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Schengen Acquis
Mr. Coaker: To ask the Secretary of Stat for the Home Department if he will make available to Parliament the full Schengen acquis. [19720]
Mr. Straw: The Government wish to make the fullest possible information available to Parliament in connection with the ratification of the Treaty of Amsterdam. The key Schengen Treaties which form the framework for Schengen co-operation are available in the Library. We have been informed that Schengen states have now finalised a list of documents which, for the purposes of incorporation, are to be considered formally as the acquis. Once we receive the full set of papers which comprise the acquis, we shall make them, subject to the usual understanding about confidentiality, available to Parliament.
Lunar House Staff
Mr. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are currently based at Lunar House; and what was the number last year at the most convenient comparative date. [18396]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The total number of staff who were working in Lunar House as at 28 November 1997 was 1,628.
A comparable figure for the corresponding period in 1996 is not available as historical staff records are not maintained on a building specific basis.
Police (Video Cameras)
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what controls apply to the use of hand-held video cameras by the police. [18914]
Mr. Michael:
The use of hand-held video cameras is an operational matter and the decision to use them and in which circumstances comes within the responsibility of individual chief officers.
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Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations, including cameras, were issued by the Home Office in 1984. They make it clear that a senior officer should give authority for the equipment to be used and that he should first satisfy himself that its use will not involve any unwarrantable intrusion of privacy and is fully justified in all the circumstances of the operation in question.
Mr. Laurence Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the implications for sentencing in England and Wales of the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights. [17703]
Mr. Michael:
The Human Rights Bill is designed to give people direct access in the United Kingdom to the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the European Convention on Human Rights. After incorporation, people who are subject to a sentencing decision will be able to argue in our domestic courts that the decision is not compatible with the Convention, whereas at present, they are able to argue the point only before the European Court of Human Rights.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent staff are dedicated to supporting the telephone-tapping function of MI5. [18698]
Mr. Straw:
It has been the policy of successive Governments not to discuss operational matters relating to the work of the security and intelligence services.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has seen the files held on him by MI5. [18696]
Mr. Straw:
I have not asked to see, nor have I seen, any file which the Security Service may hold on me.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what safeguards are in place to ensure that MI5 does not operate outside its legal remit. [18699]
Mr. Straw:
The Security Service falls under my authority and I take a close interest in its work, by regular meetings with the Director General and otherwise. The Permanent Secretary and other officials in my Department deal regularly and directly with the Service across the range of its activities, and ensure that I am aware of any significant developments. I receive, annually, reports on the service's performance and plans, and I act as joint sponsor of the Single Intelligence Vote under which the Service is funded. Applications for warrants to intercept communications or interfere with property are submitted to me and are reviewed by independent Commissioners whose annual reports are published.
Complaints from individuals about the Security Service are investigated by an independent Tribunal which, together with the Commissioner, has full access to Security Service documents and information which they need. The service's accounts are scrutinised by the National Audit Office and its overall policy, administration and finance are subject to scrutiny by the Intelligence and Security Committee to which I give evidence from time to time. And
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finally--but very importantly--the Service has extensive internal procedures to ensure that its operations are properly authorised and comply with statutory requirements.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many current British Telecom employees have been required to sign the Official Secrets Act 1911. [18695]
Mr. Straw:
It is a matter for British Telecom to ensure that their employees comply with all legislation relevant to their work.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many times those subject to investigation under (a) Article 7 and (b) Article 8 of the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters (i) have been informed and (ii) have not been informed that they have been subject to investigation; [18701]
(3) how many video conferences have taken place under Article 12 of the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. [18684]
Mr. Straw:
None. The draft Convention to which I referred in my reply to the hon. Member of 17 November 1997, Official Report, column 39, is presently under negotiation.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department contributes to the budget of (a) MI6 and (b) GCHQ; and if he will make a statement.[18682]
Mr. Straw:
No. The budgets of all the security and intelligence agencies are funded from the Single Intelligence Vote (Class XVIII Vote 2).
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate how many United Kingdom citizens have signed the Official Secrets Act 1911 since 1967. [18694]
Mr. Michael:
Certain provisions of the Official Secrets Act 1911 were repealed by the Official Secrets Act 1989, which came into effect on 1 March 1990. Prior to that date, it had been the practice to require Government Ministers and members of the Civil Service and of the armed forces to sign a declaration certifying that they were aware of the provisions of the legislation. Information about the numbers of those who signed such declarations is not available centrally.
Current practice is to draw the relevant provisions of the Official Secrets Acts to the attention of those most likely to have access to the sorts of information covered by them.
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The provisions of the Official Secrets Acts apply, and have always applied, irrespective of whether any formal declaration has been signed.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend the scope of the Interception of Communications Act 1985 to cover automatic call tracing. [18915]
Mr. Straw:
In my reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) on 24 November 1997, Official Report, column 441, I said that it was my intention to introduce, in due course, legislation to bring interception on private networks into the statutory framework. Whether we should take that opportunity to introduce further measures relating to interception of communication; and, if so, what those measures should comprise, is currently under consideration.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure cordless telephones can be subject to legal interception only by means of a warrant. [18908]
Mr. Straw:
I refer the hon. Member to my reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Cynon Valley on 24 November 1997, Official Report, column 441.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ensure that all residents within the Metropolitan Police District are treated equally for the purposes of consultation on proposals to create a new police authority. [18644]
Mr. Michael:
The Green Paper 'New Leadership for London--the Government's proposals for a Greater London Authority' was published in July 1997 and included details of the proposals for a new police authority to cover the Metropolitan Police District (MPD). During the period of consultation, which ended on 24 October, the Green Paper was freely available to any interested individuals or organisations, including residents of the MPD. The Government Office for London received over 1,200 written responses, including ones from Hertfordshire County Council, the Boroughs of Broxbourne and Reigate and Banstead. I recently met members of the Outer London Metropolitan Police Group, which represents the interests of those districts which are not London boroughs, to hear their views and discuss the proposals. All comments and written responses will be taken into account.
(2) how many requests have been (a) received and from whom and (b) made and to whom under Article 6 of the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters; [18700]
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