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Firearms

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on what date Mr. Winser ACC Cambridge Constabulary chaired the first meeting of the working group into the National Firearms Database set up under the Association of Chief Officers Sub-committee (group) on the administration of firearms licensing; [106416]

(2) if he will place in the Library copies held by his Department of all documents, letters, agendas and minutes provided by the Association of Chief Officers Sub-committee (group) on the administration of firearms licensing since 1996; [106412]

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(3) if he will place in the Library a copy of the names of the current membership of the Association of Chief Officers Sub-committee (group) on the administration of firearms licensing, giving the names of their forces and the dates on which they took up positions on that committee. [106413]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The arrangements made for appointing members and for managing and publishing the work of the Sub-committee on the Administration of Firearms and Explosives Licensing and any associated working groups are matters for the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place copies in the Library of the reports compiled by the PNC directorate into the resource and financing implications of the National Firearms Database computerisation. [106417]

Mr. Charles Clarke: A realistic estimate of the resource and finance implications for this database can be compiled only when a detailed impact assessment has been completed. The Police Information Technology Organisation plans to begin work on this assessment in February and to complete it in April. It will be placed in the Library as soon as it is available.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in relation to the implementation of section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 (a) who is responsible for the problem, (b) who are the stakeholders and (c) what are the success criteria; and if he will make a statement. [106419]

Mr. Charles Clarke: As indicated in the reply I gave to the hon. Gentleman on 18 January 2000, Official Report, column 370W, the Act does not specify the person or organisation which is to provide the central register referred to in section 39. When completed, the register will form part of the PHOENIX database and the principal stakeholders will be the police service and the Police National Computer Directorate. The success criteria will be the establishment of a computer system accessible on-line to all police forces and containing details of all persons who have applied for a firearm or shotgun certificate or to whom a firearm or shotgun certificate has been granted or whose certificate has been renewed. It is not possible at this stage to give a firm date but it is hoped that the system will be up and running by the summer of 2001.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place a copy in the Library of the user requirement of the Central National Firearms Database, indicating the date when it was drafted. [106415]

Mr. Charles Clarke: A copy of the user requirement was placed in the Library in March 1999 shortly after it was finalised.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the dates of all meetings attended by Mr. Paul Pugh of the Home Office OPPU and his deputies since January 1997 concerning the proposed implementation of the computerisation of the National Firearms Database requirement contained in

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section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997; and if he will place copies of all such documents produced and discussed in the Library. [106414]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Apart from a presentation which was given by the Police National Computer Directorate at Hendon on 11 February 1997, no staff of the Operational Policing Policy Unit (OPPU) have attended specific meetings to discuss the proposed implementation of the database. The initial work to establish the database was undertaken by a working group set up under the auspices of the Association of Chief Police Officers Sub-Committee on the Administration of Firearms and Explosives Licensing, on which OPPU is not represented. We have no plans to place ephemeral papers considered by the group in the Library, but copies of final documents such as the user requirement and detailed impact assessment have been or will be made available in this way.

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes involving firearms were committed in each of the past 10 years. [106313]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested was published in an Annexe to the statistical bulletin "Firearm Certificate Statistics, England and Wales 1998" on 26 November 1999. A copy is in the Library.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) software and (b) hardware systems used by the (a) City of London, (b) Cumbria, (c) Dorset, (d) Humberside, (e) Norfolk and (f) West Mercia police forces to hold the register of privately held firearms and persons holding firearms certificates; and if he will place a copy of the functional specification and user guide of each system in the Library. [106768]

Mr. Charles Clarke: As indicated in my reply of 18 January 2000, Official Report, column 370W, the functional specifications and user guides of systems used by the police to record details of firearm certificate holders are not held centrally.

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 18 January 2000, Official Report, column 370W, on firearms what steps he (a) has taken and (b) is taking to ensure full compliance with section 39 of the Firearms Amendment Act 1997; for what reasons the system is not in full operation; and if it has been piloted. [106772]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Development of the national firearms database currently features in the Police Information Technology Organisation's business plan for 2000-01. Development could not have begun earlier because the resources available were required for projects of even higher priority. It has not been piloted and the next step is to carry out a detailed impact assessment which should be completed in April. It is not possible to give a firm implementation date at this stage but it is hoped that the system will be in place by the summer of 2001. I propose to monitor the situation carefully.

Mike Tyson

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors he took into account in deciding to permit Mr. Mike Tyson to enter the United Kingdom on compassionate grounds. [106457]

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Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the compassionate grounds for exempting Mr. Mike Tyson from refusal of entry to the UK. [106651]

Mr. Straw [holding answer 25 January 2000]: There were no compassionate grounds in relation to Mr. Tyson which affected my decision to admit him. In reaching my decision one of the factors to which I gave particular weight was the lack of consistency in the effect of the Immigration Rules. I also considered the likely effect of cancellation of the fight on those who had already purchased tickets and smaller enterprises and individuals who were probably least able to bear any losses.

I weighted these factors against the nature and seriousness of Mr. Tyson's convictions and I decided on balance that the exceptional circumstances of this case were such that Mr. Tyson should be granted entry solely for the purpose of participating in the scheduled sporting event. This decision was made in accordance with the Immigration Act 1971 and the Immigration Rules.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) of 18 January 2000, Official Report, columns 368-69W, on Mr. Mike Tyson, if he will list the companies and individuals with a direct or indirect interest in the promotion, whose comments formed part of the representations from Mr. Frank Warren. [106975]

Mr. Straw: In addition to his own letter, Mr. Warren's representations to the Immigration Service of 12 January consisted of 25 pages of copies of requests for media accreditation for the boxing match and 32 other letters from companies and individuals, either associated with the sports and leisure industry or the sport of boxing, including boxers due to fight in Manchester on 29 January.

As a matter of practice, representations made to the Immigration and Nationality Department about individual cases are treated in confidence.

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Lidington) of 18 January 2000, Official Report, column 417W, what representations he received from BSkyB (a) directly and (b) indirectly in respect of Mr. Mike Tyson's application to enter the country. [106977]

Mr. Straw: Representations were submitted to the Immigration Service by Mr. Frank Warren, the promoter of the event. He referred in these representations to the investment in the promotion by television networks including Showtime in the United States of America and BSkyB in this country. I considered these factors but I did not regard them as relevant to the decision I took.

In reaching my decision to admit Mr. Tyson one of the factors to which I gave most particular weight was the lack of consistency in the effect of the relevant Immigration Rule, as well as the likely effect of cancellation of the fight on those who had already purchased tickets and smaller enterprises and individuals who were probably least able to bear any losses.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state (a) the number of officers involved in policing the visit of Mr. Mike Tyson

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to Brixton, (b) the cost of policing Mr. Tyson's visit and (c) how much he has asked Mr. Tyson and his promoters to contribute towards that cost. [107081]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that a total of 82 police officers were involved in policing the visit of Mike Tyson to Brixton on 21 January. The net additional manpower costs of these officers was approximately £9,700. I understand that the Lambeth borough Commander did not regard the policing of this event as a "special service" and therefore did not seek a contribution from Mr. Tyson or his promoters.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were on duty in Brixton at 3 p.m. on (a) 14 January, (b) 21 January and (c) 15 January; and if he will make a statement. [107080]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the number of uniformed officers available for routine patrol duties in Brixton at 3pm on these dates were as follows: (a) 14 January, 56; (b) 21 January, 25 with another 82 officers specifically deployed for the policing of the visit of Mike Tyson; (c) 15 January, 42.

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