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Gamma Hydroxy Butyrate
Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to reclassify gamma hydroxy butyrate as a drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; [103379]
- (2) what steps he has taken to limit the availability of gamma hydroxy butyrate. [103375]
Mr. Charles Clarke: With regard to the question of the classification of gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB) under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, Central (Mr. Benn) on 8 December 1999, Official Report, column 532W.
That reply mentioned the work of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) to counter the illicit manufacture and sale of GHB, and it might be helpful to elaborate on this. In addition to investigating offences under the Medicines Act, the MCA has taken action on a number of fronts in recent months to reduce the supply of GHB. The Agency has issued an advertising alert to the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and circulated briefing to all heads of police forces and all trading standards and environmental health offices. MCA officers have also targeted a number of sex shops and similar
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premises to educate owners on the law relating to the advertising and sale of GHB, and followed this up with regular compliance checks.
The National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) also has a key role to play. The NCIS Drugs Section works with the chemical industry, the Home Office and police forces to gather intelligence on the illicit manufacture of drugs. In the last year this intelligence led to the discovery of eight illicit drug laboratories producing amphetamine, ecstasy and GHB.
Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the use of gamma hydroxy butyrate as a date rape drug. [103376]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
There is currently little evidence of gamma hydroxy butyrate (GHB) being used to facilitate rape. Forensic Science Service analysis since March of last year of samples taken from 100 victims of sexual assault and rape where the use of drugs is suspected has identified GHB in four cases.
While the analysis has provided no direct linkage between GHB and the sexual offence, rape is clearly an extremely serious offence and it is important for the Government to have a clear understanding of the extent of the drug rape problem. With this in mind, the Home Office sponsored a Metropolitan police research initiative into drug assisted rape, which is due to be concluded in April 2000. Ministers will consider the findings and recommendations of this study.
Separately, a Home Office led review was set up at the beginning of 1999 to review the law on sex offences in England and Wales. As part of its considerations, the review is considering the law relating to consent, and circumstances where consent is not present. It is also considering whether the current offence of administering drugs to obtain or facilitate intercourse (section 4 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956) is still appropriate. The review expects to report its recommendations to Ministers in the spring, and we plan to publish a consultation paper shortly after this.
Mr. Stevenson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the factors that determined the police grant (a) net expenditure and (b) percentage increase in real terms for Staffordshire in (i) 1997-98, (ii) 1998-99 and (iii) 1999-2000; and if he will make a statement. [103621]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Police grant allocations to individual authorities for the years in question were determined under a needs-based funding formula and were approved by the House of Commons. For 1997-98 and 1998-99 police authority expenditure levels were subject to capping limits on budget increases. For 1999-2000, no capping limits were set. The budget increase for that year was determined by Staffordshire Police Authority.
Net expenditure levels are determined by deducting income from gross expenditure. The percentage changes in real terms for the Staffordshire Police Authority for each of the years in question will reflect the application of Her Majesty's Treasury's Gross Domestic Product deflators.
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Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what is the average length of time taken by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to process travel document applications; [103596]
Mrs. Roche:
New applications have, since September, been dealt with under a fast track procedure and the majority are being resolved within four weeks of receipt. But there are around 7,000 applications made between January and August 1999 still outstanding. Work on these applications is progressing steadily but it will be some months before they are all cleared, due to a threefold increase in the number of new applications. The number of staff in the section has increased threefold in recent months, and output has increased fivefold.
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Youth Justice Board will assume responsibility for the procurement and provision of secure remand places for juveniles. [103868]
Mr. Boateng:
The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales will assume responsibility for commissioning and purchasing places in secure accommodation for remanded and sentenced children and young people in April 2000.
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost to local authorities in the last year for which figures are available of (a) providing secure remand places for juveniles and for the escort of juveniles for court appearances and (b) the reimbursement paid under Section 21 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. [103869]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Children and young people remanded to local authority secure accommodation are the responsibility of the local authority designated by the court. Information on the costs to local authorities of providing secure remand places and escorts for court appearances is not collected centrally.
The secure remand provisions in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 were implemented on 1 June 1999. On the basis of the claims so far submitted, the Home Office has paid local authorities nearly £500,000 for the additional costs incurred by them in such cases.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his proposals for testing offenders and suspected offenders for drug use will include tests for (a) cannabis, (b) amphetamine, (c) ecstasy, (d) cocaine, (e) LSD and (f) heroin. [103744]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The detail of the proposal to extend drug testing across the criminal justice system is currently being formulated. One option under consideration is to concentrate testing on those who are misusing heroin and/or cocaine, at least initially, as these are the drugs which research shows are most closely linked to crime.
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Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women under the age of 18 years were serving a prison sentence in England and Wales on 1 November. [103728]
Mr. Boateng:
The latest available provisional information is for 31 October 1999. On that date there were 1,689 sentenced males and 81 sentenced females aged 15-17 years in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales.
Information on the population of persons aged 15-17 years in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales is published in "Prison statistics England and Wales", a copy of which is in the Library.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on what occasions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) his officials have discussed the case of Konrad Kalejs with the United States authorities; and what was the nature of the discussions and information received; [104383]
(3) on what occasions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) his officials have discussed the case of Konrad Kalejs with the Latvian authorities; and what was the nature of the discussions and information received; [104384]
(4) on what occasions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) his officials have discussed the case of Konrad Kalejs with the Australian authorities; and what was the nature of the discussions and information received. [104382]
Mr. Straw:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office was asked by one of my officials on 30 December to inform the Australian and Latvian Governments promptly through our respective Missions of the fact that Konrad Kalejs was present here, that the Metropolitan police were making inquiries into his alleged involvement in war crimes in Latvia and that he might leave the United Kingdom at an early date. Action was taken on 4 January to update the information which had been given to the Latvian authorities.
My officials were also in direct contact with the Australian High Commission in London on several occasions in the week commencing 3 January in order to ascertain the status of inquiries by the Australian authorities about Mr. Kalejs and to alert them to his intended departure to Australia on 6 January.
An official also discussed developments with a member of staff at the Embassy of the United States on 6 January following a request for information on the case by the Embassy to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
There was no Home Office contact with the Canadian authorities.
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Neither I nor any of my Ministerial colleagues have had any direct contact with the Australian, United States, Latvian or Canadian authorities about Konrad Kalejs.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the police have questioned Konrad Kalejs about alleged war crimes. [104380]
Mr. Straw:
The conduct of this and any other criminal investigation lies within the operational responsibility of the relevant Chief Officer of Police, in this case the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis. The Commissioner has told me that in the event it was not deemed appropriate to question Mr. Kalejs, since the view was taken that, under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, all this could not have been carried out in the circumstances of the case without arresting him.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons he is minded to deport Konrad Kalejs from the United Kingdom. [104388]
Mr. Straw:
I was minded to deport Konrad Kalejs on the ground that his presence in the United Kingdom was not conducive to the public good. I reached that decision because I was satisfied that reasonable grounds existed to believe that Kalejs was complicit in war crimes committed in Latvia between 1941 and 1944. In coming to that decision I took account of all the evidence available to me, including that which had emerged from investigations carried out by the Australian, American and Canadian authorities, as well as the Metropolitan Police War Crimes Unit, in the early 1990s.
My decision that reasonable grounds existed to believe that Kalejs was complicit in war crimes was reached where necessary on the balance of probabilities. I was aware that for the police to mount a successful prosecution in the courts they would have been required to produce evidence to a different and far higher standard of proof. The Metropolitan Police have now confirmed that they have concluded that on the evidence available there were no grounds on which to charge Kalejs.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the police investigation into the allegations against Konrad Kalejs was completed. [104381]
Mr. Straw:
I understand from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner that the Organised Crime Unit concluded its assessment of the information available relating to the allegations against Konrad Kalejs on 4 January. I was told on 31 December that on the available evidence, the Metropolitan Police Service believed that there were at that time no grounds for making an arrest of Mr. Kalejs, and in the light of this information Mr. Kalejs was served with a notice that I was minded to deport him. The commencement of this deportation process would not in any way have compromised any arrest or charge of Mr. Kalejs before his departure from the United Kingdom.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new (a) claims have been made and (b) evidence has come to light in the case of Konrad Kalejs since he served notice that he was minded to deport Mr. Kalejs. [104386]
Mr. Straw:
I am not aware of any new claims which have been made relating to the alleged responsibility of Konrad Kalejs for war crimes since, on 2 January, I served
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notice that I was minded to deport him, and I am advised by the Metropolitan Police that no new evidence has been revealed to them since then.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has received about Konrad Kalejs's intended destination on leaving the United Kingdom. [104387]
Mr. Straw:
Konrad Kalejs departed the United Kingdom from Heathrow Airport at 1100 hours on 6 January, on a flight bound for Melbourne via Singapore.
(2) what steps he is taking to reduce the length of time taken by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to process travel document applications. [103597]
(2) on what occasions (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) his officials have discussed the case of Konrad Kalejs with the Canadian authorities; and what was the nature of the discussions and information received; [104385]
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