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West Midland Serious Crime Squad

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Attorney-General if he will list, with dates and charges, the 27 people whose convictions have been quashed as a result of discredited evidence from the West Midland serious crime squad. [4508]

25 Nov 1996 : Column: 83

The Solicitor-General: I have taken the hon. Member's question to relate to those cases detailed in the two written answers given to the hon. Member by my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General on 16 February 1994, Official Report, column 782.

A revised list incorporating the outcome of those appeals which were pending before the Court of Appeal on 16 February 1994 is shown:

Name	Offence	Date
Hassan Khan	Robbery	23 February 1990
John Edwards	Robbery	2 November 1990
Constantine Wellington	Robbery	25 March 1990
Geoffrey Cheetham	Conspiracy to rob	30 July 1992
Ronald T. Gall	Assault occasioning actual bodily harm	14 January 1992
Gerard Gall	Robbery	14 January 1992
Valentine P. Cooke	Robbery	14 January 1992
Robert Haughton	Conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm	14 May 1992
Delroy Hare	Robbery	19 May 1992
Michael T. Bromell	Unlawful wounding	22 June 1992
Gary M. Binham	Theft	28 January 1993
Leslie B. Horobin	Robbery	1 April 1993
Kevin Wilcox	Robbery	1 April 1993
Raymond Fryer	Robbery	1 April 1993
Adolphus Francis	Robbery	27 April 1993
Elvis Jeffers	Robbery	27 April 1993
Paul R. Lindo	Grievous bodily harm	12 October 1993
George A. Hinds	Theft	12 December 1993
Patrick Smith	Robbery	20 January 1994
Seymour Williams	Robbery	20 January 1994
Sing Gill Tarlochan (previously listed as Tannochan)	Murder	27 January 1994
George G. Lewis	Robbery	4 January 1994
A Rasheed	Manslaughter	17 May 1994
Anthony Jones	Conspiracy to rob	29 July 1994
Martin Foran	Conspiracy to rob	24 February 1995
Trevor McCalla	Robbery	16 October 1995
Roy Meads	Robbery	29 January 1996

Departmental Decisions (Appeals)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Attorney-General if he will list those administrative decisions of his Department affecting (a) United Kingdom citizens and (b) non-citizens where there is no right of appeal. [6022]

The Solicitor-General: Decisions of the Law Officers are not subject to any statutory right of appeal.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Deregulation Task Force

Mr. Hanson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the current chairman proposes to relinquish his position as chairman of the deregulation task force. [5578]

Mr. Freeman: The right hon. Francis Maude's current appointment as chairman of the deregulation task force is until September 1997.

25 Nov 1996 : Column: 84

Mr. Hanson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proposals he intends to bring forward to meet the deregulation task force targets for a reduction in business costs by 2000. [5577]

Mr. Freeman: The deregulation task force has produced two annual reports, in September 1995 and September 1996. The Government accepted the majority of the recommendations in both these reports.

In its 1995 report, the deregulation task force recommended that the burden of Government surveys be cut by 25 per cent. In response, the Government set up an independent study which reported in September 1996. The study put forward a number of recommendations which will reduce businesses costs in completing Government surveys by 26 per cent.--or £17.5 million per year--by the year 2000, without damaging the quality of essential data collected.

Mr. Hanson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minster what steps he intends to take to broaden the membership of the deregulation task force. [5575]

Mr. Freeman: Two new members were appointed to the deregulation task force in September. They are Henry Angest, who is chairman and chief executive of Secure Trust Group plc, a financial services company, and Thomas Swan who runs Thomas Swan and Co Ltd., a chemical manufacturing, biotechnology and scientific equipment company. There are no current plans for further additions to the membership.

Mr. Hanson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what were his criteria for establishing membership of the deregulation task force. [5576]

Mr. Freeman: All members of the task force were appointed for the expertise and experience they could contribute to its work as individuals. Members were selected from a large number of sources, including the lists held by the Cabinet Office public appointments unit.

Mr. Hanson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what is his policy towards members of the deregulation task force holding the position of prospective parliamentary candidate. [5574]

Mr. Freeman: The deregulation task force is an advisory body. As is the case with all non-departmental public bodies, the members of the task force have been appointed for the expertise they can contribute to its work. All the recommendations the task force makes to the Government are considered entirely on their merits, and in the light of views of others.

Civil Servants (Secondments)

Ms Quin: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the seconded civil servants referred to in his answer of 24 July, Official Report, column 455, by the Departments from which they were seconded. [4709]

25 Nov 1996 : Column: 85

Mr. Freeman: Many Government Departments, together with a few executive agencies, have seconded staff to the European Commission as national experts. The number of staff each Department/agency has seconded--

25 Nov 1996 : Column: 86

with the exception of Northern Ireland Departments, where separate details are not recorded--for each of the last four years together with the current position is as follows:

25 Nov 1996 : Column: 85

Detached national experts

	As at 31 December 1992	As at 31 December 1993	As at 31 December 1994	As at 31 December 1995	As at 20 November 1996
MAFF	12	13	8	6	5
Building Research Agency	0	0	1	1	1
Cabinet Office	0	1	0	0	0
Central Statistical Office	1	4	5	5	3
HM Customs and Excise	12	15	8	8	6
Crown Prosecution Service	1	1	0	0	0
Data Protection Registrar	0	0	1	1	0
Ministry of Defence	1	1	1	1	0
Defence Research Agency	0	0	0	1	1
Department for Education and Employment	11	7	6	7	9
Department of the Environment	7	9	9	9	7
Equal Opportunities Commission	1	0	0	0	0
Foreign and Commonwealth Office	1	3	3	2	2
Department of Health	3	6	5	4	4
Health and Safety Executive	4	6	5	7	7
Home Office	3	3	0	0	0
Inland Revenue	1	1	2	2	2
Northern Ireland Civil Service	11	6	4	4	2
Office of Fair Trading	0	0	1	1	2
Patent Office	1	1	1	0	0
Overseas Development Administration	4	4	5	7	10
Scottish Office	8	6	5	4	4
Serious Fraud Office	0	0	1	1	1
Department of Social Security	4	2	2	2	1
Department of Trade and Industry	15	13	10	11	14
Department of Transport	6	5	6	5	5
HM Treasury	0	0	2	2	4
Treasury Solicitor's Office	1	0	0	0	0
Welsh Office	1	1	1	0	0
European fast stream(54)	0	7	17	11	8
Total	109	115	109	102	98

(54) European fast streamers are funded by the Cabinet Office, although they are placed in other Government Departments while they are on the scheme and may be seconded to the European Commission as part of their training programme.

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Human Rights and Political Prisoners (China)

Mr. Winnick: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister with whom he raised the issue of human rights and political prisoners when he officially visited China recently. [5535]

The Deputy Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave on 4 June, Official Report, column 333.

Equal Opportunities (Civil Service)

Mr. Michael Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the progress that has been made towards achieving equality of opportunity in the civil service. [6139]

Mr. Freeman: Considerable progress has been made. I have today published two reports on equal opportunities in the civil service--the 1996 data summary and "Equal Opportunities in the Civil Service--A Progress Report". The representation of women, members of the ethnic minorities and disabled people has increased against a backdrop of reducing staff members. Copies of both reports have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

25 Nov 1996 : Column: 86

NORTHERN IRELAND

Band Competitions (Policing)

Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the additional costs for the Royal Ulster Constabulary of policing band competitions in Comber, County Down on (a) 17 May, (b) 29 June and (c) 20 September. [3897]

Sir John Wheeler: The competitions were policed from within existing local police resources. There were, therefore, no additional costs for the RUC.

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