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Alcohol Sales (Fundraising Events)
Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the advantages of allowing charities and community groups to pay a single annual fee to register as entitled to sell alcohol at fundraising events. [12784]
Mr. George Howarth: The licensing laws were amended earlier this year to allow charities and other bodies to apply for more occasional permissions to sell alcohol at fundraising events.
We are willing to examine any specific proposals for further change which are put to us.
Algerian Nationals
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many Algerian nationals have been granted exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom in the past 12 months; [12790]
- (2) how many Algerian nationals were refused asylum in the United Kingdom in the past 12 months; [12789]
(3) how many Algerian nationals have applied for asylum in the United Kingdom in the past 12 months.[12791]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is given in the table.
| Number of principal applicants | |
|---|---|
| Asylum applications | 590 |
| Total decisions(40) | 1,090 |
| Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum | 60 |
| Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave to remain(41) | 10 |
| Refusals | 1,020 |
(38) Figures rounded to the nearest five.
(39) Provisional figures.
(40) Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the period.
(41) Usually granted for a year in the first instance, subject then to further review.
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Algerian nationals are being held in detention centres in the United Kingdom. [12788]
Mr. O'Brien: As at 16 October 1997, a total of 23 Algerian nationals were detained in immigration detention centres. This figure excludes those detained under Immigration Act powers in prison establishments or in prison cells.
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Algerian nationals are currently being held in custody in the United Kingdom for non-immigration offences. [12792]
Ms Quin: The latest available information is for 30 September 1997. On that date there were 25 Algerian nationals held in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales for non-Immigration Act offences. information for Scotland and Northern Ireland is available from the respective Secretaries of State.
Old Documents
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 8 July, Official Report, column 391, if the review of the oldest document retained in the Home Office has been completed. [12865]
Mr. Straw:
The review has been completed and I am pleased to say that the papers will be transferred to the Public Record Office and made available for public inspection later this year, subject to minor extractions. The extractions are intended to protect the identities of individual informants who put themselves at risk in the service of the state. It would not be in the public interest to reveal the identities of such individuals, since to do so might deter potential informants from assisting the authorities today. Of course, all the agents named in these records have long since died, but in many cases members of their families will still be alive and particularly in the context of Ireland, where memories can be deep and bitter, publication of the names cold cause unnecessary and gratuitous distress or worse.
27 Oct 1997 : Column: 748
Mr. Pike:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received regarding the enforcement of section 154 of the Road Traffic Act 1988; and if he will make a statement. [12798]
Mr. Michael:
No representations have been received during the period of this Parliament.
Section 154 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 requires that a person against whom a motor insurance claim is made must on demand provide particulars of their insurance cover to the claimant. It is a criminal offence not to do so.
Police policy regarding the enforcement of section 154 is an operational matter for individual chief officers. The traffic committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers has recently considered this issue and takes the view that there should be a readiness to treat every allegation under section 154 on its merits before deciding what, if any, police action might be taken.
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what weight attaches to whether a child was conceived within a lawful marriage overseas in determining right of entry to the United Kingdom to join a parent who is a British national. [12491]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
None. A child may join a parent or parents who are present and settled in the United Kingdom provided the requirements of the immigration rules are met. It is not a requirement that the child was conceived within a lawful marriage.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned into the ages of the purchasers of alcopops. [12309]
Mr. George Howarth:
As the Government's announcement on 17 July made clear, we are concerned about the misuse of all kinds of alcohol by those under age. There is a range of existing research and regular surveys which already cover various aspects of under-age drinking. We are looking carefully at whether additional research is required.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders who withheld their consent from community sentences received custodial sentences in the most recent year for which figures are available. [12716]
Mr. Michael:
Information is not collected centrally and no national data are available. However, the indications are that the number of offenders withholding consent to a community sentence is very small. For example, a recent survey of pre-sentence reports by Teesside probation service found that consent was withheld in only four of 854 cases. For those who do refuse consent, custody is the most likely sentence.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for new community sentences. [12715]
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Mr. Michael:
This Government plan to increase the effectiveness of community sentences and the range of options available to the courts.
On 1 October, new provisions came into effect allowing courts to impose an attendance centre order on fine defaulters who are aged under 25. Other provisions of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 will be piloted in Norfolk and Greater Manchester from January next year. These include provisions allowing for the imposition of a community service order or curfew order on fine defaulters and persistent petty offenders, disqualification of offenders from driving regardless of the offence committed and the imposition of curfew orders of up to three-months duration on offenders under the age of 16.
We are also studying other community sentence options which will reinforce the sentencing armoury, particularly with regards to youth crime. Our proposals for young offenders were set out in the consultation paper "Tackling Youth Crime" published in September. We will introduce an action plan order--which will be a focused and intensive intervention. There will also be a new reparation order which will require young people to make reparation to victims.
Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average salary of a policeman with five years' service. [12692]
Mr. Michael:
Police pay in England and Wales is based on national pay scales. Pay rates are negotiated each year by the Police Negotiating Board and approved by the Secretary of State. The national salary for a constable with five years' service, with effect from 1 September 1997, is £19,434.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his statement of 30 July, Official Report, column 257, if the explanation of what a sentence means in practice will be communicated to the victims of the crime concerned who are not present in court at the time sentence is passed. [12726]
Mr. Michael:
The victims charter already provides for victims to be told, if they want to be, the final result of their offender's trial. Pilot projects to test how best this might be achieved have been running for several months and a full evaluation should be available by next spring. Before then, we will consider whether it might be practicable to include additional information about what the sentence means in practice.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his statement of 30 July, Official Report, column 257, if he will state what new bail conditions he proposes to introduce. [12713]
Mr. Michael:
We propose to introduce two new bail conditions to deter bailed defendants from failing to appear in court or from failing to take the necessary steps to enable the case to proceed. The first measure will allow for the greater use of securities, to provide a stronger incentive for defendants to surrender to the custody of the court. The second measure will allow the courts to impose a condition of bail requiring a defendant to attend an
27 Oct 1997 : Column: 750
interview with a legal representative in advance of a court hearing. Failure to obtain legal advice is one of the most common reasons for delay, resulting in ineffective first hearings and routine adjournments.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1), pursuant to his statement of 30 July, Official Report, column 257, what plans he has to assess the level of public confidence in his proposals for the courts to explain sentence lengths; [12602]
Mr. Michael:
Our proposal that the courts should spell out what each sentence really means in practice was a manifesto commitment which was endorsed by the electorate. The proposal is to enable the public to know how long an offender will spend in prison, the period of supervision after release, and the period during which he may be recalled to prison.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the offences covered by sentencing guidelines from the Court of Appeal. [12728]
Mr. Michael:
It is difficult to draw up a definitive list of offences for which sentencing guidelines are currently available, since the form and content of sentencing guidelines differ and the Court of Appeal also provides guidance on the treatment of offences through its more general cases. However, guidelines providing general guidance to the courts on the treatment of particular criminal offences, and in some cases suggesting starting points for sentences, have been provided by the Court of Appeal for a number of categories of offences, including: most sexual offences, including rape, unlawful sexual intercourse, incest, indecent assault and buggery; drugs offences involving class A and class B drugs; robbery, theft and benefit fraud; public order offences, including riot, violent disorder and affray; and explosives offences.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his statement of 30 July, Official Report, column 257, (1) if the sentencing guidelines to be prepared by the Court of Appeal will operate in the lower courts in the same way as the sentencing guidelines which have already been laid down; [12703]
(3) if he will list those offences which will be covered by sentencing guidelines from the Court of Appeal.[12601]
Mr. Michael:
The Government are committed through their manifesto to placing a duty on the Court of Appeal to ensure there are sentencing guidelines for all the main offences. We are currently considering how best to take forward this commitment.
27 Oct 1997 : Column: 751
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to extend the Attorney-General's power to refer sentences to the Court of Appeal for review. [12729]
Mr. Michael:
We are in discussion with colleagues about the best way to implement our manifesto commitment to extend the Attorney-General's powers to refer cases to the Court of Appeal for review where it appears to him that the sentence is unduly lenient.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals, apart from those of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997, he has to ensure stricter punishment for serious repeat offenders. [12712]
Mr. Michael:
Mr right hon. Friend's proposals were set out in his statement of 30 July to the House.
(2) if (a) courts will be required to explain sentences and (b) the period of a sentence served in custody will relate more closely to the lengths of sentence passed under his proposals for honesty in sentencing. [12718]
(2) how the sentencing guidelines to be prepared by the Court of Appeal will affect the Magistrates' Association guidelines on sentencing; [12714]
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