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Provisional Police Grants
Mr. Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the provisional police grants announced in December 1998. [69204]
Mr. Boateng:
I received 40 written representation on the provisional police grant allocations announced on 2 December 1998. I also met representatives from seven police authorities.
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Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the results of the inquiry into the events at Holloway Prison on 13 August 1998. [69259]
Mr. George Howarth:
An internal Prison Service inquiry into a series of incidents connected to the non-issue of medication to prisoners at Holloway prison has been completed. The Prison Service does not normally publish the findings of internal investigation reports.
The inquiry did, however, recognise some serious shortcomings in the management of medication which have now been addressed. The area manager and the governor are currently instituting a series of changes to ensure the effective delivery of medical services at the prison.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of people who have used (a) cannabis, (b) cocaine and (c) heroin in each of the past 10 years. [69261]
Mr. George Howarth:
Figures for the percentage of people in the general population aged 16 to 59 using drugs during the last year, across England and Wales, are available on a reliable basis only from the 1994 and 1996 British Crime Surveys. These figures are given in the table. Equivalent findings from the 1998 British Crime Survey will become available when the report on the drugs component of the Survey is published later this year.
| Drug | 1994 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|
| Cannabis | 8 | 9 |
| Cocaine | (16)-- | 1 |
| Crack | (16)-- | (16)-- |
| Heroin | (16)-- | (16)-- |
(16) Denotes less than 0.5 per cent.
Committee for Infrastructure Protection
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Committee for Infrastructure Protection; and if he will list its members and terms of reference. [69559]
Mr. George Howarth: I am not aware of the specific committee to which the hon. Member refers. I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary gave in a reply today to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait), Official Report, column 89.
Prisons (Passive Drug Dogs)
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy on providing passive drug dogs in prisons; and what is the cost of keeping each dog. [69635]
Mr. George Howarth:
The use of passive drug dogs is an important element in the Prison Service's strategy for tackling the supply of illegal drugs into prisons. There are currently 34 passive drug dogs across the service,
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with around 50 additional dogs planned over the next three years. The annual cost of keeping each dog is approximately £2,087.
Mr. Wigley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will legislate to place the Press Complaints Commission Code of Practice on a statutory basis; and if he will include a provision banning discrimination to be exhibited in published material relating to a group of people. [68920]
Janet Anderson:
I have been asked to reply.
No. The Government prefer effective self regulation overseen by the Press Complaints Commission to any form of statutory regulation.
Hip Replacements
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average cost of a hip replacement operation in Wales in the last year for which figures are available. [69217]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: A figure specifically for the average cost of a hip replacements in Wales is not readily available.
The costing system in Wales groups hip replacement procedures with other similar surgery.
The 1997-98 average cost across all Welsh NHS Trusts for the relevant group was £3,686.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Ann Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to introduce measures to reduce the incidence of damage to sites of special scientific interest in Wales. [69393]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
The consultation paper 'Sites of Special Scientific Interest--Better Protection and Management' set out a number of measures that might improve the protection of SSSIs. Responses to that consultation are being considered.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his assessment of the prospects for sheepmeat production. [69540]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
I anticipate a marked increase in sheepmeat production following a heavy carry-over of the 1998 lamb crop into the 1999 season coupled with producers retaining ewes which would otherwise have been culled out.
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An industry-led Action Plan for the Lamb and Beef sectors will be published shortly, with the support of the Welsh Office and the Welsh Development Agency.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many women received cervical smear tests in the last year. [69545]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
228,994 women resident in Wales received cervical smear tests during 1997-98, of which 216,673 were in the programme's target age group of 20 to 64 years.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the prospects for beef farming. [69539]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
The long term future of the beef sector will depend to a large degree on the outcome of the negotiations on the Agenda 2000 proposals. If the current proposals are agreed, they will provide for a significant reduction in beef prices together with an increase in direct payments to producers to compensate for the reduction in prices. This will provide the sector with the opportunity to become more market orientated and may boost consumption. It is clear that reform of the regime is essential in the light of the structural surplus that currently exists in the beef sector. In the continuing negotiations on the Agenda 2000 proposals we will be seeking to ensure that all member states play their part in bringing beef production into line with consumption. I believe that, with planning and re-valuation of their costs structure, Welsh beef producers, where they can utilise their natural advantages such as an abundance of grass, good breeding stock and a wealth of technical expertise at their disposal, should be in a position to succeed.
An industry-led Action Plan for the Lamb and Beef sectors will be published shortly, with the support of the Welsh Office and the Welsh Development Agency.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he proposes to assist dairy producers in Wales. [69538]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
The long term future of the dairy sector will depend to a large degree on the outcome of the negotiations on Agenda 2000. The current legal authority for milk quota is due to expire on 31 March 2000. The commission's Agenda 2000 proposals for the reform of the CAP dairy regime include: the extension of the milk quota regime from 2000 until 2006; a 15 per cent. cut in support prices over the first four years of that period; the introduction of direct payments; dairy cow premiums, to
8 Feb 1999 : Column: 97
compensate producers for the price cuts; and an overall increase of 2 per cent. in the amount of quota at Community level.
An industry-led Action Plan for the dairy sector will be published shortly, with the support of the Welsh Office and the Welsh Development Agency.
In future this will become the responsibility of the National Assembly.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the cost of each of his Meet the People meetings; and how many (a) civil servants and (b) members of the public attended each meetings. [69268]
Mr. Michael:
The information about the number of members of the public attending meetings under my Meet the People initiative is set out in the table. These meetings give the public the opportunity to speak directly to me about the work of my Department and about devolution issues. They have shown that people in various parts of Wales are interested enough to turn out on wet winter
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evenings to ask their questions. It has been clear from the questions and the discussion that those attending include people with interests in the business sector, local government, trade unions and voluntary organisations as well as members of the general public.
I have been accompanied by my private secretary and, with the exception of the public meeting in Newport, which was the first in the series of meetings, one official has attended to make the necessary arrangements. A press officer has attended 6 meetings.
The support provided by my Department is given as part of its normal duties and has been met from within existing resources. The only additional cost incurred by my Department up to and including 4 February, which covers the first 13 meetings, is £490. This relates almost exclusively to the provision of facilities, principally translation facilities, for the public meetings in Wrexham and Llandudno.
The meetings have provided an excellent opportunity to discuss both all-Wales issues and matters of local concern. Even the smallest meetings have been positive and lively, with individuals raising a series of issues. I have found them both challenging and rewarding.
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| Unitary authority area | Location | Members of the public (17) | Date and time of event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newport | Newport | 35 | Friday 4 December 6 p.m. |
| Swansea | Swansea | 50 | Thursday 10 December 6 p.m. |
| Neath Port Talbot | Neath | 100 | Thursday 10 December 7.30 p.m. |
| Torfaen | Croesyceiliog | 110 | Friday 11 December 3.30 p.m. |
| Vale of Glamorgan | Barry | 5 | Saturday 12 December 10.30 a.m. |
| Wrexham | Wrexham | 25 | Thursday 17 December 7.30 p.m. |
| Flintshire | Mold | 14 | Friday 18 December 6.30 p.m. |
| Rhondda Cynon Taff | Pontypridd | 40 | Monday 18 January 7 p.m. |
| Pembrokeshire | Haverford west | 90 | Thursday 21 January 7 p.m. |
| Blaenau Gwent | Ebbw Vale | 55 | Friday 22 January 7 p.m. |
| Merthyr Tydfil | Merthyr Tydfil | 20 | Thursday 28 January 7 p.m. |
| Caerphilly | Pontllanfraith | 55 | Monday 1 February 6 p.m. |
| Conwy | Llandudno | 80 | Thursday 4 February 7 p.m. |
(17) Approximate figures
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