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Social Services (Oxfordshire)
Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many representations he has received from Oxfordshire about the reductions in social service provision in the county. [18390]
Mr. Raynsford: My right hon. Friend has received a large number of representations about the funding of Oxfordshire County Council. Many of these have referred to proposals by the County Council to make reductions in its services, including social services.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Big Cats
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responsibility his Department has for monitoring sightings of big cats. [17874]
Mr. Michael: The Home Office has no responsibility for monitoring the sightings of big cats.
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sightings of big cats have been reported to the police in Norfolk. [17875]
Mr. Michael: Since 1 July 1997, Norfolk Constabulary have received 54 reports of a "big cat", mostly sighted in the Norwich area.
Young Offenders
Mr. Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it takes, on average, from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders, and for other young offenders. [18874]
Mr. Straw:
Information on the time between arrest and sentence for young offenders is not available from historical records, as the previous Government did not collect data on time intervals from arrest. However, we have recently completed a survey of persistent young offenders dealt with by the youth justice system in 1996. That survey indicates that in 1996 the average time between arrest and sentence for persistent young offenders was 142 days.
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An Audit Commission survey of 600 young offenders in 1996 suggests that the average time between arrest and sentence for all young offenders was 121 days 1 . The Time Intervals Survey, published by the Lord Chancellor's Department, indicates that in 1996 the average time from offence to completion for defendants in indictable cases dealt with by the Youth Court was 131 days. The White Paper "No More Excuses--A New Approach to Tackling Youth Crime in England and Wales" (Cm 3809) erroneously stated (paragraph 7.1) that this figure of 131 days was the average interval between arrest and sentence for a young offender.
We are ensuring that systems are put in place to monitor the time between arrest and sentence in the future for persistent young offenders and other young offenders.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the deportation order in the case of Mukesh Gajjar. [18316]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The decision not to revoke the deportation order against Mukesh Gajjar is currently under appeal to the Immigration Appellate Authority.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of animal deaths, broken down by species, which will be averted by the voluntary ban on final product cosmetic testing on animals. [17885]
Mr. George Howarth:
The "Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain, 1996" were laid in the House in July. Table 10 shows that 252 procedures were for the purpose of safety testing of finished cosmetic products, the category of tests covered by the voluntary ban. Table 10a shows that these involved 220 animals (34 rats, 162 guinea-pigs and 24 rabbits). Most of these animals would only have experienced low levels of suffering and would not have died as a result of the procedure.
The ban on cosmetic product testing is an important first step. We announced on 6 November that we would also be exploring a ban on the testing of ingredients for "vanity" products and finished household products.
Mr. Timms:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Sri Lankan asylum seekers have been granted refugee status or leave to remain in the UK in the past 12 months (a) without the intervention of a special adjudicator and (b) following intervention by a special adjudicator. [17912]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
During the period 1 November 1996 to 31 October 1997, a total of 1,900 initial decisions, excluding dependants, were made on asylum applications
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lodged by Sri Lankan nationals. Of these, 40 were to recognise the applicant as a refugee and grant asylum, 10 were to refuse asylum but grant exceptional leave (to enter/remain in the United Kingdom) and 1,850 were to refuse both asylum and exceptional leave.
Provisional information indicates that, during the same time period, special adjudicators determined approximately 1,140 appeals lodged by Sri Lankan nationals against the refusal of asylum. Of these, an estimated 8 per cent. were allowed, 87 per cent. were dismissed and 5 per cent. were withdrawn.
An allowed appeal does not necessarily result in an automatic grant of refugee status or a grant of exceptional, or other, leave to remain in the United Kingdom. In cases where the allowed appeal relates to an initial refusal of asylum on safe third country grounds, the Asylum Directorate will then usually consider the application substantively--any subsequent, adverse decision attracting a further right of appeal before the special adjudicator. Additionally, in cases where reasonable grounds exist, the Home Office may elect to challenge an adjudicator's determination by lodging an appeal with the Immigration Appeal Tribunal.
I regret that a reliable breakdown of asylum decisions made following appeal determinations is not available.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the dates of publication for each board of visitors annual report for 1996 and (a) each privately managed prison and (b) each publicly managed prison; and if he will make a statement. [18086]
Ms Quin:
Each Board of Visitors has a statutory duty under Prison Rule 97 to report annually to the Home Secretary on the state of the prison and its administration and include advice and suggestions as they consider appropriate.
Notes:
1 Audit Commission, Misspent Youth: Young People and Crime, November 1996.
2 Time Intervals for criminal proceedings in the magistrates' courts, Lord Chancellor's Department, March 1997 (Issue 1/97).
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Blakenhurst Prison
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide details of the renewed contract between his Department and United Kingdom Detention Services Limited in respect of Her Majesty's Prison, Blakenhurst; and if he will make a statement. [18087]
Ms Quin: My right hon. Friend announced in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford (Mr. Hall) on 19 June 1997, Official Report, columns 247-49, that he would extend the contract for the management of Her Majesty's Prison, Blakenhurst by UKDS Limited for a further three years. The detailed contractual terms are being finalised and, as is usual for prison management contracts, a copy of the signed contract will be placed in the Library.
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