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Press Releases
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Press releases his Department issued in each year from 1995 to 1999. [107955]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information for my Department is as follows:
| Year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 308 |
| 1996 | 404 |
| 1997 | 386 |
| 1998 | 524 |
| 1999 | 450 |
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if it is his policy that local authorities should from 1 April, take over financial responsibility for asylum seekers disposed to their areas before that date; and if he will make a statement. [108042]
Mrs. Roche: Asylum seekers who claim asylum and support after 1 April will make their claim for support from the National Asylum Support Service in the Home Office. It will be the responsibility of the National Asylum Support Service to determine eligibility for support and to identify a suitable support package. Where local authorities provide accommodation and support for these asylum seekers, it will be under contract to the National Asylum Support Service.
Asylum seekers who claimed asylum and support prior to 1 April will continue to be supported under the existing arrangements.
1 Feb 2000 : Column: 517W
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of places which will be needed to accommodate asylum seekers under the new arrangements, due to come into force on 1 April; and what progress he has made towards achieving that target. [108043]
Mrs. Roche:
In the financial year 2000-01, we are planning on the basis that 35,000 will require full accommodation support. The remainder will either seek support to meet their essential living needs only or will not seek support.
We issued an invitation to tender to a number of accommodation providers. Negotiations are still proceeding. Contracts are expected to be awarded towards the end of February. In parallel, we are in discussion with local government with a view to them providing a substantial amount of the accommodation requirements.
Mr. Loughton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham will receive a reply to his letters of 20 September and of 10 November 1999 regarding the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [107960]
Mrs. Roche:
I wrote to the hon. Member on 1 February 2000. I am very sorry for the delay.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals hold a Home Office licence to experiment on animals. [107459]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The most recent figures available are for December 1999. There were 14,777 live personal licences, issued under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, in Great Britain.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many institutions hold a licence to experiment on animals which covers students who may not be required individually to hold a licence while performing their studies. [107460]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, the Certificate of Designation for an institution does not license individuals. Anyone performing a regulated procedure on a live animal must hold a personal licence in accordance with the 1986 Act. The procedure must be applied as part of a programme of work specified in a project licence which authorises the application of that procedure.
Currently, there are 60 project licences for the use of animals in education and training, held mostly by university employees. In each case, a licence has been granted for an educational objective which cannot be realistically taught by alternative methods. Some procedures are demonstrated by the tutor rather than conducted by the students themselves.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to restrict further the sale of spray paints. [107461]
1 Feb 2000 : Column: 518W
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The Government are concerned about the damaging effects of graffiti on neighbourhoods and there are substantial penalties available under the Criminal Damage Act 1971: where the criminal damage is more than £2,000, the maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment for those aged 18 or over, and up to two years detention in a Young Offenders Institution for those aged 15-17. However, within the maximum limit sentencing is a matter for the courts to decide in the light of all the circumstances of the case.
The police already have the power to arrest anyone whom they reasonably suspect has committed or is about to commit the offence of criminal damage. Where vandals are found in possession of a paint spray can with the intention of damaging property or already having done so, the criminal law can be brought to bear. We do not have any plans, therefore, to legislate specifically against the sale or carrying of spray paints but, of course, the matter will be kept under review.
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list those councils which have (a) sought and (b) had meetings with him or his ministerial colleagues in the last three months in order to make representations about their standard spending assessment allocation. [106817]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
We consulted local authorities on our proposals for the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2000-01 on 25 November 1999. We made it clear that, given the degree of stability we introduced into the settlement this year, we would not invite local authorities to hold meetings with Ministers during consultation on our proposals. During this period we received written requests for meetings from or on behalf of eight local authorities. These were:
1 Feb 2000 : Column: 519W
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress in considering the planning issues arising from the RAF East Camp site proposed development in Mill Hill; and when he will announce his decision. [107285]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
This is a complex case and it was necessary to re-open the public inquiry in September 1999. The Inspector's supplementary report was received on 22 October 1999 and the Secretary of State's consideration of this case is at an advanced stage. His decision will be issued shortly.
Mr. Dobbin:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what is his policy on the recycling of materials produced by his Department. [107388]
Ms Beverley Hughes:
My Department's policy is to promote recycling of office waste. Our target is to recover 40 per cent. of total office waste, with at least 25 per cent. coming from recycling or composting, in 2000-01 and to continue to increase the amount recovered and recycled by 10 per cent. each year to achieve 70 per cent. recovery or recycling in 2003-04.
Mr. Loughton:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish tables showing the levels achieved by each local authority in relation to the percentage of household rubbish recycled. [107959]
Mr. Mullin:
I have placed a list in the House of Commons Library setting out ranges of household recycling rates for local authorities in England and Wales based on data from the 1997-98 Municipal Waste Survey.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will publish a table showing the airlines operating out of and having scheduled flights to the UK and the number of crashes of planes of each airline broken down in terms of (a) crashes per one million passengers carried, (b) crashes per 10,000 take offs and landings and (c) crashes per one million miles travelled, occurring in the last year. [107530]
Mr. Mullin:
As aircraft accidents are very rare events, statistics in this format serve no useful purpose and are not used by either the Department or the Civil Aviation Authority. For UK registered aircraft, the CAA use an accident rate per million hours flown averaged over three years as a performance indicator. These figures are published in the CAA's annual report. In addition, the CAA has carried out a review of fatal accidents by world regions. The results of this review were published in CAP 681 "Global Fatal Accident Review 1980-96". Copies of both documents are already in the Library.
Surrey County Council
London Borough of Merton
Poole District Council
Reigate and Banstead District Council
Shropshire County Council
South Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority
Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
Leicester City Council.
No Minister from this Department met those authorities to discuss their representations. I did however have separate meetings during that period with the representatives of county councils, district councils and metropolitan district councils on 21 December at the suggestion of the Local Government Association. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government and the Regions also met with the Association of London Government on 10 January and the Local Government Association on 13 January. All representations, whether made in writing or at meetings, were fully considered in reaching final decisions on the settlement.
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