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Party Conferences (Security)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of security arrangements for each party political conference held in 1997; and what was such expenditure in each of the preceding three years. [13084]
Mr. Michael [holding answer 6 November 1997]: The information requested is set out in the table. In 1996, Dorset Police was given £1.5 million, and this year Lancashire Constabulary and Sussex Police were each given £750,000 in extra Government funding as a contribution towards the additional costs of safeguarding national security at Party conferences in their area.
| £ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Force | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Conservative Party
| Lancashire | (1)2.5-3 million | -- | (2)662,000 | --
| Dorset | -- | 2,847 million | -- | 2,671 million
|
| Labour Party
| Sussex(2) | (1)2 million | -- | 32,000 | --
| Lancashire | -- | 2,620 million | -- | (2)90,000
|
| Liberal Democrat Party
| Nottinghamshire | -- | Nil | -- | --
| North Yorkshire | -- | -- | Nil | --
| South Wales | 380 | -- | -- | Nil
| Sussex(2) | Nil | 6,000 | -- | 3,500
| | ||||||||||||
(1) Estimate.
(2) Lancashire Constabulary and Sussex Police are only able to provide additional costs which are essentially overtime, transport and accommodation costs.
| £ | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Conservative Party | Labour Party |
| 1994 | 463,165 | 153,449 |
| 1995 | 533,392 | 65,000 |
| 1996 | 554,806 | 528,773 |
| 1997 | n/a | n/a |
n/a = not available.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints were made concerning security arrangements at each party conference. [13085]
7 Nov 1997 : Column: 374
Mr. Straw
[holding answer 6 November]: Fourteen written complaints were made in relation to the security arrangements at the Labour Party conference in Brighton this year. I am not aware of any complaints made in relation to security at the Conservative or Liberal Democrat party conferences.
Angela Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on developments concerning the use of animals in scientific procedures. [14902]
Mr. George Howarth:
My noble Friend made an announcement yesterday and a copy of a supplementary note to my right hon. Friend's response to the Animal Procedures Committee's interim report on its review of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 was placed in the Library.
Mr. Mullin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the law on disclosure; and if he will make a statement. [12645]
Mr. Michael
[holding answer 6 November 1997]: The new disclosure provisions introduced by the Criminal Procedure and Investigation Act 1996 came into effect on 1 April 1997 but only apply to criminal proceedings arising from investigations begun on or after that date. Therefore, cases subject to the new procedures have only been coming before the courts in the last three or four months. I understand that the Crown Prosecution Service is in the process of undertaking its own evaluation of the new provisions, which it expects to complete early next year. In the light of that exercise, I will assess the need for a further evaluation of the provisions.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he intends to take to ensure that security screening of hotel and boarding house guests does not discriminate against those of Irish origin. [13086]
Mr. Straw
[holding answer 6 November 1997]: The basis for any inquiries made by the police in the course of their duties is an operational matter for the chief constable concerned. It is open to anyone who considers that he has been dealt with improperly to make a complaint to the chief constable. If the complainant is not satisfied with the response he receives, he may refer the matter to the Police Complaints Authority.
Mr. Rooney:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Bradford, North of 5 September, 1 October and 18 October concerning the case of Samia Batol Shah, reference PO5094/97. [14735]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I replied to my hon. Friend on 5 November.
Mr. MacShane:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the nature and value
7 Nov 1997 : Column: 375
of contracts his Department has entered into and (b) discussions ministers or officials have held with the Monitor Consultancy since 1990. [14952]
Mr. Straw:
There is no record of the Home Office entering into any contracts, or having discussions with, the Monitor Consultancy during the period in question.
Mr. Horam:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 30 October, Official Report, column 842, concerning Fire Service attendance times, from what point attendance times are calculated. [14924]
Mr. George Howarth:
Guidance issued by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Fire Services requests brigades to start measuring attendance times from the time of assignment of fire appliances by the brigade's control (the point at which the send button is pressed by the control operator).
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what will be the hours during which polling stations in London will be open for electors during the London local government elections and referendum in May 1998. [14775]
Mr. George Howarth:
The hours of polling at the London borough local elections on 7 May 1998 will be between 08.00 am and 09.00 pm at night. The Government intend to provide for polling for the referendum on the Greater London Authority also to be held on that day. The polling hours for the referendum will be the same as those for the London borough local elections.
Mr. Denzil Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many schools were (a) closed and (b) part-closed for use as polling stations on 1 May; and how many and what percentage of pupils were affected. [14678]
Mr. George Howarth:
This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Burns:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the control groups operating to measure the effect of her New Deal for Lone Parents scheme contain lone parents who are not taking part in the scheme. [14686]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
The New Deal for Lone Parents has been introduced in eight initial phase areas. Lone parents whose youngest child is at school are invited for interviews with their personal advisers who provide "better-off" calculations and individually tailored advice. Lone parents with pre-school children can volunteer for the New Deal.
7 Nov 1997 : Column: 376
Measurement of the effects of the New Deal for Lone Parents will rely on control areas rather than control groups. The control areas closely match the New Deal areas. The New Deal for lone parents will be evaluated by a consortium led by Social and Community Planning Research, an independent research institute together with the Institute of Employment Relations at Warwick University and the university of Bath. The impact of the scheme will be measured by comparing outcomes for lone parents in the New Deal areas with the outcomes for a similar, but geographically separate group of lone parents in the control areas. None of the lone parents in the control areas will be eligible for the New Deal.
Mr. Burns:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what public funding was provided to the Gingerbread Group to participate in the press conference to launch the Moving Foward document. [14685]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
Gingerbread did not receive any public funds for attending the press conference which launched the Moving Forward document.
Mr. Duncan Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what are the detailed objectives for the control groups operating to measure the effect of her New Deal for Lone Parents scheme; and, if so, if she will list what these are; [14926]
(3) what are the terms of reference for the control groups in the New Deal for Lone Parents scheme; and how they differ from those of the last Government's Parent Plus scheme; [14925]
(4) what is her definition of control group with respect to those being used in the New Deal for Lone Parents scheme; [14927]
(5) for what reasons the control groups in the New Deal for Lone Parents scheme did not start with the scheme itself. [14929]
Mr. Keith Bradley:
The New Deal for Lone Parents will fulfil the Government's commitment to provide help to lone parents to get off benefit and into work. The programme has been introduced in the following eight Benefits Agency districts:
The impact of the first phase of the New Deal for Lone Parents will be measured by comparing outcomes for lone parents in the New Deal areas with the outcomes for a similar, but geographically separate group of lone parents
7 Nov 1997 : Column: 377
in control areas where the New Deal service is not yet available. These control areas are the Benefits Agency districts of:
Any additional movements into work in the New Deal areas over and above that which occurs in the control areas can be attributed to the New Deal itself, after allowing for changes in the local labour markets. The objectives of the control areas are, therefore, to provide a benchmark by which to assess the impact of the New Deal.
(2) when she started the control groups to measure the effect of her New Deal for Lone Parents scheme, in each of the areas in which they are operating; [14928]
North Surrey
North Worcestershire
North Cheshire
Cambridgeshire
Warwickshire
Clyde Valley
Cardiff and Vale
Sheffield East
These areas have been carefully selected to represent areas of high, medium and low unemployment and to have typical caseloads of lone parents. Untypical areas were excluded.
Manchester Central
Glasgow Springburn and Cumbernauld
Blackburn and Accrington
Leicestershire North
Wiltshire
Buckinghamshire
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