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French Fishermen (Minquiers)

Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Dpearmtent under what statutory provision French fishermen are permitted to fish in the Minquiers. [7764]

Mr. Sackville: The waters around the Minquiers form part of the territorial sea of Jersey. The Sea Fisheries (Jersey) Law 1994 permits continued fishing by French vessels in this area, in conformity with long-standing agreements between the British and French Governments.

CS Gas

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the value of the contingency fund that he has established to meet damages claims for injuries caused by CS gas to civilians and police officers. [8282]

Mr. Maclean: My right hon. and learned Friend has not established such a fund.

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make it his policy to incorporate the guidelines established by the Himsworth committee into authorisations given to United Kingdom police forces relating to the use of CS gas; [8280]

(2) what guidelines have been issued to United Kingdom police forces concerning the operational use of CS gas canisters; [8284]

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(3) if the authorisation granted to United Kingdom police forces to use CS gas extends to members of the special constabulary; [8281]

(4) if guidelines issued by his Department to local police forces regarding the use of CS gas are legally binding. [8285]

Mr. Maclean: My right hon. and learned Friend has not issued guidelines on the use of CS spray. The Association of Chief Police Officers has issued operational guidance, which is not legally binding. Individual police officers must comply with the criminal law in relation to any use of force. The Himsworth report's conclusions and recommendations were fully taken into account in the decision to adopt CS spray, and are reflected in the operational guidance, and in guidance to chief officers on the purchase of CS equipment. It is open to chief officers to issue special constables with CS spray.

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the strength of the CS gas used in the United Kingdom relative to that used in the United States of America. [8283]

Mr. Maclean: The weight to volume concentration of CS currently used by police forces in England and Wales is 5 per cent. the same as in France. I understand that some law enforcement agencies in the United States of America have used sprays with 1 to 2 per cent. concentrations, but because of concerns about its effectiveness, many have moved to pepper sprays.

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CS sprays are being acquired by United Kingdom police forces; what is the country of origin of these devices; and which companies manufacture them. [8279]

Mr. Maclean: The figure requested is not centrally available. A total of 3,800 officers carried CS spray canisters for the trials which took place in 16 forces in England and Wales between March and August this year. The canisters were manufactured by SAE Alsetex of France.

Closed Circuit Television

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of each of the CCTV schemes cited in his letter to hon. Members of 4 January; and what has been the reduction in the number of crimes in each case since the introduction of each scheme. [8239]

Mr. Maclean: The closed circuit television schemes cited are those in Newcastle upon Tyne, Swansea, Northampton, Gloucester and Bedford. None of these schemes was funded by the Home Office and details of their costs are not recorded centrally.

Local police forces have provided the following data:

Newcastle upon Tyne: The scheme became operational in December 1992. In the year before its installation, there were 12,400 recorded in the area covered by the cameras. In 1996, it is estimated that 7,000 crimes will be recorded.
Swansea: The system was installed in December 1994. In the 15 weeks before the system became operational, there were 1,544 instances of vehicle crime. In the 15 weeks after, there were 1,382 instances.

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Gloucester: The system became operational in May 1993. After the cameras were installed, there was an 80 per cent. reduction in crimes of violence, a 78 per cent. reduction in commercial burglary and autocrime was virtually eradicated in car parks covered by CCTV.
Bedford: The system became operational in May 1994. In November 1993, there were 325 recorded crimes in the area covered by the cameras. In November 1996, there were 186.
Northampton: CCTV cameras have completely eradicated car crime in a local car park.

Child Abduction

Mr. William O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people have been arrested for attempted and actual baby snatching within the United Kingdom during the past two years in each region; and if he will make a statement; [8096]

(2) how many attempted baby snatches there have been during the past two years in each region. [8097]

Mr. Maclean: This information is not collected centrally.

Overseas Domestic Workers

Mr. Fishburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Department what estimate he has made of the number of overseas domestic workers who have entered and worked in this country legally since 1980. [8080]

Mr. Kirkhope: Comprehensive information on domestic workers admitted to the United Kingdom is not available. The available information relates to persons granted entry clearance in 1995 by the 21 posts in the middle east and far east which are likely to deal with the vast majority of applications by domestic workers. In the whole of the year, there were some 14,000 entry clearances issued at these posts to domestic workers, the great majority to servants accompanying their employers on a visit to the United Kingdom.

Mr. Fishburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of overseas domestic workers who have left their employers owing to abuse since 1980. [8081]

Mr. Kirkhope: No such estimate is available.

Green Goddesses

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Green Goddesses his Department currently has; and what is the average age of the fleet. [8216]

Mr. Sackville: The Department currently holds 1,085 Green Goddesses.

The average age is about 42 years.

Workplace (Fire Precautions) Regulations

Mr. McFall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings he or his officials have had with representatives of the retail industry and other sectors to discuss costs which may result from the proposed Workplace (Fire Precautions) Regulations. [8414]

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Mr. Sackville: Officials met representatives of the British Retail Consortium on 1 August to discuss compliance costs associated with proposals for Workplace (Fire Precautions) Regulations. Since then, they have corresponded and spoken with representatives of that organisation on a number of occasions. Most recently, officials from the fire safety unit and Her Majesty's fire service inspectorate carried out cost assessment visits to workplaces with the BRC and Francis Maude, chairman of the Government's deregulation task force, on 26 November.

Representatives of other sectors were consulted as part of the consultative exercise carried out between 21 May and 9 August this year.

Mr. McFall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to implement the Workplace (Fire Precautions) Regulations; and what compliance costs have been estimated by his Department. [8415]

Mr. Sackville: Following an extensive consultation process, we intend to make regulations shortly. A compliance cost assessment will accompany the regulations.

Plastic Baton Rounds

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the police scientific development branch report, entitled "Plastic Baton Round Equipment for the Police", part 2, No. 6/90, is a classified document; and if he will place copies in the Library. [8650]

Mr. Maclean: This is a classified document and I will not place copies in the Library.

Science and Technology Group

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to place copies of all Home Office science and technology group reports in the Library. [8651]

Mr. Maclean: Copies of reports published by the former police department science and technology group, and its successor units within the police policy directorate, are placed in the Library where it is considered appropriate to do so, having regard to their subject matter and whether they are classified.

Bilingual Learners' Support

Mr. Chidgey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding will be made available for bilingual learners' support in Hampshire after April 1997. [7087]

Mr. Kirkhope: The main source of specific funding for additional education support for members of ethnic minorities is grants paid by the Home Office under section 11 of the Local Government Act 1966. Hampshire's grant allocation figure for 1996-97 is £527,554. I announced on 13 November, Official Report, column 242, that section 11 funding will continue at its present overall level until August 1998. We are currently in touch with Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton councils about detailed arrangements in the light of local government reorganisation from April 1997. In addition, the

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Department for Education and Employment currently has under consideration bids for its 1997-98 grants for education support and training programme which includes grants for in-service training to equip mainstream teachers and classroom assistants with skills needed to promote ethnic minority pupils' attainment of English. The outcome will be announced before Christmas.

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