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Hand Gun Licences
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department collates on the number of persons currently licensed to carry handguns in the countryside for the purposes of killing animals for sport. [3109]
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 11 November 1996]: Killing animals for sport would normally not be considered a good reason for possessing a hand gun.
Electric Shock Dog Collars
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what guidelines he has issued to (i) police authorities and (ii) the Prison Service on the use of dog collars that administer electric shocks to the animals; [3073]
- (2) which (i) police authorities, (ii) prisons and (iii) sectors of the Prison Service are using dog collars that administer electric shocks to the animals; [3074]
(3) what is the number of dogs owned by (i) the police and (ii) the Prison Service on which electric shock dog collars (a) have been used and (b) are being used. [3075]
Miss Widdecombe [holding answers 11 November 1996]: The Prison Service has possessed an electric collar since January 1994. It is kept at the national dog training centre and has been used a total of seven times on six dogs.
The electric collar is not currently being used on any dog and is only ever used in accordance with the policy guidelines issued on 19 July 1996. These guidelines state that the electric collar will be used only when authorised by the head of the NDTC. It will be used on adult dogs as part of a training course or remedial training and only as a last resort when other methods of attempting to correct the dog in control-related exercises have failed. The collar is not to be used as a short-term solution for problems that can be resolved by other more traditional and acceptable methods. All uses of the collar are registered at the NDTC.
The police have no national guidelines for the use of electric dog collars and information on its use is not collected centrally.
13 Nov 1996 : Column: 244
Mr. Madden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons applications for compassionate parole by Ella O'Dwyer, detained in Maghaberry prison, have been refused; how many such applications she has made in the current year; what her prison status is; and if he will make a statement. [3303]
Miss Widdecombe
[holding answer 11 November 1996]: Ms O'Dwyer is a prisoner temporarily transferred to Northern Ireland. Applications for temporary release are therefore considered with reference to her eligibility under the rules which apply to prisoners in England and Wales. As a category A high escape risk prisoner, Ms O'Dwyer is not eligible for any form of temporary release under those rules. However, we have the power to authorise release under section 27 of the Criminal Justice Act 1961 and have therefore considered each of Ms O'Dwyer's three applications for release on compassionate grounds carefully and on their individual merits. I did not consider, however, that there were sufficient compelling grounds to justify granting release exceptionally.
Mr. Porter:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how convicted prisoners escaped from a private coach on 5 November in London while being transferred from Her Majesty's prison, Blundeston; for what reasons a secure vehicle was not used; what changes he expects to make to the system for transporting prisoners; and if he will make a statement. [3392]
Miss Widdecombe
[holding answer 12 November 1996]: 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. David Porter, dated 13 November 1996:
Mr. Madden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 5 November, Official Report, column 440, when the requests for repatriation to prison in the Irish Republic from Harry Duggen and Joe O'Connell will be decided; when the appropriate documents will be referred to the Irish Republic; and if he will make a statement. [3784]
13 Nov 1996 : Column: 245
Miss Widdecombe
[holding answer 12 November 1996]: Agreement to repatriation requests requires the consent of both states as well as of the prisoner concerned. Requests are decided only after consideration of all the relevant information by the two states concerned. An initial decision on whether to refer the requests of Mr. Duggan and Mr. O'Connell to the Republic will be made once all the relevant information is available.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will report progress on the survey of general practice practitioners and trainees in Wales; when he expects the results of the survey to be compiled; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [2643]
Mr. Hague:
The information is not yet in a suitable form for publication. A decision on publication will be made when the work has been completed. I cannot yet indicate when this will be.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of, and how many, people admitted to hospital have been suffering from adverse reactions to a prescribed drug in each of the last five years and in age bands of 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [2904]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
Information on the number of people admitted to hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to a prescribed drug is not available centrally. However the number of people admitted as a result of an adverse reaction to any drug is given in the following table.
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about how convicted prisoners escaped from a private coach on 5 November in London while being transferred from Blundeston prison; for what reasons a secure vehicle was not used, and what changes are excepted to be made to the system of transporting prisoners.
The prisoners who escaped were category B prisoners. Our policy on the transporting of category B prisoners is that they should be transported in as secure a vehicle as possible, based on a thorough risk assessment of the likelihood of escape. In this particular case it was decided that a secure vehicle was not required.
A senior director in the Prison Service has completed an enquiry into the incident. He has put forward nine recommendations, which I have accepted. He has recommended that we should aim to use secure cellular vehicles for all multiple escorts of category B prisoners, as soon as the necessary equipment can be acquired. The Director of Security has been asked to examine the implementation of this recommendation.
| Age | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | (7)1995-96 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-9 years | 19 | 23 | 48 | 21 | 11 |
| 10-19 years | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| 20-29 years | 11 | 17 | 9 | 7 | 2 |
| 30-39 years | 7 | 16 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| 40-49 years | 11 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 6 |
| 50-59 years | 11 | 12 | 15 | 10 | 9 |
| 60-69 years | 30 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 9 |
| 70-79 years | 28 | 37 | 15 | 28 | 7 |
| 80 years and over | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Not known | 19 | 19 | 18 | 23 | 5 |
| Total | 143 | 169 | 149 | 135 | 65 |
Note:
(7) Data for 1995-96 are not comparable to earlier years as records are not available for all hospitals and the diagnosis code used was different from earlier years.
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many elderly (a) men and (b) women have been admitted to hospital in Wales as a consequence of an adverse reaction to (i) non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, (ii) phenothiazines, (iii) diuretics, (iv) analgesics, (v) night sedation, (vi) digoxin, (vii) laxatives, (viii) corticosteroids, (ix) beta blockers and (x) aminophylline in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [2901]
13 Nov 1996 : Column: 246
Mr. Jones: The information requested is not available centrally.
Maintenance Work
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the current backlog of maintenance work in (a) educational institutions, (b) prisons and police stations, (c) council housing, (d) transport infrastructure, (e) the NHS and (f) defence bases in Wales. [2793]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Prisons and police stations are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department. Defence bases in Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence. Information on the backlog of work in educational institutions and council housing is not held centrally. Information regarding transport and council housing is not held centrally. Information regarding transport infrastructure could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The latest figure for backlog maintenance in the NHS is £275 million as at March 1995.
Graduates
Mr. Rowlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of young people graduated in the last available year; and what comparisons he has made with the figures for (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) each member of the European Union. [3038]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: In 1994-95 11,045 UK domiciled students graduated with a first degree from Welsh higher education institutions. These represented 31 per cent. of the population of 21-year-olds, corresponding to the most common age at graduation. On a similar basis, 32 per cent. of young people graduated from Scottish higher education institutions and 30 per cent. from English higher education institutions.
| Per cent. | |
|---|---|
| Denmark | 22.1 |
| Greece | 11.8 |
| Ireland | 17.4 |
| Italy | 0.7 |
| Netherlands | 17.8 |
| Spain | 8.0 |
| Sweden | 11.4 |
| UK | 20.4 |
Source:
OECD "Education at a Glance".
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