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Consultants
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department is he will list the actions his Department has taken on each of the recommendations contained in the Cabinet Office report "The Government's Use of External Consultants". [10195]
Mr. Howard: The Home office is either acting on or has already complied with each of the relevant recommendations of the scrutiny report. In particular, a policy statement has been issued, new arrangements for ministerial approval of external consultancies are being followed and reporting arrangements are in place. A new guidance manual, covering these areas and consolidating existing guidance, is about to issue.
Pepper Sprays
Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reviews his Department has carried out into the health effects of pepper sprays, oleoresin capsicum, since 1990; who carried out each of
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the reviews; what were the conclusions of each of the reviews; when each review (a) started and (b) ended; and what is the current security classification of the report arising out of each review. [10251]
Mr. Maclean: The Home Office police scientific development branch started reviewing all available data relating to the health effects of oleoresin capsicum in early 1991, and continues to do so. The data have also been reviewed by the Department of Health and the Ministry of Defence. This has not resulted in any published report, although a summary of the police scientific development branch's findings were included in an article in "Police Science and Technology Review" last June. In addition, my right hon. and learned Friend commissioned research into the possible carcinogenic effects of oleoresin capsicum's main incapacitating ingredient, capsaicin. This was undertaken by Hazleton Europe between 14 July 1994 and 22 August 1994. This resulted in two reports, entitled "Capsaicin: Measurement of Unscheduled DNA Synthesis in Rat Liver Using an In Vivo/In Vitro Procedure" and "Capsaicin: Induction of Micronuclei in the Bone Marrow of Treated Mice", which are unclassified and available in the Library.
Speaker's Conferences
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) the typescript minutes of evidence of the Speakers' conferences on electoral law 1965 to 1968 and (b) the minutes of evidence he retains in respect of earlier Speakers' conferences. [10444]
Mr. Sackville: Successive Speakers have directed that the unpublished papers of Speakers' conferences should be publicly available only on the expiry of 50 years and the subject to the consent of the Speaker in office in respect of each application for access to them.
Refugees
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of refugee applications in each of the past five years. [10491]
Mr. Kirkhope: The information requested is given in the table.
| Year | Number of principal applications |
|---|---|
| 1992 | 24,605 |
| 1993 | 22,370 |
| 1994 | 32,830 |
| 1995 | 43,965 |
| 1996 (January to November | 25,590 |
(11) Figures rounded to the nearest five.
Mr. Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons he funds (a) the Refugee Council and (b) the refugees arrival project. [10489]
Mr. Kirkhope: We provide a core grant to the Refugee Council which contributes to a range of the council's activities as an umbrella organisation supporting the interests of refugees and refugee organisations.
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The grant from the Home Office contributes about 80 per cent. of the total funding available to the refugee arrivals project to enable it to provide advice and support to asylum seekers arriving at airports in Greater London.
Mr. Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who advises him on the monitoring of the refugee situation and on the appropriate levels of financial support to those voluntary organisations who are providing services to refugees. [10493]
Mr. Kirkhope:
Statistics are maintained on the number of people seeking asylum each year and those given permission to remain either as refugees or exceptionally outside the immigration rules. The voluntary agencies funded by the Home Office are alive to the changing refugee situation which influences the aims and objectives which underlie the grant we pay.
Mr. Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much public money has been made available to refugee agencies in each of the past five years. [10490]
Mr. Kirkhope:
The total amount of grants given to refugee voluntary agencies in each of the past five financial years is set out in the table. The amounts vary from year to year due to the fluctuating level of funding needed to support the programme offering temporary protection to refugees from the former Yugoslavia.
| Year | Total grant £million |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 5.2 |
| 1995-96 | 6.1 |
| 1994-95 | 9.4 |
| 1993-94 | 7.4 |
| 1992-93 | 4.2 |
Mr. Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consult the (a) Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster and (b) other Church and faith leaders about services to refugees. [10494]
Mr. Kirkhope: The provision of services to refugees is a matter for local authorities and those central Government Departments with policy responsibility in the relevant areas. We are always ready to listen to the views of Church and other faith leaders about issues affecting refugees.
Mr. Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specific advice has been given by his Department to refugee aid and advice agencies about changes in the levels of funding in recent years. [10492]
Mr. Kirkhope: Home Office officials have regular discussions with the refugee organisations to which we make grants. We have made it clear during these meetings that, due to the need to control public expenditure, no guarantees could be given that the level of grants would necessarily be maintained.
Metropolitan Police (Accommodation) Clearance
Costs
Miss Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the acquisition and clearance cost of the sites at (a) Grafton square and (b) Old Town SW4.[10487]
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Mr. Maclean: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the acquisition and clearance costs of both sites are as follows:
| Item | Cost £ |
|---|---|
| Purchase of Grafton Square | 912,500 |
| Purchase of 63 Old Town | 1,260,000 |
| Legal fees, stamp duty and agents fees | 70,000 |
| Demolition costs | 126,000 |
| Total | 2,368,500 |
Part of the land was surplus to the scheme and was subsequently sold for £50,000
Miss Hoey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the strategic review of the provision of police accommodation in Lambeth started and finished; what external views were sought on this strategic review; and if the views of the Lambeth divisional commander were sought. [10486]
Mr. Maclean:
I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that a review of the long-term police accommodation needs in Lambeth is ongoing as part of the process to update the Metropolitan police's operational building strategy by September 1997. The review will take a number of months to complete, during which time the Metropolitan police intend to seek the views of interested parties, both internally and externally.
Miss Hoey:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the architects' and surveyors' costs to 31 March 1996, in the preparation of the divisional police headquarters at Grafton square. [10488]
Mr. Maclean:
The commissioner tells me that the proposals were developed mainly by architectural staff in the Metropolitan police property services department. All costs, up to March 1996, totalled the equivalent of £857,000, inclusive of external consultants' fees.
Dr. Goodson-Wickes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for the future of game licences. [10404]
Mr. Sackville:
My right hon. and learned Friend has announced the Government's intention to abolish the licence to kill game. Consultation on the proposal to abolish the licence, and to abolish and/or simplify other aspects of the game licensing system, will take place as soon as possible.
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