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Corruption
35. Mr. Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Government plans to create a single offence of corruption. [11691]
Mr. Michael: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary published on 9 June a statement on reform of the corruption statutes for consultation. A copy is available in the Library. The Law Commission will also be producing proposals for reform of the law in this area.
My right hon. Friend will consider carefully the results of these exercises, together with any further recommendations the Nolan committee may make in relation to the criminal law.
My right hon. Friend expects to make a further statement on the reform of the law in this area early next year.
Mr. Streeter:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislation is currently being
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discussed at the European Union level for the standardisation of member states' legislation pertaining to the combating of corruption by officials; and if he will make a statement. [12315]
Mr. Michael:
In September 1996, European Union member states adopted a protocol to the 1995 Convention on the Protection of the Financial Interests of the European Communities. The protocol requires all member states to establish a certain minimum level of protection against damage to the Communities' budget by reason of corruption which makes similar provision in the case of corruption of or by national or Community officials. In May 1997, the member states adopted a separate convention on corruption of or by national or Community officials which is not linked to damage to the Communities' budget. These instruments do not cover the corruption of officials from third countries, but member states have, in recent weeks, adopted two common positions under title VI of the treaty on European Union supporting on-going negotiations in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Council of Europe on conventions which address this aspect.
The Government strongly support measures to penalise corruption, whether by or of national or Community officials or in the private sector. To that end, they intend to take forward next year, during the United Kingdom's presidency of the European Union, recommendation 6 of the European Union action plan on combating organised crime, which was endorsed by the Amsterdam European Council. This requires the development of a comprehensive Union policy on corruption covering first and third pillar measures and applying to public sector officials and to the private sector.
36. Mr. Skinner:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total number of prisoners on 1 May; and if he will make a statement. [11692]
Ms Quin:
The prison population on 1 May was 60,088.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the amount of time prisoners spend (a) in working and (b) on education schemes. [11849]
Ms Quin:
The Government recognise the difficulties faced by the Prison Service in dealing with the exceptional rise in the prison population, but remain committed to ensuring that prisoners are provided with constructive regimes.
We expect the Prison Service to seek to expand work opportunities for prisoners by developing its ability to attract work from the private sector and by improving the organisation of prison regimes so as to maximise the time that prisoners can spend in purposeful activity, including work.
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Invitations to tender for new contracts to deliver education in prisons, to be issued shortly, will aim for contracts which, in delivering the prison core curriculum, maximise efficient use of resources and offer a dynamic ability to meet the needs of particular prison establishments.
Provision for regime facilities is included in the extra £43 million over this year and next which has been made available to the Prison Service to help cope with overcrowding pressures.
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to accommodate the rise in the number of prisoners; and what is his policy on early release. [12264]
Ms Quin:
To help with the increasing population pressures, the Prison Service was allocated a further £43 million in July for this year and the next. In total, these additional resources will create 290 new places on top of those to be provided by the existing building programme. These funds will also provide additional staffing and funding for regime activities to support the placing of a further 1,830 prisoners in existing accommodation.
The existing building programme will provide 8,600 additional places over this year and the next two years, through a combination of expanding existing prisons and building new prisons.
Early release arrangements are set out in part II of the Criminal Justice Act 1991. The Government have no plans to review these. As regards executive release, the Government have no plans to use these powers. Executive release from prison is designed to be used as a last resort.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy towards prisoners having television in their cells; and if he will make a statement. [12265]
Ms Quin:
The Government are reconsidering policy in this area, including examining the case for in-cell television as an earned privilege, but we have not yet taken final decisions. Meanwhile, no action has been taken either to extend the privilege of in-cell television or to withdraw sets from those establishments that currently allow them.
The all-party Home Affairs Committee, then with a Conservative majority, recommended in March 1997 a rethink of policy and stressed the potential of television as a means of contributing to good order in a prison.
The Learmont report in 1995 recommended that in-cell television should be made widely available and pointed to its potential benefits as an information as well as a recreational medium.
Mr. Linton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy on the retention of United Kingdom border controls with the rest of the European Union. [11848]
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Ms Quin:
We intend to retain the United Kingdom's system of frontier controls. In the treaty of Amsterdam we have obtained legal confirmation of the right to maintain controls at our frontiers with other member states of the European Union.
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the advantages of establishing an independent body to arbitrate in disputes between people making wagers and bookmakers. [12516]
Mr. George Howarth:
The Horserace Betting Levy Board has recently considered this and other related matters. It concluded that the current arrangements for settling disputes--the Tattersalls' committee and the green seal service--were effective in most cases.
I will be discussing the issues with the levy board shortly.
Mr. Page:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) proportion and (b) number of greyhound races shown in betting shops are from racecourses owned by the major off-course betting companies. [12304]
Mr. George Howarth:
Of the 9,646 greyhound races shown in betting shops in the year to 31 October 1997, 4,108--42.6 per cent.--will be from tracks owned by major off-course betting companies.
Mr. Page:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the estimated shortfall in revenue to the British greyhound racing fund since 1992 resulting from certain bookmaking companies failing to contribute to the fund. [12311]
Mr. Howarth:
The British Greyhound Racing Board estimates that the fund should have received £22 million since 1992 but has actually received £13.4 million, leaving a shortfall of £8.6 million in contributions.
Mr. Page:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many bookmaking companies currently pay the agreed 0.4 per cent. contributions to the British greyhound racing fund. [12306]
Mr. Howarth:
We understand that up to September 1996 the fund had received contributions from 97 bookmakers.
Mr. Page:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the (a) proportion and (b) number of greyhound races shown in betting shops. [12313]
Mr. Howarth:
In the year 1 November 1996 to 31 October 1997, 9,646 afternoon greyhound races will be transmitted from greyhound tracks into betting shops.
In 1996, 74,343 races were staged by National Greyhound Racing Club member tracks; 13 per cent. of these were shown in betting shops.
Mr. Page:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the contracting process between the bookmakers' afternoon greyhound services and the greyhound racecourses. [12303]
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Mr. Howarth:
We have no plans to review the contracting process between Bookmakers' Afternoon Greyhound Services and greyhound tracks. This is a commercial matter between them.
Mr. Page:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many National Greyhound Racing Club greyhound racecourses are currently in operation; and how many are owned by major off-course betting companies. [12312]
Mr. Howarth:
Of the 32 National Greyhound Racing Club greyhound tracks currently in operation, four are owned by major off-course bookmakers.
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