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Juries
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to restrict the use of juries in criminal trials in the Crown courts. [56141]
Mr. Boateng: We have published two consultation papers this year about jury trials. The first paper, on use of juries in serious fraud trials, invited views on the principle of whether the system is likely to operate better and with a greater degree of public confidence if, in a small number of complex fraud trials, a traditional jury were to be replaced by another method of determining the facts. Views were also sought on four possible alternative methods of trial. The consultation paper on determining the mode of trial considered whether defendants should continue to be able to choose to be tried by a jury in cases which magistrates have indicated that they would be content to hear. We are currently considering the responses to both these consultation exercises.
Police
Miss Melanie Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the formula to be used to allocate resources to the areas transferring out of the Metropolitan Police to neighbouring police forces and the methodology used in its derivation. [57572]
Kate Hoey:
The principal police funding formula will continue to be used to determine resource allocations for all forces and will be published in the Police Grant Report. The forces bordering the Metropolitan Police
3 Nov 1998 : Column: 498
District (MPD) have indicated that there will be additional costs in 1999-2000 associated with the proposed changes to the MPD boundaries. We are considering their bids for extra funding to help meet these transitional costs. No decisions have yet been taken about the allocation of funding to forces bordering the Metropolitan Police or other forces for 1999-2000 or beyond. We expect to announce provisional funding allocations for 1999-2000 and the formula used in a draft Police Grant Report to be published towards the end of the year.
Mr. Letwin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on licence fee levels for the growing of hemp. [58254]
Mr. George Howarth:
The licence fee for hemp cultivation was reviewed in 1997 in consultation with the National Farmers Union and representatives of the industry. The new annual fee has been set at £320; this is being phased in over this year and the next two.
Mr. Letwin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will assess the benefits of using laser-scanners to track stolen vehicles by reading licence plates. [58268]
Mr. Boateng:
The Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers are currently considering how the most effective use can be made of automatic number plate recognition technology for law enforcement purposes.
Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what identity documents are required to be produced by people visiting prisoners at Belmarsh Prison. [57337]
Mr. George Howarth:
Any of the following documents are accepted as proof of identity for visitors to prisoners at Belmarsh:
Domestic visitors to Category A prisoners are subject, in addition, to the Approved Visitors Scheme, which includes mandatory photographic identification which is verified by the local police.
Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what facilities are available at Belmarsh Prison to allow visits to prisoners by disabled people. [57336]
Mr. George Howarth:
Wheelchair access is possible to the three areas of Belmarsh prison where visits take place. Male and female disabled toilets are available in the main visits hall. On entry to the prison disabled visitors are searched in a private cubicle.
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Mr. Letwin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Register of Electors is made available in electronic form to commercial mailing companies. [58253]
Mr. George Howarth:
Regulation 55 of the Representation of the People Regulations 1986 gives electoral registration officers a discretionary power to supply electronic data copies of the register to non-electoral users. A fee is charged to cover the costs incurred.
The sale of the electoral register is being considered by the Working Party on Electoral Procedures, which I chair, following a short consultation exercise in the summer. One of the issues to be explored further will be the availability of copies of the register and the fee charged.
Mr. Letwin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the shotgun licence fee. [58266]
Mr. Boateng:
The Government have made it clear that they intend to review the fees charged for firearm and shotgun certificates in due course to see if any changes might be made to the current arrangements. Fees have always been set at a level that covers the cost of administration, and the Government have no intention of raising these to punitive levels.
Following the Dunblane tragedy, and the subsequent legislation, there has been a rise in the amount of work that the police are required to carry out in administering the licensing system. On this basis, it is only proper and realistic for us to look again at fee levels.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice has been given, and what administrative guidelines issued, to ensure that an arrested person is aware of the implications of failing to mention a material fact concerning the offence of belonging to a proscribed and specified organisation; and if he will place in the Library a copy of such documents. [56316]
Mr. Straw:
A letter was sent on 11 September to all Chief Officers of Police in England and Wales outlining the provisions of the Criminal Justice (Terrorism and Conspiracy) Act 1998 and advising that where a suspect has been arrested for an offence relating to membership of a proscribed organisation which is also specified, the interviewing officer should give a special warning after the standard caution. I have placed a copy of the letter in the Library.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been (a) charged, (b) summarily convicted and (c) convicted on indictment under section 2 or the equivalent section of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 relating to membership of a proscribed organisation in each year since enactment; what percentage of those convicted in each year received a prison sentence; and what percentage of those were sentenced to a term of less than one year. [56315]
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Mr. Straw:
Information is not collected centrally on the number of people charged.
We have no record of any prosecutions or convictions in England and Wales for offences under section 2 since the 1989 Act came into force.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are presently detained in each special secure unit, stating (a) the nature of crimes for which the prisoner was convicted, (b) the national origin or citizenship of the prisoner, (c) their special category status, (d) how long the prisoner has been housed in an SSU and (e) how many three-monthly medical examinations have been conducted in that time. [56337]
Mr. George Howarth:
On 29 October 1998, five prisoners were held in Special Secure Units (SSUs), four at Whitemoor and one at Belmarsh. Only prisoners categorised as Category A-Exceptional Escape Risk are held in SSUs.
Driving Licence
Passport
Utilities Bill
Rent Book
Benefit Book
Immigration Papers
Medical Card
Letters on Official Headed Notepaper.
| Nationality | Offence | Time spent in SSU | Number of three monthly health reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| American | Murder | 3 years 5 months | 5 |
| British | Drugs offences | 7 months | 2 |
| Colombian | Drugs offences | 1 year 3 months | 4 |
| Turkish | Drugs offences | 5 years 4 months | 5 |
| Turkish | Drugs offences | 3 months | 1 |
Irish Prisoners (European Convention)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to officials responding to Irish prisoners who seek repatriation under the European Convention for Sentenced Prisoners and are concerned that their application may be affected by the sentence review legislation required under the Belfast Agreement. [56338]
Mr. George Howarth: Officials deal with repatriation applications in accordance with Government policy.
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