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Handguns

Mr. Tim Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of (a) homicides, (b) unlawful woundings and (c) accidental injuries notified to the police in which licensed handguns were used in each month since March. [3788]

Mr. Maclean: Information as to whether firearms used in offences are legally held is not at present routinely collected centrally in England and Wales. However, a special exercise has recently been carried out to find out whether the guns used in homicides were licensed. The exercise covers the years 1992 to 1994. Out of a total of 22 homicides in which the firearm was legally held, four involved handguns.

Ethnic Minorities

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the continuation of section 11 funding. [4208]

Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the arrangements for funding under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966 for pupil support after March 1997. [4100]

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Mr. Kirkhope: I refer the hon. Members to the reply that I gave yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Bromsgrove (Mr. Thomason), Official Report, column 242.

Sparrow Hall, Liverpool

Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in respect of crime from the Sparrow Hall community council in the Liverpool, West Derby constituency; and what response he has made. [3989]

Mr. Maclean: We have received a letter from Jean Hannah of the Sparrow Hall community council, and a reply was sent on 13 November. I understand that the area commander is developing a community partnership strategy to deal with local crime problems.

Military Corrective Training Centre, Colchester

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when the high-intensity regime will open at the MCTC at Colchester; and if he will make a statement on the cause of the delays in opening the centre; [1761]

(2) what Prison Service training the officer who is in charge of the military corrective training centre at Colchester has had since July; what plans there are for further training; and if he will make a statement. [1762]

Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 6 November 1996]: This is a unique initiative, requiring careful preliminary work. Much progress has already been made, and Colchester young offender institution will open when we have agreed the final details of the regime and completed the staff appointments.

By the end of July, the officer in charge of the military corrective training centre had undertaken training in relation to prisoner adjudications and the command of serious incidents, and had made several familiarisation visits to Prison Service establishments. Since July, he has undertaken finance training. Further training is planned on the staff code of discipline and staff appraisal.

TRANSPORT

Publicity

Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost of staff employed full time or part time (i) to provide information and publicity and (ii) to work in press or media in (a) 1995-96, (b) 1994-95 and (c) 1993-94. [3569]

Mr. Bowis: The answers are £1,620,308, £1,491,230 and £1,538,298, respectively.

These figures combine the cost of staff who work on information, publicity, press and media for the Department and its agencies. The split between information, publicity, press and media could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It does not include the work of the public inquiry point, as this work is part of its general administrative duties and is not recorded separately.

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Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what is the cost assumed in his Department's budget for people employed full time or part time to work on the press and the media in 1996-97; [3577]

(2) what is the cost for staff employed full time or part time by his Department to provide information and publicity in 1996-97. [3573]

Mr. Bowis: The answer is £1,800,347.

This figure includes the cost of staff who work on information, publicity, press and media for the Department and its agencies. The split between press, media and information and publicity could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It does not include the work of the public inquiry unit as this is part of its general administrative duties and is not recorded separately.

Roads Expenditure

Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the expenditure on roads in each county expressed as a figure per motor car based on the census figures for car ownership in each of the last 10 years. [2599]

Mr. Watts: This information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Electric Vehicle Propulsion

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the advantages of subsidising research into electric vehicle propulsion and the installation of recharging facilities in large conurbations; and if he will make a statement. [3194]

Mr. Bowis: There are a number of research projects, such as the Coventry electric vehicle project, recently launched by my right hon. Friend and partly funded by the Energy Savings Trust, which are already assessing the benefits and practicality of electric vehicles in real-life situations. Although electric vehicles have yet to reach the point where they are a clear alternative to more conventional technology as a means of providing a cost-effective solution for urban air quality concerns, a variety of organisations are working to improve the technology and reduce costs. I am keeping this progress under review.

Marine Pollution Control Unit

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the annual expenditure on the marine pollution control unit in each year since it was established. [3638]

Mr. Bowis: I have asked the chief executive of the Coastguard Agency to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from C. J. Harris to Mr. Nick Ainger, dated 14 November 1996:

The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your recent Question about expenditure on the Marine Pollution Control Unit since it was established.
The Unit was formed as part of the Department of Trade in 1979. In 1983 it was transferred to the Department of Transport. The computerised finance system however only goes back as far as 1990 when the unit became part of Marine Emergencies Organisation. Records before this time are not readily available. The spend by the Marine Pollution Control Unit since 1990 is as follows:

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1990/91: £5,942,544
1991/92: £6,537,070
1992/93: £7,420,454
1993/94: £7,172,959
1994/95: £7,392,677
1995/96: £7,733,406.
These figures include spend on programme costs and running costs. In addition, the MPCU incurred the following costs dealing with pollution incidents:
1990/91: £737,822
1991/92: £42,295
1992/93: £1,114,020
1993/94: £1,934,090
1994/95: £251,755
1995/96: £2,004,872.

Diesel Vehicles

Sir Graham Bright: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the advantages of introducing incentives to promote the retro-fitting of emission control devices to diesel vehicles. [3791]

Mr. Bowis: We keep the position under review, taking account of relevant research such as analysis undertaken in the EU auto-oils programme, trials by London Transport buses and related research.

Office of Passenger Rail Franchising

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the latest estimated outturn costs to the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising, including incentive payments for paying (a) franchised and (b) non-franchised train operators, for the year 1996-97; what was the original budget; and what estimates he has made for subsequent years. [4150]

Mr. Watts: Opraf's original budget for support for passenger rail services provided for the franchise payments to Great Western and South West Trains of £125 million and a budget for BR of £1,692 million, making a total of £1,817 million against the £1,626 million voted in the main supply estimates. The latest estimated outturn is £1,763 million and a winter supplementary estimate for a further £137 million has been announced. The reduction of £54 million against the initial budget is the result of the savings on the 11 franchises let this year and the anticipated savings from later franchises. The split is estimated at payments to BR of £1,329 million and to franchisees of £434 million. The exact outturn will depend on the commencement dates of the later franchises and the savings achieved. Estimates for future years are being discussed in the public expenditure survey and announcements will be made at the usual time.

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the latest estimated outturn of the cost of running the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising for the year 1996-97; what was the original budget, excluding payments to franchised and non-franchised train operators; and what are his latest estimates for subsequent years.[4149]

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Mr. Watts: The latest estimated outturn for Opraf's running costs for 1996-97 is £7.556 million, which is the amount voted in the supply estimates. The estimates for 1997-98 and 1998-99 remain those in table 7 of the "Transport Report 1996", Cm 3206 page 85.

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