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Crime (Sentences) Bill
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the additional expenditure required by the Crime (Sentences) Bill has been included in his Department's projected spending; what are the figures per year; and if he will make a statement. [21591]
Mr. Howard: The public expenditure survey 1996 produced a baseline settlement for my Department up to the end of the financial year 1999-2000, which is set out in the Home Office Annual Report 1997 published on 20 March (Cm 3608). The only provisions in the Crime (Sentences) Bill which are likely to have a significant financial impact before the end of that survey period are the provisions relating to automatic life sentences for repeat serious sexual or violent offenders and to minimum sentences for drug traffickers. The cost of implementing these provisions can be met from within current Home Office resources.
The White Paper "Protecting the Public", made clear that provisions for honesty in sentencing and minimum sentences for burglars could be implemented in 1999, but that implementation will be dependent on the availability of prison places and securing the necessary provision in subsequent public expenditure survey rounds.
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It is not possible to identify the costs to the Prison Service of the additional prisoners likely to be accommodated as a consequence of the implementation of the automatic life sentences and of the minimum sentences for drug traffickers separately from the costs of accommodating other new prisoners in accordance with the prison population projections.
Mr. Hanson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to police authorities with regard to their policy on responding to audio alarms; and what steps he has taken to monitor local policies on responding to audio alarms. [21603]
Mr. Maclean:
The response to audio alarms and monitoring of that response is an operational matter for the chief police officer of each force to decide.
Dr. Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if police authorities publish (a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, (c) minutes of meetings, (d) agendas of meetings and (e) registers of members' interests; and in each case whether this is under a statutory requirement. [21686]
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Mr. Maclean:
Police authorities established under the provisions of the Police and Magistrates' Courts Act 1994 now incorporated in the Police Act 1996 are required to publish an annual report on local policing for that year and to copy that report to the Home Secretary. Under the 1996 Act, they are also bound by provisions in the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, which require agendas, minutes of proceedings and accounts to be open to inspection during reasonable hours and also requires members to declare any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in business which is under discussion. Additionally, regulations made under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 require councillor and independent members of police authorities to declare information about their pecuniary interests in a register which is open to public inspection.
Mr. Blunkett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is her latest estimate of the number of places for four-year-olds created under phase 1 of the voucher scheme in each of the four pilot areas in (a) the maintained sector, (b) the voluntary sector and (c) the private sector. [21505]
Mr. Robin Squire:
The information available in the autumn of 1996 was set out at page 56 of the report on phase 1 of the nursery education voucher scheme, copies of which are in the Library. In the four phase 1 areas as a whole, 346 more children redeemed vouchers in the autumn term 1996 than in the summer term 1996.
Mr. Blunkett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list those local education authorities which are planning to make less than £1,100 available to providers in the maintained sector, in
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respect of places for four-year-olds under the national voucher scheme; indicating in each case the expected level of funding per four-year-old. [21550]
Mr. Squire:
This information is not yet available.
Sir John Stanley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the proportion of children in classes of more than 31 in 1979; and what is the proportion currently for (a) all schools, (b) primary schools and (c) secondary schools. [21504]
Mr. Robin Squire:
The available information is shown in the following table.
| 1979 | 1996 | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary schools | 35.3 | 31.8 |
| Secondary schools | 16.0 | 8.5 |
(25) Pupils in one teacher classes of size 31 or more pupils expressed as a percentage of all pupils in one teacher classes.
Information for nursery, special and independent schools is not collected centrally.
Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment which of the executive non-departmental bodies sponsored by her Department have a statutory base; if she will list those bodies which (a) admit members of the public to all board and committee meetings and (b) hold open meetings for the public; and if in each case this is under a statutory requirement. [21448]
Mr. Squire:
The information requested is shown in the following table.
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| Statutory base | Admit public to all meetings | Hold open meetings | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name of body | Statutory | Voluntary | Statutory | Voluntary | |
| Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research | No | No | No | No | No |
| Construction Industry Training board | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Education Assets Board | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Engineering Construction Industry Board | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Equal opportunities Commission | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Funding Agency for Schools | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Further Education Funding Council | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
| Higher Education Funding Council for England | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Investors in People UK | No | No | No | No | No |
| National Council for Educational Technology | No | No | No | No | No |
| National Council for Vocational Qualifications | No | No | No | No | No |
| Remploy Ltd. | No | No | No | No | No |
| School Curriculum and Assessment Authority | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Student Loans Company | No | No | No | No | No |
| Teacher Training Agency | Yes | No | No | No | Yes |
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Dr. Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what is the statutory basis of (i) career service companies, (ii) city technology colleges, (iii) further education corporations, (iv) higher education corporations, and (v) training and enterprise councils; and of those bodies which (a) admit members
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of the public to all board or committee meetings and (b) hold open meetings for the public, showing whether in each case this is under a statutory requirement; [21766]
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(3) if she will list those of her Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies which the Government are required to (a) consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) publish their response to advice from; [21735]
(4) if (i) career service companies, (ii) city technology colleges, (iii) further education corporations, (iv) higher education corporations, and (v) training and enterprise councils are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizens charter; [21763]
(5) what (a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, (c) minutes of meetings, (d) agendas of meetings and (e) registers of member's interests are published by (i) career service companies, (ii) city technology colleges, (iii) further education corporations, (iv) higher education corporations and (v) training and enterprise councils; and in each case whether it is under a statutory requirement;[21728]
(6) which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department (a) have a statutory base, (b) publish their advice to Government, (c) publish an annual report and (d) lay an annual report before Parliament; and if she will indicate in each instance whether this is (i) under a statutory requirement or (ii) voluntary. [21691]
Mr. Squire:
I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my reply in the Library.
Dr. Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the gross public spending for each year since 1990-91, in 1996-97 prices on (a) grant-maintained schools, (b) city technology colleges, (c) training and enterprise (d) career service companies. [21811]
Mr. Paice:
I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of my reply in the Library.
(2) which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by her Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultations exercises,
(c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether in each case this is under a statutory requirement; [21692]
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