House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 29 Jun 1999 (pt 4)

Public-private Partnerships

Ms Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) if, in the context of Public-Private Partnership arrangements, a future private sector partner for National Air Traffic Services will be given a right to review and amend the operational mission of the new Scottish centre project; [88948]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The Government issued a consultation document in October 1998 seeking views on our preferred proposal of a PPP for NATS. The period for responses to that consultation has now closed and we are considering those received including the views expressed on the new Scottish centre and the relationship with MOD. We will make a detailed announcement on the way forward in due course.

Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre

Ms Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the new Scottish air traffic control centre will only be built as part of the proposed public private partnership for a national air traffic centre. [88947]

Ms Glenda Jackson: The Government are fully committed to a new air traffic control centre at Prestwick which is part of NATS' two centre strategy for providing ATC services in the 21 century. It is currently envisaged that the project will be taken forward as part of the PPP for NATS.

Ms Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if the operational mission currently planned for the new Scottish air traffic control centre comprises (a) en route services, (b) oceanic services and (c) contingency services for the new en route centre at Swanwick. [88949]

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Ms Glenda Jackson: The contract currently under negotiation with Sky Solutions for the New air traffic control centre at Prestwick (NSC) will include the provision of en route and contingency services. The Oceanic flight data processing system is being procured under a separate PFI contract and will be housed in the NSC building.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Genetically Modified Food

Mr. Baker: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee how purchasers of food products on sale within the Parliamentary Estate which may contain genetically modified ingredients are informed that these ingredients may be present. [88633]

Mr. Dennis Turner: The Food Labelling (Amendment) Regulations 1999 provide catering establishments with a transition period of six months in order to achieve full compliance. The Refreshment Department is working towards this, and expects to be in a position to inform its customers of food products containing Genetically Modified soya or maize protein or DNA by the required deadline of 19 September 1999.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Jury Trial

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Southwark, North and Bermondsey (Mr. Hughes) of 14 June 1999, Official Report, columns 53-54, on jury trial, if he will place in the Library a summary of the responses received during the consultation exercise concerning the proposal to remove the defendant's ability to elect for Crown Court trial in either way cases; and if he will make a statement. [88333]

Mr. Boateng: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Eltham (Mr. Efford), on 19 May 1999, Official Report, columns 373-74, by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department. A copy of the summary of responses to the consultation exercise will shortly be placed in the Library.

Crime and Disorder Audits

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he (a) has given and (b) plans to give to local partnerships to ensure consistency in the questions asked by local authorities and police forces for the purpose of audits under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [88317]

Mr. Boateng: Previous Home Office guidance to partnerships did not prescribe a specific format for the audits, although it has advised that they specifically seek out levels of racial crime and domestic violence. There are no current plans to amend this guidance.

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Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 21 May 1999, Official Report, column 467, on crime and disorder audits, if he will list those partnerships that have made road safety a priority issue. [88316]

Mr. Boateng: We have not yet completed an analysis of the audits and strategies produced by the local crime and disorder partnerships. The Home Office will carry out a programme of research into the strategies, to inform Home Office guidance to partnerships, but we currently have no plans to publish a full list of priorities so far identified by partnerships.

Road Casualty Reduction

Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what priority he gives to road casualty reduction within the strategic objectives he has set for the Police Service. [88314]

Mr. Boateng: The overarching aims and objectives for the police service, which were published last year, include the reduction of casualties. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made it clear in his letter to Chief Officers of Police and their Police Authorities that he saw traffic policing as central to the police's responsibility for maintaining law and order and reducing crime and that he expected road policing to play a full part in achieving safer communities.

Jill Dando

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the police inquiry into the murder of Jill Dando. [88405]

Kate Hoey: The investigation of crime within the Metropolitan Police District is an operational matter for the Commissioner.

The Commissioner tells me that the murder of Jill Dando has triggered an enormous public response: the police have received over 6,000 calls, letters and fax messages. The inquiry has raised over 4,000 individual investigative actions; nearly 700 statements have been taken; and there has been a mass trawl of Closed Circuit Television records from private industry, local authorities and the Highways Agency to help track events in Jill Dando's last hours. Following the first phase of gathering, filtering and interpreting the initial information the investigation is now focusing upon developing, examining and testing hypotheses based upon what is now known. The investigation is itself subject to a progress review, in line with new general policy; the Commissioner informs me that the investigating team is following a number of lines of inquiry.

Prisons (Drugs)

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dogs are currently used in the Prison Service for the purpose of detecting drugs in prison; where they are located; how many prisons do not have full-time and exclusive access to such a dog; and what the costs are of training and keeping such a dog. [88307]

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Mr. George Howarth: There are 240 drug dogs in Prison Service establishments, comprising 51 passive drug dogs and 189 active drug dogs. The list shows the location of the drug dogs.

Forty prisons do not have full-time access to a drug dog, but there are two area search teams (one based at Maidstone prison comprising six dogs; the other at Swinfen Hall Young Offenders Institution with two dogs) and the National Dog Support Group (comprising 14 dogs) which are available to give support to these prisons.

The costs for training and maintaining the dogs are:

Initial Training passive dog: £3,321

Initial Training active dog: £3,000

Annual refresher: £1,000.

The yearly costs of keeping a dog averages £2,088, depending on veterinary care.

Prisons in England and Wales with drug dogs: