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Young Offenders
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the reply of 14 January from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Knowsley, North and Sefton, East (Mr. Howarth), to the hon. Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox), if the distinct estate for boys aged 15 to 17 years remanded
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or sentenced to custody is (a) to be managed by the Prison Service and (b) to be located in existing Prison Service premises. [66993]
Mr. George Howarth:
The new distinct estate for boys aged 15 to 17-years-old, remanded or sentenced to custody, will be managed by the Prison Service, either directly or under contract, and will comprise of a mix of dedicated juvenile establishments and juvenile units within Young Offender Institutions. The premises will be upgraded to offer enhanced regime facilities and, where necessary, adapted to ensure the separation of 15 to 17-year-old boys and older young offenders.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the decision of the European Court in the case of Calfa (C-348/96) on (a) criminal law in the United Kingdom and (b) the development of a EU system of criminal law; and if he will make a statement. [67054]
Kate Hoey:
The judgment of the European Court in the case of Calfa (C-348/96) has no effect on criminal law in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom does not have legislation requiring automatic deportation akin to the Greek law at issue in this case. Nor does the judgment significantly further the development of an European Union system of criminal law. The judgment is in line with previous jurisprudence of the Court and is concerned with the compatibility of the Greek law with Community law on free movement.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders are currently subject to electronic tagging. [67143]
Mr. George Howarth:
As of 18 January 1999, 540 offenders are being electronically monitored in England and Wales; 447 offenders under the Criminal Justice Act 1991, 55 under the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 and 38 cases in which electronic monitoring has been imposed as a condition of bail.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State with responsibility for immigration, the hon. Member for North Warwickshire, (Mr. O'Brien) plans to reply to the letter of 23 December from the hon. Member for Hertsmere. [66986]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I will write shortly.
My reply will also respond to the points raised in the hon. Member's further letter of 24 January.
Sir Richard Body:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the mandatory life sentence for murder. [66212]
Mr. Boateng:
The Government have no plans to review the mandatory life sentence for murder.
25 Jan 1999 : Column: 80
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines his Department has issued on the medical assessment and examination of young offenders on induction into young offender units. [66392]
Mr. George Howarth:
The Prison Service published health care standards cover the health assessment and examination of all prisoners, including young offenders, on first reception into custody. These were laid down in 1994.
Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to deter prisoners and their visitors from smuggling drugs into prison through visits. [67724]
Mr. Straw:
Governors have a range of sanctions available to deal with visitors, prisoners and young offenders involved in such activity. But I am keen to see a more consistent approach across the prison estate. To this end, I have asked the Director General of the Prison Service to introduce a more standardised response.
It is clear that most drugs coming into prison are brought in by visitors. I intend to provide governors with a new power to ban a visitor for a specified time. The imposition of a ban, and its duration, will be determined by the quantity and type of drugs passed, the relationship between the visitor, prisoner or young offender and the circumstances of the offence. I would expect a typical ban to be at least three months. In cases where a ban is not justified, visitors may be subject to warnings, closed visits and increased security. Prison and Young Offender Institution staff will continue to report all attempts to smuggle drugs to the police.
Prisoners and young offenders believed to be involved in bringing in drugs will face the increased use of closed visits, regular targeted mandatory drug testing, and disciplinary proceedings.
These measures will support one of the key elements in our overall prison drugs strategy namely supply reduction. The Prison Service will also maintain its commitment to the provision of drug treatment and education within prisons. Last year's Comprehensive Spending Review resulted in an additional £14 million for treatment, £6 million for throughcare and £2.5 million for voluntary testing.
A short implementation phase for the new measures will take place, enabling relevant parties to be briefed on the new arrangements, before they are universally implemented on 1 April 1999.
Mr. Alan Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Government will announce the terms of reference for their review of sexual offences. [67722]
Mr. Straw:
The intention to review sexual offences and penalties was announced by the then Minister of State, Home Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Mr. Michael), on 15 June
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1998, Official Report, column 10. I have today published the terms of reference of this review. Copies of a consultation leaflet describing the review, and inviting views to inform its work, have been placed in the Library.
The terms of reference of the review are:
The review will be conducted by a Steering Group of officials from relevant Departments and expert advisers. This Group will have the benefit of advice from an External Reference Group made up of individuals and organisations with experience, expertise and opinions on a range of issues relevant to the consideration of sexual offences. The review should take about a year to complete its work and its recommendations will form the basis of a consultation paper.
Mr. David Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the Interdepartmental Working Group on Preventing Unsuitable People from Working with Children and Abuse of Trust has made its report; and if he will make a statement. [67723]
Mr. Straw:
I have today placed a copy of the report of the Interdepartmental Working group in the Library. This follows their interim report on abuse of trust which I placed in the Library on 25 November last year.
The Working Group have made a number of recommendations in principle for establishing an integrated scheme to help prevent unsuitable people from working with children. Following a written consultation exercise they undertook initial discussion of the emerging proposals with a number of organisations outside Government before making their report and received their broad support. Their report acknowledges there is much work to be done on the scheme including further consultation. The detailed elements of the scheme will need to be worked up before firm proposals can be made.
The Government welcome the report as the basis for an integrated scheme to provide greater protection for children and, in due course, vulnerable adults. We have asked the Working Group to work up the proposals as a matter of priority with a view to bringing forward detailed recommendations. Primary legislation will be required to put the new scheme in place.
The integrated scheme envisages a central access point for three sources of information, criminal records (with certain offences attracting a ban on working with children); List 99 (maintained by the Department for Education and Employment); and the Consultancy Index (maintained by the Department of Health). This central access point would be the Criminal Records Bureau. The Protection of Children Bill currently before Parliament makes provision for the necessary amendment to Part V of the Police Act 1997 for the Bureau to act as a one stop shop able to receive and pass on information from List 99
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and the Consultancy Index. This should allow work on this wider role to form part of the work now underway on establishing the Criminal Records Bureau.
Examination)
"To review the sexual offences in the common and statute law of England and Wales, and make recommendations that will:
Provide coherent and clear sexual offences which protect individuals, especially children and the more vulnerable, from abuse and exploitation;
Enable abusers to be appropriately punished; and
Be fair and non-discriminatory in accordance with the European Court of Human Rights and the Human Rights Act."
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