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Human Rights Project Fund
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the projects, with the amounts of grant being paid in each case, being supported by the Human Rights Project Fund in (a) Armenia, (b) Azerbaijan, (c) Georgia, (d) Kazakhstan, (e) Kyrgyzstan, (f) Tajikistan, (g) Turkmenistan and (h) Uzbekistan. [89898]
Mr. Tony Lloyd: The Human Rights Project Fund supported six projects in Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in 1998-99. Details are set out in the reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Tooting (Mr. Cox), 11 May 1999, Official Report, column 110. In the present financial year no projects in any of the countries referred to in the question have, as yet, been funded by the Human Rights Project Fund.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Fire Safety
Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when regulations will be made to give effect to the Government's decision to take the necessary steps to meet the concerns expressed by the European Commission about the United Kingdom's implementation of the general fire safety provisions of the European Council framework directive, as set out in his answer to the hon. Member for Nottingham, East (Mr. Heppell) of 8 April 1998, Official Report, column 255; and if he will make a statement. [90697]
Mr. George Howarth:
I have laid before Parliament Regulations to amend the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 to the necessary extent to address the Commission's concerns about meeting the terms of the directive in full. The Regulations, as amended, apply throughout Great Britain. A regulatory impact assessment is attached to the Regulations showing that the estimated costs to employers attributable to these Regulations is expected to be between £2.3 million and £28.2 million. I am satisfied that the balance between cost and benefit is
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the right one in the circumstances. Copies of the Regulations and the regulatory impact assessment are in the Library.
There are two main changes to the 1997 Regulations. First, the deletion of most of the exceptions from the application provisions of these Regulations (among them, one for fire certificated premises) to meet the Commission's concerns. Second, in the light of the views expressed in response to the public consultation exercise we conducted, we have also taken this opportunity, for reasons of consistency, to provide the Regulations with a criminal sanctions only regime that is in line with existing fire safety and health and safety legislation. The Regulations, in their amended form, come into force on 1 December 1999. This, we hope, will give everyone sufficient time to prepare for their introduction.
We expect to publish fresh guidance for employers on 22 July to help them to meet their fire safety responsibilities in the workplace. To complete the picture, new guidance on the enforcement provisions and other requirements of the amended Regulations will be issued to fire authorities this autumn, after consultation of interested parties.
Lorna Fitzsimons:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to bring forward proposals for a new legal definition of domestic violence. [90110]
Mr. Boateng:
There is currently no legal definition of domestic violence, since domestic violence is not a specific offence. The Government have no plans to change this situation.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary recently introduced a new definition for use by police forces in their returns of incidents reported. This is purely for the purposes of national statistics, to ensure that data obtained are more precise, consistent and comparable. It is not designed to change operational practice or to prevent police forces or other agencies from using other definitions if they consider that helpful locally.
Lorna Fitzsimons:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the definition of belief on the part of defendants in rape cases. [90241]
Mr. Boateng:
This will form part of the consideration of the law by the Sex Offences Review.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 1 March 1999, Official Report, column 568, on the Security Service, if he will list the law enforcement agencies which could potentially task the Security Service with respect to serious crime. [89655]
Mr. Straw:
The Security Service Act 1996 does not define the meaning of "law enforcement agencies" for the purpose of the Act.
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However, I would regard a law enforcement agency for these purposes (and having regard to the serious crime provision in section 1(4) of the 1989 Act) as being a public body or government department whose functions include investigation of serious crime.
In practice, the Security Service will generally be acting in support of the following law enforcement agencies:
However, as the then Government made clear in the debate on the Security Service Act 1996, other agencies, including the Serious Fraud Office, the Immigration Service and the Inland Revenue, could also receive support from the Security Service.
All requests for Security Service assistance to law enforcement agencies in support of the prevention or detection of serious crime are co-ordinated through the NCIS in accordance with arrangements formally agreed between the Director General of NCIS and the Security Service.
Mr. Beggs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the (a) consultancies, (b) companies and (c) project managers involved in the computerisation and modernisation of (i) the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and (ii) the Passport Agency; [89924]
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(3) if he will list the information technology programmes that have been planned and those which are currently being implemented to update (a) the Passport Agency, (b) the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and (c) the Immigration Service, indicating in each case (i) their purpose, (ii) what stages of implementation have been planned and (iii) when it is expected to be fully implemented; [89885]
(4) if he will list (a) the payments received and (b) those currently being negotiated in respect of the failure of companies to fulfil their contracts in respect of the computerisation of the (i) Immigration and Nationality Directorate and (ii) the Passport Agency since 1990; [89887]
(5) if he will make a statement regarding the compatibility of the software and data handling systems currently being implemented in (a) the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and (b) the Passport Agency; [89884]
(6) if he will place in the Library copies of all documents relating to the computerisation of (a) the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, (b) the Document Reception Centre, (c) the Public Inquiry Office, (d) the casework programme and (e) the Passport Agency, listing those pages which have been withheld, giving the reason in each case. [89883]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
In view of the detail sought, I shall write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Beggs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the contracts awarded in relation to computerisation of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, indicating in each case to whom it was awarded and on what date. [89881]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The following contracts are currently used for major computer developments in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.
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National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS)
National Crime Squad
Police forces
Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.
(2) if he will list the companies that are or have been responsible for (a) consultancy and project management and (b) the supply of computer hardware and software in relation to the information technology programmes which are currently being planned and implemented in (i) the Passport Agency, (ii) the Immigration and Nationality
Directorate and (iii) the Immigration Service; and, in each case, what penalties are included in their contracts for failure to deliver to cost, on time and to standard; [89886]
| Contractor | Awarded | |
|---|---|---|
| Casework Programme | Siemens Business Services | July 1996 |
| Home Office Information Technology Service | Sema Group | November 1994 |
| Government Catalogue | EDS | (1)April 1996 |
| Suspect Index development and support contract | ICL | December 1992 |
| Home Office Unix Systems Environment | BULL and ICL | October 1992 |
| Impact/Rosplan (ports resource planning) | BAA | March 1997 |
(1) By Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency
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