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Financial Regulation (Islands)

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the terms of reference of the review of the system of financial regulation in the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands enable it to recommend changes in the law of these territories by means other than legislation in Tynwald and the States. [25413]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: It is not part of the terms of reference for the reviewer to recommend changes in the Island law. The review is basically a mapping exercise to establish clearly with the Islands how the Islands' current laws and regulatory systems operate in practice.

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he had with the Isle of Man government and with the authorities in Jersey and in Guernsey before his announcement on 20 January of a review of the financial legislation in Crown dependencies. [25415]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Official letters from the Director of the Constitutional and Community Policy Directorate of the Home Office were sent on 19 January to the Chief Secretary to the Isle of Man Government, the Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey and the Lieutenant Governor of Jersey (copied to the Bailiff of Jersey in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor) telling them about the review and giving its proposed terms of reference.

Shortly before this, Home Office officials had informed the Lieutenant Governors of Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and the Bailiff of Jersey informally and in confidence about the review so that they could brief themselves in advance of the official notification.

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Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who has been appointed by the government of the Isle of Man and the authorities in the Channel Islands to participate alongside Mr. Andrew Edwards in the review of financial regulation in the Crown dependencies; and if their status in the conduct of that review will be the same as that of Mr. Edwards. [25414]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Mr. Edwards has been engaged as a consultant to conduct the review of financial legislation and regulatory systems in the Crown dependencies. The Island authorities will arrange for him to see all the officials and practitioners in each Island who can be of assistance to him. They have not appointed any particular person to work with him.

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Game Licences

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much the game licence system has cost to administer for (a) game shooters and (b) game dealers in each year since 1992; [24991]

(2) how many game licences have been issued to (a) game shooters and (b) game dealers in each year since 1992; [24989]

(3) what was the net revenue from the system of licences for (a) game shooters and (b) game dealers in each year since 1992. [24990]

Mr. George Howarth: Information on the number of game licences sold in England and Wales by type, and the gross revenue, is as follows:

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	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96	1996-97
Licence to deal in game
Volume	1,825	1,718	1,538	1,384	1,626
Value (£)	7,300	6,872	6,152	5,536	6,504
Licence to kill game
Volume	38,161	37,331	26,938	22,872	28,039
Value (£)	199,768	196,184	143,774	118,946	146,842
Total
Volume	39,986	39,049	28,476	24,256	29,665
Value (£)	207,068	203,056	149,926	124,482	153,346

Note:

The licence to kill game includes gamekeeper's licence.

Source:

Post Office Counters Ltd.

26 Jan 1998 : Column: 49

I will write to the hon. Member separately on the question of the administration costs of the game licensing system.

Chelmsford Prison

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the procedures for searching for illegal drugs (a) within Chelmsford Prison and (b) in the visitors area of the prison; and if he will make a statement. [25288]

Mr. George Howarth: In the main prison, prisoners' cells and common areas are randomly searched by staff at frequent and irregular intervals. They are regularly aided by the prison's drug dog.

All prisoners are strip searched when entering and leaving the prison. When leaving a wing or activity area, prisoners are subject to rub down searches. Staff, official visitors and legal representatives are subject to random rub down searches when entering the prison. If there are grounds for suspecting the presence of drugs in a particular area or on a particular person, a targeted search will be conducted.

In the visits area of Chelmsford prison, social visitors are subject to rub down searches and their baggage is x-rayed before entering the visits area. A drug dog attends on a regular basis and sits with its handler in the entrance to the visits area. This dog is trained to detect discreetly and indicate to is handler if a visitor is carrying drugs. It

26 Jan 1998 : Column: 50

will not attempt to retrieve the drugs or make physical contact with the suspect. Prisoners are subject to rub down or strip searches before leaving the visits area.

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times illegal drugs have been found (a) within Chelmsford Prison and (b) in the visitors area of the prison in each of the last five years; and if he will list the types of illegal drugs that have been found. [25289]

Mr. George Howarth: Accurate records of occasions when drugs have been found at Chelmsford Prison are available for 1996 and 1997 only. Details are listed in the tables.

	Number
Drug finds in the prison during 1996
Cannabis	47
Opiate	11
Cocaine	2
Amphetamine	3
LSD	0
Methadone	0
Drug finds in the visitors area during 1996
Cannabis	11
Opiate	0
Cocaine	0
Amphetamine	0
LSD	0
Methadone	0
Total drug finds in 1996	73

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	Number
Drug finds in the prison during 1997
Cannabis	73
Opiate	7
Cocaine	0
Amphetamine	4
LSD	0
Methadone	0
Drug finds in the visitors area during 1997
Cannabis	11
Opiates	2
Cocaine	0
Amphetamine	0
LSD	1
Methadone	1
Total drug finds in 1997	99

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Asylum Seekers

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of (a) asylum (i) applications and (ii) appeals to be dealt with and the average waiting time, (b) applications for citizenship to be dealt with and the average waiting time and (c) full-time equivalent posts (1) in the Immigration and Nationality Department and (2) not covered by superannuation at (A) 1 January 1996, (B) 1 May 1996, (C) 1 January 1997, (D) 1 May 1997 and (E) 1 January 1998. [24680]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The available information is given in the table. The number of staff not covered by the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme on the dates specified is not readily available and could be identified only at disproportionate cost.

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	1 January 1996	1 May 1996	1 January 1997	1 May 1997	1 January 1998
(a) Asylum
(i) Applications awaiting initial decision	69,650	67,730	57,405	54,020	51,795
Average waiting time in months for applications decided(8):
Pre-1993 Act applications	40.9	42.6	47.5	51.2	56.1
Post-1993 Act applications	9.3	10.3	12.4	13.1	14.2
(ii) Appeals
Awaiting determination(9)	11,890	15,415	21,000	24,350	24,625
Average waiting time in months for appeals determined(10)	6.3	7.9	9.5	10.4	10.3
(b) Citizenship
Applications awaiting decision(11)	46,708	45,167	58,596	61,212	74,328
Average waiting time for applications granted(12)
Naturalisations	13.8	14.7	15.4	15.6	19.4
Registrations	5.8	8.3	7.3	7.0	6.9
(c) Staff posts in IND(13)	5,265	5,327.8	5,348.9	5,282.9	5,077.7

(8) Average of the preceding six months.

(9) Adjudicator and tribunal asylum appeals.

(10) Adjudicator asylum appeals only; average of the preceding six months.

(11) As recorded on the Nationality Directorate computer system.

(12) In the preceding months.

(13) Full-time equivalents.

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