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Ministerial Leave

Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many days of leave he plans to take during the Christmas adjournment. [9799]

Mr. Rifkind: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many days leave he has taken in the Easter, Whitsun and summer adjournments; and how many days leave he took during the time in which Parliament was prorogued this year.[9798]

Mr. Rifkind: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Former Prisoners of War

Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the response to date from Japanese business men to the Minister of State's invitation to them to extend help to British prisoners of war held in Japan during the second world war; and if he will make a statement. [9882]

Mr. Hanley: As I made clear in the debate on 4 December, Official Report, columns 969-73 our policy is to encourage all initiatives which promote reconciliation and recognise the sacrifices made by former prisoners of war. The British Government have made extensive efforts to develop non-governmental approaches and some activities such as exchange visits are going ahead.

Consultants

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the actions his Department has taken on each of the recommendations contained in the Cabinet Office report on the Government's use of external consultants. [10163]

Mr. Hanley: Following the efficiency scrutiny on the Government's use of external consultants, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Overseas Development Administration produced action plans which were agreed with Ministers and submitted to the efficiency unit. Both Departments produced guidelines to cover all the points made in the report. The revised guidelines, in the form of office instructions, were brought to the attention of all staff to whom they were relevant.

In addition to revising their guidelines, the FCO and ODA have also tightened up their procedures on the use of consultants. Last year, it was agreed that consultancies for internal purposes costing more than £50,000 should be authorised by Ministers.

13 Jan 1997 : Column: 33

The great majority of ODA expenditure on consultants is undertaken at the request of, and for the benefit of, overseas Governments and institutions; where relevant to this type of activity, the scrutiny recommendations have been implemented in full.

International Agreements

Mr. Robert McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy with respect to the nomenclature for the United Kingdom and the country to the south and west, utilised on both copies of agreements that he signs with that country; and if he will make a statement. [10481]

Mr. Rifkind: The UK original of treaties and agreements between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland uses the nomenclature appropriate under UK law which is "the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland" and "the Government of the Republic of Ireland". The Irish original of such treaties and agreements uses the nomenclature for the two countries which the Irish Government consider appropriate.

Intergovernmental Conference

Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the article of (a) the treaty on European Union, and (b) its associated treaties, under which the Commission of the European Committees has a locus in respect of the June intergovernmental conference concerning amendments to the treaty; and what communications he has received from the Commission of the Community relating to this matter. [10874]

Mr. David Davis: The Commission of the European Community has a locus in respect of the intergovernmental conference--IGC--under article N of the treaty of European union. The Commission submitted its opinion on convening the IGC on 28 February 1996. This was submitted to Parliament for scrutiny. The Commission has submitted a number of other proposals to the IGC, which have been placed in the Library of the House. The outcome of the IGC will be decided by member states, by unanimity.

Indonesia

Mrs Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the frequencies and the locations of the transmitters supplied under the contracts which followed on from the shortwave radio transmitters project in Indonesia; and who were the contracting parties. [10715]

Mr. Nelson: I have been asked to reply.

I understand from GEC Marconi Communications Ltd. that the shortwave radio transmitters project in Indonesia has helped in securing three follow-on items of business on commercial terms. The details are: (i) a turnkey project near Jakarta, including the provision of three 250kW high frequency transmitters and antennae system. The contracting parties were Marconi Communications International Ltd. and the directorate of radio television and film of the Department of

13 Jan 1997 : Column: 34

Information of the Government of Indonesia. The transmitters are to provide an external overseas broadcasting service and operate on frequencies in the internationally recognised broadcasting bands in the 4-26 MHz range. (ii) the supply and installation of transmitting equipment for 19 sites in Malaysia. The contracting parties were Eddystone Radio Ltd., GEC Malaysia and the Malaysian Ministry of Information. The transmitters operate in the 88-108MHz broadcasting band. (iii) the supply of medium frequency transmitters and a directional antennae system in Vietnam. The contacting parties were Marconi Communications International Ltd. and Radio Voice of Vietnam. The equipment operates on the fixed frequencies of 549kHz and 675kHz.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Police Cells

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of nights spent by prisoners in police cell accommodation in each month this year. [9105]

Miss Widdecombe: 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. George Howarth, dated 13 January 1997:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of nights spent by prisoners in police accommodation this year.

No nights have been spent by prisoners in police accommodation this year as a result of overcrowding at establishments. This key objective has applied since June 1995 and continues to be achieved in spite of extreme population pressures.

Under completely separate arrangements, prisoners have, from time to time, to be accommodated overnight in police accommodation following court appearances. This is usually because a late court sitting or the distance involved make it impossible for an escort contractor to get the prisoner back before reception at the establishment closes for the evening.

This continues a practice developed when all prisoner escorts to and from court were undertaken by the Police or Prison Service and is of many years standing. Prison reception times were developed to meet local circumstances. If prisoners could not be delivered before the prison closed for the night the police held them overnight and delivered them the next morning. The number of prisoners lodged overnight by the police in these circumstances prior to contracting out is not available centrally.

The general service to courts, prisons and police forces has improved significantly since the contracting out of escort services. Court contractors are required to get prisoners back to prison by a certain time. This is not always possible for reasons which may be outside their control. However, if they fail to meet this commitment as a result of an error or omission on their part they have to meet any subsequent costs that may arise as a result of the use of police cell accommodation. Well over 99 per cent. of prisoners are admitted to establishments each evening.

13 Jan 1997 : Column: 35

The table below gives the number of nights in which prisoners have been accommodated in police cells in these circumstances between January and October this year. Information for November is not yet available. The figures are affected by the fact that during the period in question more escort contracts have started. As a result, better management information on these cases within the contract areas is now available.

Month	Number
January	124
February	171
March	177
April	160
May	129
June	181
July	142
August	185
September	176
October	250

As you will see this amounts to an average of about five prisoners per night.

13 Jan 1997 : Column: 36

Prison Accommodation

Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of prisoners sharing two to a cell designed for one by prison type in each month this year. [9103]

Miss Widdecombe: 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 A. J. Pearson to Mr. George Howarth, dated 13 January 1996.

The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about the number of prisoners sharing two to a cell designed for one by prison type in each month this year.

Data concerning prisoners sharing cells designed for one is only collected for the prison as a whole. It is therefore not possible to provide information by prison type because many prisons have multiple roles. A list of all prisons which have two prisoners sharing cells designed for one and the various roles they undertake, is provided in the attached table.

13 Jan 1997 : Column: 35

13 Jan 1997 : Column: 36

The number of prisoners held two in a cell designed for one by Prison

							1996
	Prison type code	January	February	March	April	May	June
Aylesbury	IM	0	0	0	0	0	2
Bedford	BM	154	134	134	134	134	134
Birmingham	CM, BM, EM	630	616	630	630	618	632
Blakenhurst	BM, VM	0	0	0	0	0	66
Blundeston	CM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Bristol	BM, CM, EM	152	162	162	68	68	68
Brixton	BM	328	328	328	328	328	398
Buckley Hall	CM	0	0	20	20	16	16
Canterbury	BM	210	166	154	154	204	204
Cardiff	AM, BM, VM	368	286	366	376	386	332
Channings Wood	CM, VM	200	192	186	186	182	186
Chelmsford	BM	332	332	324	296	296	296
Cookhamwood	CF	12	12	12	12	26	26
Doncaster	BM, VM	194	194	376	376	376	376
Dorchester	AM, BM, VM	144	160	122	164	164	188
Down View	CM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Durham	BM, CF, VM, CM	428	474	476	472	532	704
Everthorpe	CM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Exeter	AM, BM	302	352	352	322	384	384
Feltham	AM, IM, LM, SM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Glen Parva	AM, HM, IM, SM, VM	138	378	204	236	212	254
Gloucester	BM, AM	91	102	118	118	122	134
Guys Marsh	CM, IM, JM	0	0	6	0	4	8
Highpoint	CM, CF	0	0	0	0	0	0
Hindley	AM, IM	0	0	140	0	0	0
Hull	BM, SM	140	236	204	178	160	156
Lancaster Farms	AM, IM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Leeds	BM	548	584	754	0	0	98
Leicester	BM, VM	238	244	244	268	250	250
Lewes	BM, VM	22	22	22	30	24	24
Lincoln	BM, VM	418	538	490	514	514	536
Littlehey	CM, HM, VM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Liverpool	BM, VM	188	208	66	230	230	260
Low Newton	AM, BF, VM	180	224	224	234	236	204
Manchester	BM, VM	446	456	444	444	448	446
Moorland	AM, CM, IM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mount	CM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Northallerton	AM	114	168	170	164	162	168
Norwich	AM, BM, VM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nottingham	CM, EM	0	4	4	4	6	8
P'klechurch	AF (SHUT)	28	0	0	0	0	0
Pentonville	BM	599	610	176	596	616	604
Portland Yoi	AM, IM, LM	16	16	16	16	0	0
Preston	BM	258	258	258	258	258	394
Reading	AM, IM	38	60	52	82	44	44
Risley	BF, CM, SM, VM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Rochester	AM, BM, CM, VM, IM	4	6	6	6	6	6
Shepton Mallet	CM, VM	0	0	0	0	0	76
Shrewsbury	BM	272	260	268	270	254	262
Stafford(10)	CM, VM	396	400	374	368	394	378
Stocken	CM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Swaleside	CM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Swansea	AM, BM	144	144	132	148	164	166
Usk	CM, DM, JM, VM	74	66	88	86	80	80
Verne	CM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wakefield	CM, EM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wandsworth	BM, VM	148	148	80	80	80	96
Wayland	CM, VM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wealstun	CM, DM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Winchester	BM, CM, CF	194	186	194	218	208	234
Wolds	BM, VM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Woodhill	AM, BM, SM, VM	0	0	0	0	0	0
Wormwood Scrubs	BM, CM, EM, SM	300	530	250	238	244	304
Total		8,448	9,256	8,626	8,324	8,430	9,202

13 Jan 1997 : Column: 37

13 Jan 1997 : Column: 37

1996

	Prison type code	July	August	September	October	November
Aylesbury	IM	2	2	0	0	0
Bedford	BM	142	132	142	166	168
Birmingham	CM, BM, EM	616	622	622	632	626
Blakenhurst	BM, VM	66	122	130	138	140
Blundeston	CM	0	0	0	18	0
Bristol	BM, CM, EM	68	70	80	98	92
Brixton	BM	358	358	302	354	362
Buckley Hall	CM	18	18	12	22	20
Canterbury	BM	210	210	218	248	234
Cardiff	AM, BM, VM	332	256	388	458	458
Channings Wood	CM, VM	196	194	206	224	244
Chelmsford	BM	322	14	0	108	72
Cookhamwood	CF	48	50	72	48	46
Doncaster	BM, VM	420	414	352	389	416
Dorchester	AM, BM, VM	178	172	182	180	164
Down View	CM	0	0	0	0	12
Durham	BM, CF, VM, CM	676	678	700	712	742
Everthorpe	CM	0	0	0	64	32
Exeter	AM, BM	356	324	358	404	408
Feltham	AM, IM, LM, SM	0	0	0	10	12
Glen Parva	AM, HM, IM, SM, VM	358	222	154	236	222
Gloucester	BM, AM	128	80	116	108	142
Guys Marsh	CM, IM, JM	8	8	6	6	26
Highpoint	CM, CF	0	0	0	22	22
Hindley	AM, IM	0	0	0	32	0
Hull	BM, SM	188	194	202	206	194
Lancaster Farms	AM, IM	0	0	0	0	34
Leeds	BM	0	0	0	0	0
Leicester	BM, VM	304	266	280	298	268
Lewes	BM, VM	30	30	54	26	24
Lincoln	BM, VM	532	500	496	486	482
Littlehey	CM, HM, VM	0	0	0	16	32
Liverpool	BM, VM	260	260	264	264	264
Low Newton	AM, BF, VM	226	198	218	236	266
Manchester	BM, VM	444	480	482	480	484
Moorland	AM, CM, IM	60	60	60	60	60
Mount	CM	0	0	0	76	76
Northallerton	AM	156	150	158	292	286
Norwich	AM, BM, VM	0	0	0	0	0
Nottingham	CM, EM	8	8	8	18	4
P'klechurch	AF (SHUT)	0	0	0	0	0
Pentonville	BM	654	658	706	696	688
Portland Yoi	AM, IM, LM	0	0	0	0	114
Preston	BM	404	404	370	358	362
Reading	AM, IM	78	110	110	144	122
Risley	BF, CM, SM, VM	0	0	0	0	18
Rochester	AM, BM, CM, VM, IM	4	6	6	6	12
Shepton Mallet	CM, VM	98	100	120	104	112
Shrewsbury	BM	278	268	282	294	290
Stafford(10)	CM, VM	390	390	386	404	0
Stocken	CM	48	14	42	52	52
Swaleside	CM	0	0	0	0	30
Swansea	AM, BM	132	138	146	161	244
Usk	CM, DM, JM, VM	88	88	84	108	96
Verne	CM	0	0	0	0	16
Wakefield	CM, EM	56	94	86	82	96
Wandsforth	BM, VM	162	166	230	134	138
Wayland	CM, VM	0	0	0	56	50
Wealstun	CM, DM	0	0	0	6	6
Winchester	BM, CM, CF	230	208	230	230	244
Wolds	BM, VM	0	0	0	60	0
Woodhill	AM, BM, SM, VM	0	0	0	54	94
Wormwood Scrubs	BM, CM, EM, SM	320	260	300	300	292
Total	--	9,652	8,996	9,360	10,384	10,210

(10) A new cell certificate issued in November has re-certified single cells as double cells.

Description of codes

M--Male

F--Female

A--Remand Centre

B--Local prison

C--Closed training prison

D--Open training prison

E--Hostel

H--National resource hospital

I--Closed young offender institution

J--Open young offender institution

K--Short sentencer institution

L--Juvenile institution

S--Special unit

T--Additional special unit

V--Vulnerable prisoner unit

13 Jan 1997 : Column: 39

13 Jan 1997 : Column: 39

Adjustments to figures returned from Liverpool and Northallerton means that the total number of prisoners held two to a cell designed for one has been revised for the months between July and November.

Adjustment table: Total number of prisoners held two to a cell designed for one

					1996
	July	August	September	October	November
Previous total	9,236	8,726	8,938	10,120	9,946
Adjusted new total	9,652	8,996	9,360	10,384	10,210

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