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Ministerial Visits
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the parliamentary constituencies which he has visited in an official capacity in the past 12 months. [71336]
Mr. Straw: The constituencies I have visited in the course of my official duties in the past 12 months are listed in the table:
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Additionally, I have visited a number of constituencies in central and inner London in the normal course of my duties.
A number of minor or incidental meetings and engagements may also have been undertaken in other constituencies to and from the engagements specified above. We do not have a complete record of these.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the upper limit to nullify the effects of unusually lengthy cases used in the time intervals surveys conducted by the Lord Chancellor's Department was not used in the calculation of his benchmark figure of 142 days from arrest to sentencing for persistent young offenders; and if he will estimate the impact on that figure of using such a limit. [70811]
Mr. Boateng:
The benchmark figure of 142 days from arrest to sentence in persistent young offender cases was calculated on the basis of a special exercise, which drew a sample of cases from the Police National Computer (Phoenix). Phoenix does not exclude cases on the basis of their length. The Government's pledge is to halve the time from arrest to sentence for all persistent young offenders. A minority of cases may be protracted for reasons outside the control of case management, such as the illness of the defendant or a key witness. However, it is essential that unnecessary delay should be removed from all cases, regardless of their complexity or the exceptional circumstances that may arise. For that reason, the Government consider it appropriate for the benchmark figure to be based on all cases.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure that (a) chimpanzees and (b) other non-domestic animals in private ownership are not maltreated. [70887]
Mr. George Howarth:
All non-domestic animals in private ownership are protected by the Protection of Animals Act 1911, under which it is a criminal offence to ill-treat or cause any unnecessary suffering to any captive animal.
In addition, there is legislation for the keeping of these animals in certain circumstances. The Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925 gives local authorities and
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the police the power to enter at all reasonable times and inspect any premises in which performing animals are kept for training or exhibition, and to inspect those animals.
The Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 makes it an offence to keep certain animals, listed in a Schedule to the Act, without a licence from the local authority. Before issuing a licence the authority should be satisfied that suitable standards of health, welfare and accommodation for the animal will be provided.
Under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, all zoos must be licensed by the local authority. Inspections are carried out to ensure that the standards of accommodation, staffing or management are adequate for the proper care and well-being of the animals.
Mr. Livingstone:
To ask the Prime Minister (1) how many of the special advisers appointed since 1 May 1997 were known personally by the Minister for whom they worked prior to their appointment; [69653]
The Prime Minister:
Special Advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the "Model Contract for Special Advisers". Their appointments are made personally by the appointing Minister, on behalf of the Crown. As is the case with appointments under the previous Administration, special advisers will often have worked with or have been known to the appointing Minister before appointment. Their appointment terminates automatically when there is a change of Government.
Mr. Maples:
To ask the Prime Minister what was the total cost incurred by his predecessor in the financial year 1996-97 for the use of RAF and chartered aircraft. [69379]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 8 February 1999]: The total cost incurred by my predecessor in the financial year 1996-97 for the use of RAF and chartered aircraft was £233,872. This is part of the total expenditure of £7.8 million on overseas visits by Ministers under the previous Administration for 1996-97 and compares with expenditure of £6.1 million by this Government in the year 1 May 1997 to 31 March 1998.
Mr. Maples:
To ask the Prime Minister how many of the people listed in his answer of 19 November 1998, Official Report, columns 743-44, as accompanying him to Washington in February 1998 were (a) ministers, (b) permanent career civil servants, (c) temporary civil servants, special advisers and political appointees, (d) journalists paying their own fares, (e) businessmen paying their own fares and (f) others. [70233]
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The Prime Minister
[holding answer 9 February 1999]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lichfield (Mr. Fabricant) on 13 March 1998, Official Report, columns 366-67. No journalists or businessmen accompanied me on the visit. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, Central (Mr. Illsley) on 10 February 1999, Official Report, columns 283-84.
Mr. Maples:
To ask the Prime Minister how many of the people listed in his answer of 19 November 1998, Official Report, columns 743-44, as accompanying him to the G7 summit and UN General Assembly in June 1997 were (a) ministers, (b) permanent career civil servants, (c) temporary civil servants, special advisers and political appointees, (d) journalists paying their own fares, (e) businessmen paying their own fares and (f) others. [70232]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 9 February 1999]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Mr. Flight) on 4 July 1997, Official Report, column 293. Seventeen journalists accompanied me on the visit and paid their own fares. No businessmen attended.
I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, Central (Mr. Illsley) on 10 February 1999, Official Report, columns 283-84.
Mr. Maples:
To ask the Prime Minister how many of the people listed in his answer of 19 November 1998, Official Report, columns 743-44, as accompanying him to Japan in January 1998 were (a) ministers, (b) permanent career civil servants, (c) temporary civil servants, special advisers and political appointees, (d) journalists paying their own fares, (e) businessmen paying their own fares and (f) others. [70234]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 9 February 1999]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Mr. Smith) on 17 February 1998, Official Report, columns 523-24. Nineteen journalists accompanied me on the visit and paid their own fares.
I also refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, Central (Mr. Illsley) on 10 February 1999, Official Report, columns 283-84.
Mr. Gibb:
To ask the Prime Minister when he plans to provide a substantive answer to the question from the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton of 25 January 1999, regarding ministerial Concorde flights (Ref. 67984). [71190]
The Prime Minister:
I did so on 10 February 1999, Official Report, column 283.
(2) how many of the special advisers appointed between 1 May 1992 and 30 April 1997 were known personally by the Minister for whom they worked prior to their appointment. [69655]
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