22 May 1997 : Column: 107
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 22 May 1997
HOME DEPARTMENT
Stephen Lawrence
Mr. Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent representations he has received regarding the murder of Stephen Lawrence; and if he will make a statement; [186]
- (2) what plans he has to establish a public inquiry into the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the role played by the police, the CPS and the judicial system following his death. [187]
Mr. Michael: An early-day motion regarding the murder of Stephen Lawrence was tabled on 20 May. We have also received a recent letter about the case from the London borough of Greenwich and are aware of the widespread concern, particularly within the black community, resulting from this case. We are currently considering how those concerns can best be addressed, and will make an announcement soon.
Drugs-related Offences
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving prisoners were convicted of drugs-related offences in each of the last three years. [869]
Ms Joyce Quin: Information on the number of persons received under sentence into prisons in England and Wales for drug offences (excluding find defaulters) for the years 1994 to 1996 is given below.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 3,483 |
| 1995 | 4,729 |
| 1996(1) | 6,100 |
(1) Provisional information.
Information for 1994 and 1995 is published in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales"--tables 3.9, 4.6 and 5.6 of the 1994 (Cm 3087) and 1995 (Cm 3355) editions. Copies are available in the Library.
Mr. Malins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to give the courts new powers to deal with those convicted of drugs-related offences. [872]
Ms Quin:
Yes. We are committed to introducing a new drug testing and treatment order, and will bring forward legislative proposals accordingly.
Mr. Malins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of those convicted of all crimes are known to be addicted to drugs. [870]
22 May 1997 : Column: 108
Mr. George Howarth:
It is difficult to quantify the proportion of offenders addicted to drugs or dependent on them. The Home Office has a research programme designed to shed further light on the links between drugs and crime. It includes a study of drug use by samples of people arrested by the police in various cities. Preliminary results from this study point to a higher level of drug taking by arrestees than expected. However, the study is still incomplete; the University of Cambridge will be delivering a report to the Home Office in October, which is likely to be published around the end of the year.
Mr. Malins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of recorded crime in each of the last three years was committed by persons between the ages of 15 and 21 years. [873]
Mr. Michael:
The readily available information is for persons found guilty at all courts or cautioned for indictable offences and is contained in table 5.26 of Criminal Statistics, England and Wales 1995.
Copies are available in the Library.
Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is Her Majesty's Government policy in respect of ensuring the safety from the threat of terrorism of Mr. Salman Rushdie; and if he will make a statement. [993]
Mr. Straw:
Decisions concerning the protection provided for Mr. Rushdie are for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. Mr. Rushdie continues to receive protection at a level commensurate with the threat and which has successfully ensured his safety over a number of years.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce legislation to extend police powers of arrest over hit-and-run drivers; and what other measures he plans to take in respect of hit-and-run drivers. [718]
Mr. Michael:
The Government intend to make failure to stop after a road accident involving personal injury an arrestable offence. Primary legislation will be brought forward at the earliest opportunity. No other measures are planned.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of successful arrests of hit-and-run drivers have been recorded in each of the last 12 months. [719]
Mr. Michael:
The information requested is not collected centrally. Information on arrests is not held centrally at the level of detail needed to isolate particular offences. Nor can hit-and-run drivers be identified in the statistics of motoring offence prosecutions, as they will form only part of those offences classified as failing to stop or report an accident (i.e. where personal injury is caused).
22 May 1997 : Column: 109
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will allow the two male members of the Onibiyo family to return from Nigeria and Guyana and be granted permanent United Kingdom residency. [716]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
It is open to Mr. Abdul Onibiyo to apply at any time for entry clearance to return to the United Kingdom. Mr. Onibiyo's son, Ademola, will not qualify for entry clearance while he remains the subject of a valid and extant deportation order but it is open to him to apply to have the order revoked. Entry clearance will be granted only to applicants who meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules. It would not be appropriate to treat the Onibiyos exceptionally.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to abolish the primary purpose rule. [794]
Mr. Straw:
In our manifesto, we said that we would reform the current system to remove the arbitrary, ineffective and unfair results that can follow from the primary purpose rule. We shall make an announcement about this soon.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on refugees and asylum seekers from the Congo and neighbouring states. [1053]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
As my right hon. Friend explained in his reply to the hon. Member for Nuneaton (Mr. Olner) on 16 May, Official Report, column 3, he has made a declaration under the Social Security (Persons from Abroad) Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 1996 that Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) has undergone an upheaval such that we would not seek to enforce the return of refused asylum seekers to that country for the time being.
The declaration of upheaval relates to the fundamental changes which have occurred in Zaire and does not extend to neighbouring countries. We will of course continue to monitor the situation in the region generally.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give the police powers to remove or clamp motor vehicles not displaying a valid road tax disc. [1022]
Mr. Michael:
Powers contained in the Vehicle Excise Duty (Immobilisation, Removal and Disposal of Vehicles) Regulations 1997 enable the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions to authorise agents of the Department of Transport to clamp and impound vehicles evading vehicle excise duty. I understand that a three-month pilot scheme was successfully conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency last year and that consideration is currently being given on the way forward. There are no plans to give the police powers to remove or clamp untaxed vehicles.
22 May 1997 : Column: 110
Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on border controls, and to what extent the Government plans to concede administration, control and judicial authority to the European Union. [974]
Ms Joyce Quin:
We have made clear our firm commitment to maintain Britain's frontier controls. We will not agree to anything which would jeopardise their continuation.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants at each grade within his Department were of Asian origin on 5 May. [243]
Mr. Straw:
The information requested is given in the following tables, table 1 relating to the non-prisons Home Office and table 2 relating to the Prison Service. To avoid the possibility of identifying individuals because of low numbers in particular grades, the figures are given by grade level (i.e. main grades plus equivalent specialist grades) and grade levels are amalgamated where necessary.
| Grade level | Number |
|---|---|
| Administrative assistant | 147 |
| Administrative officer | 189 |
| Executive officer | 94 |
| Higher executive officer | 18 |
| Senior executive officer and above | 8 |
| Total | 456 |
Data extracted on 12 May 1997 (monthly snapshot) for serving, permanent, non-industrial staff.
| Grade level | Number |
|---|---|
| Administrative assistant | 60 |
| Administrative officer | 212 |
| Executive officer | 47 |
| Higher executive officer and senior executive officer | 22 |
| Grade 7 | 13 |
| Grade 6 and above | 37 |
| Total | 391 |
Data extracted on 15 May 1997 for serving, permanent, non-industrial staff.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to increase the number of employees from ethnic minorities within his Department. [244]
22 May 1997 : Column: 111
Mr. Straw:
I am undertaking a review of the current position. Although measures used in the past have been relatively successful in attracting ethnic minority recruits, I remain concerned about the under-representation of employees from the ethnic minorities, particularly in higher grades.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |