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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 11 June 1997
SCOTLAND
Disabled People
Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will appoint a Minister to have responsibility for policy on disabled people. [2291]
Mr. Galbraith: My Ministerial responsibilities include disability issues and I will be working with Ministerial colleagues to ensure that all the needs of all disabled people are addressed.
Scottish Homes
Mr. Gorrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to allow Scottish Homes tenants the option of a local authority landlord in the event of a housing stock transfer. [2479]
Mr. Chisholm: We are reviewing the arrangements for the transfer of Scottish Homes' houses in the light of the Government's commitment to give tenants choice in their landlord.
Homelessness
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to tackle homelessness in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [2724]
Mr. Chisholm: A revised Code of Guidance on Homelessness will shortly be issued. It will give clear encouragement to local authorities that they should seek to secure, either at their own hand or from other housing providers, permanent rather than temporary accommodation for unintentionally homeless people in priority need. We have also allocated an additional £1 million for the Rough Sleepers Initiative this year, bringing the total available funding to £16 million over three years; and we are making available a further £2 million as the first instalment in a new long term initiative to bring empty homes back into use. Subject to a satisfactory evaluation, we will make additional funding available to the Scottish Homeless Advisory Service to extend it throughout Scotland.
Poverty
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to tackle poverty in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [2725]
Mr. Chisholm:
The Government are committed to mounting a concerted attack against the multiple causes of social and economic decline. For many, the best path out of poverty is work, where it is appropriate. Our New Deal initiative will give young people opportunities to do
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so as part of our Welfare to Work programme. We also intend to provide help for people over the age of 25 who have been out of work for 2 years or more.
The Government's commitment is not restricted to those seeking work, but to all of the most deprived in our society. A significant way in which this is taken forward in areas with the worst concentrations of deprivation is through the multi-agency partnership approach to regeneration, established under Programme for Partnership, where comprehensive strategies are taken forward to improve the conditions in which local people live.
Mrs. Ray Michie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total subsidy for air services to Islay in (a) 1995 and (b) 1996; to which company the subsidy was awarded; and what obligations are placed on the company to run weekend services. [2855]
Mr. Chisholm:
No subsidy is provided by either central or local government for scheduled air services to and from Islay.
Mr. David Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what response the Government have made to the recommendations of the Pennington report. [3509]
Mr. Dewar:
The Government accept all the recommendations in the final Pennington Report. We are fully committed to introducing the measures which we believe will help strengthen existing food safety legislation.
Central to the Pennington Report are the recommendations to license butchers who are handling raw and cooked meat to ensure adequate separation. The Government are actively considering the detail of these proposals and will shortly seek views from health professionals, consumer organisations and the trade on issues such as the premises to be covered, the degree of physical separation and on timescale for implementation. Final decisions on all these matters will have as its overriding concern the protection of public health.
The Government will also promote the introduction of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles into the meat production chain, from slaughterhouse to butcher shop. This internationally recognised approach to identifying and controlling food hazards will secure improved levels of food safety in the longer term.
As Professor Pennington has recognised, many of the recommendations will require careful development to ensure that they are effective when introduced. At the same time we are fully aware of the need to have the measures in place quickly to strengthen food safety and restore public confidence, particularly given the recent new outbreaks of E.coli in Scotland.
Finally, the Government wish formally to record its appreciation of the work carried out by Professor Pennington and the members of the expert group. Our acceptance of all the Group's recommendations illustrates our commitment that the safety of public health will be of the highest priority.
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Mr. Burns:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the impact of the introduction of CCTV on the crime level in the centre of Chelmsford; how many arrests have been made as a result of CCTV; and by how much the crime rate has fallen in that part of Chelmsford. [2251]
Mr. Michael:
The police in Chelmsford report that, in the 12-month period since the cameras became operational (January 1996-January 1997), 200 arrests were directly attributed to the presence of the cameras, and town centre crime overall fell by 21 per cent.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage and how many documents in 1996 he estimates were (a) passed on to the Public Record Office intact, (b) passed on to the Public Record Office in censored form, (c) retained by his Department in full, (d) retained by his Department in part, (e) destroyed, (f) otherwise disposed of, and (g) otherwise unaccounted for. [2513]
Mr. Straw:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department today.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to increase animal welfare standards in puppy farms; and if he will make a statement. [2989]
Mr. George Howarth:
The Government is giving careful consideration to the laws regulating dog breeding establishments.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the number of asylum seekers held (a) in gaol and (b) otherwise in custody on the first day of each month for the years (i) 1994, (ii) 1995, (iii) 1996 and (iv) 1997 to date. [2845]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The available information on detained asylum seekers for selected dates during 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997 is given in the table.
(1) Provisional figures.
(2) Persons detained solely under the powers contained in Schedules 2 or 3 of the Immigration Act 1971. In some cases the asylum application will have been lodged subsequent to the applicant being detained. The figures include both detained asylum applicants who applied at ports, and those detained in after-entry enforcement work and include those awaiting removal following refusal of asylum, as well as those whose applications were under consideration or subject to appeal.
(3) Port cases are as at 7 June 1996 and In-country cases are as at 31 May 1996.
(4) Port cases are as at 2 August 1996 and In-country cases are as at 30 July 1996.
(5) Port cases are as at 3 February 1997 and In-country cases are as at 30 January 1997.
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