is an operational matter for chief officers of police and highway authorities. The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT
Modern Apprenticeship Scheme
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people have taken up places on the modern apprenticeship scheme since the scheme was created. [2591]
Mr. Paice: As of August 1996, the latest date for which information is available, 46,100 had started on modern apprenticeships in Great Britain.
Teacher Education Allocations
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps she is taking to control the increase in administration costs in respect of teacher education allocations; and what is her estimate of the increase in those costs in 1996-97. [2243]
Mr. Forth [holding answer 5 November 1996]: The Teacher Training Agency has reformed the allocations methodology in order to reward quality and increase the value for money obtained from its annual investment of over £160 million in initial teacher training. The agency's total running costs, which also cover the promotion of teaching as a career, the development of national standards and training for headteachers and teachers, and work on the new national curriculum for initial teacher training, are planned to increase by some £0.6 million in
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1996-97. This reflects increased activity in pursuit of the agency's statutory objectives of raising the standards of teaching and improving the quality and efficiency of training.
School Budgets
Mr. Porter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many local education authorities in East Anglia increased the amount spent on administration and reduced the amount spent on schools in the last year for which information is available. [2049]
Mr. Robin Squire [holding answer 5 November 1996]: The following table sets out changes in spending on schools and on administration, in cash and in percentage terms, between 1993-94 and 1994-95, the latest years for which data are available. The table also shows the relevant pupil numbers. Figures are given for Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex LEAs. Pupils in, and expenditure on, grant-maintained schools in these areas are not included.
| 1993-94 | 1994-95 | Variance | Variance percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridgeshire | ||||
| Pupils (number) | 86,480 | 84,063 | -2,417 | -2.8 |
| Net current expenditure | ||||
| Administration (£000s) | 7,799 | 8,323 | 524 | 6.7 |
| Schools (£000s) | 162,551 | 163,096 | 545 | 0.3 |
| Essex | ||||
| Pupils (number) | 160,305 | 139,815 | -20,490 | -12.8 |
| Net current expenditure | ||||
| Administration (£000s) | 7,608 | 7,854 | 246 | 3.2 |
| Schools (£000s) | 354,345 | 313,766 | -40,579 | -11.5 |
| Norfolk | ||||
| Pupils (number) | 93,114 | 92,657 | -457 | -0.5 |
| Net current expenditure | ||||
| Administration (£000s) | 5,469 | 5,668 | 199 | 3.6 |
| Schools (£000s) | 190,063 | 191,726 | 1,663 | 0.9 |
| Suffolk | ||||
| Pupils (number) | 91,060 | 93,002 | 1,942 | 2.1 |
| Net current expenditure | ||||
| Administration (£000s) | 5,721 | 5,215 | -506 | -8.8 |
| Schools (£000s) | 188,864 | 196,896 | 8,032 | 4.3 |
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