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European Council
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister at what time he left the European Council meeting at Amsterdam. [18035]
The Prime Minister: At its conclusion.
Iraq
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister for what reasons the request by Mr. Tariq Aziz to meet representatives of the British Government at the United Nations to enter into a dialogue on the situation in Iraq was declined. [17918]
The Prime Minister: Mr. Aziz wished to enter into dialogue on the subject of the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM). It is not for Iraq to attempt to lay down conditions on this subject. UNSCOM received its mandate under Security Council Resolution (SCR) 687. It is non-negotiable. Iraq must comply with all relevant SCRs.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Emergency Provisions
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to the statement of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland of 18 November 1997, Official Report, columns 215-16, what factors led him to conclude it would appear invidious for him to deny a person a jury trial in some scheduled offences; and for what reasons he assesses it not to be invidious for him to deny jury trials in other scheduled offences. [17570]
The Attorney-General: It is the legislation itself, the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Act 1996, which provides that the scheduled offences are tried by a judge without a jury. The Schedule permits the Attorney-General, in respect of certain offences, to certify that a particular offence is not to be treated as a scheduled offence. My certificate therefore operates to confer the right to be tried by jury in the normal way. The right to trial by jury is currently removed only by Parliament and it would be invidious for a Minister to have that power. The Attorney-General's function is purely to reduce the severity of the law in favour of individuals where appropriate.
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Attorney-General what would be (a) the extra cost and (b) the necessary increase in personnel of the certifying in procedure for scheduled offences coming under the terms of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Bill. [17571]
The Attorney-General:
Under the current legislation the Attorney-General may "certify out" certain scheduled offences with the effect that such an offence will not be treated as a scheduled offence. It is impossible to quantify the extra cost and the necessary increase in personnel which would be required were offences to be subject to a "certifying in" procedure, whereby they would be certified in to the Schedule by the Attorney-General, since the amount of work involved is entirely dependent on the number of offences committed. Under the provisions contained in the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Bill it is anticipated that there will be an increase in the work
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load of my office because of the proposal to increase the number of offences which are capable of being certified out.
Ms Beverley Hughes:
To ask the Attorney-General (1) what percentage of cases of alleged sexual offences against children investigated by the Police in 1995-96 and 1996-97 and referred to the Crown Prosecution Service (a) were judged to have passed the evidential test, (b) proceeded to prosecution in court and (c) resulted in a conviction; [17660]
(3) what were the reasons for the decisions not to proceed to prosecution in respect of those alleged sexual offences against children investigated by the Police in 1995-96 and 1996-97, in which the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to prosecute. [17663]
The Attorney-General:
The Crown Prosecution Service holds no central records on the outcome of proceedings in respect of particular offences. The information is held in Branch offices on individual case files and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Beverley Hughes:
To ask the Attorney-General what factors the Crown Prosecution Service takes into account in applying the evidential test in cases involving alleged sexual offences against children where the only evidence was the testimony of the child or children. [17661]
The Attorney-General:
Each case is unique and must be considered on its own merit but, generally, a principle of fairness is applied to the evidence of children. This means that the evidence of a child is considered no less reliable than that of an adult simply because it comes from a child. As in all cases, prosecutors will consider whether the evidence can be used in court and whether it is reliable in deciding if there is a realistic prospect of conviction. Prosecutors are urged to use all the procedures available to assist child witnesses to give evidence.
(2) what percentage of cases (a) proceeded to prosecution in court and (b) resulted in a conviction, in cases involving alleged sexual offences against children in 1995-96 and 1996-97 when the only evidence was the testimony of the child or children; [17662]
Prisoners (Home Leave)
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department at what stage in a sentence a prisoner becomes eligible for home leave. [16182]
Ms Quin: Following changes in the Prison Rules in April 1995, a new system of release on temporary licence was introduced to replace home leave and temporary release. The eligibility of prisoners to be considered for release on resettlement licence under the new system is set out in "Prison Service Instruction to Governors 36/1995," a copy of which is in the Library.
European Parliamentary Elections
Mr. Curry:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a draft of
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the ballot paper which would be issued to voters before the second reading of the European Parliamentary Elections Bill. [16957]
Mr. Straw:
The final format of the ballot paper for elections to the European Parliament has not yet been determined. Parliament will be able to approve the final design. I have, however, placed a copy of an initial sketch in the Library.
Mr. Curry:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people will be eligible to vote in the European Parliament elections in (a) each of the English regions upon which the proposed new constituencies will be based, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland. [17060]
Mr. Straw
[holding answer 21 November 1997]: The number of people eligible to vote in the next elections to the European Parliament in June 1999 will depend on the number of people on the relevant electoral registers on polling day. The number of people on the local government electoral registers in each of the proposed English electoral regions and in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on 16 February 1997 was as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| East Midlands | 3,167,433 |
| Eastern | 4,027,466 |
| London | 5,027,796 |
| North East | 1,984,212 |
| North West | 5,214,413 |
| South East | 5,988,686 |
| South West | 3,747,003 |
| West Midlands | 4,032,835 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 3,811,254 |
| Scotland | 3,995,923 |
| Wales | 2,226,923 |
| Northern Ireland | 1,190,977 |
The number of people entitled to vote in an election to the European Parliament would be slightly smaller since not all European Union citizens on the local government register chose to exercise their right to vote in European Parliamentary elections in the United Kingdom.
East European Students
Sir Richard Body: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many students from eastern Europe who in the last six months have been given permits to work in agriculture have applied for political asylum. [17250]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I regret that the information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Sir Richard Body: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many students from eastern Europe who have been given permits to work in the United Kingdom have been recruited by gangmasters to work in the food processing factories in Lincolnshire. [17248]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I regret that information on the number of eastern European students recruited by gangmasters to work in food processing factories in Lincolnshire is not held centrally.
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Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many permits he has granted to students from eastern Europe to work in agriculture in the United Kingdom during the last six months. [17249]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Eight thousand five hundred such students entered the United Kingdom in the six months from May to October.
Mr. Leigh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the implications of the Amsterdam Treaty for future asylum seekers from within the European Union; and for what reason his Department did not seek an exemption from the Asylum Protocol similar to that acquired by Belgium. [17217]
Ms Quin:
The Asylum Protocol to the Amsterdam Treaty will require that member states treat asylum applications from European Union nationals as either inadmissible or against a presumption that they are manifestly unfounded. Belgium has made a declaratory statement to the effect that it will apply the latter approach. This is not an exemption from the Protocol. There was no need for the United Kingdom to make a similar declaration. In accordance with United Kingdom asylum law, we will continue to give individual consideration to asylum applications from European Union nationals.
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