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Electoral Commission
Mrs. Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what previous political activity will make a person unsuitable to be appointed as an electoral commissioner. [119147]
Mr. Straw: The recruitment process to find the Commissioners will begin shortly and applicants will be asked to declare any political activity within the last ten years. It will be for the selection panel to determine whether that activity has been such as to make the applicant unsuitable for consideration for appointment. For the Commission to perform effectively the functions given to it by Parliament, it must command wide confidence that it is entirely independent and non- partisan. Accordingly, Commissioners must not be, or be perceived to be, associated with any political party.
We also think that it is right that there should be statutory disqualifiers. My noble Friend, the Under- Secretary of State for the Home Department said on Second Reading of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill in another place that the Government intend to bring forward amendments to disqualify from appointment as Commissioners persons who have had substantial involvement in party politics.
The Government will be seeking to disqualify any person who within the last ten years has
- held a relevant effective office as defined in paragraph 1(8) of Schedule 6 to the Bill;
- been an officer of registered political party or one of its accounting units; and
19 Apr 2000 : Column: 506W
- stands for a relevant elective office;
- takes up any office or employment with a registered political party (including accounting units), recognised third parties or permitted participants; and
- makes a recordable donation.
Kosovan Refugees
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of Kosovan refugees living in Greater London. [118830]
Mrs. Roche: Information on the number of Kosovan refugees living in Greater London is not available.
Information on the location of refugees is not available, since once an asylum seeker becomes a refugee they no longer are an immigration case, so the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) do not hold any further information on the person/family.
Kosovan asylum seekers are not separately identified within IND statistics. Kosovo is a region in Yugoslavia and applications from Kosovans are included within the nationality Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY), which also includes Serbia and Montenegro. Information on asylum seekers is recorded on a national rather than regional basis and information on the location of asylum seekers is not held centrally.
Young Offenders
Ms Jenny Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded incidents of (a) suicide, (b) attempted suicide and (c) self-injury at youth offenders' institutions in England there were in each year since 1991. [119139]
Mr. Boateng: The information requested is given in the tables.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 4 |
| 1992 | 4 |
| 1993 | 1 |
| 1994 | 1 |
| 1995 | 2 |
| 1996 | 6 |
| 1997 | 5 |
| 1998 | 5 |
| 1999 | 8 |
| 2000(1) | 1 |
| Total | 37 |
(1) As at 14 April 2000
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| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1990-91 | 312 |
| 1991-92 | 341 |
| 1992-93 | 469 |
| 1993-94 | 474 |
| 1994-95 | 717 |
| 1995-96 | 1,143 |
| 1996-97 | 793 |
| 1997-98 | 879 |
| 1998-99 | 944 |
| 1999-2000(2) | n/a |
(2) Not yet available
Notes:
1. Establishments have been categorised according to their primary role. However, it should be noted that there are a number of other prisons that hold young offenders (eg male remand centres) which are not included.
2. Not all self-inflicted deaths conclude with a verdict of suicide.
3. Incidents do not equate to numbers of prisoners as an individual prisoner may self-harm more than once.
4. Self-harm data are derived from information provided by establishments to the Prison Health Policy Unit. These data include information on all attempted suicides.
Ms Jenny Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded incidents of (a) suicide, (b) attempted suicide and (c) self-injury there were at Brinsford Young Offenders' Institution in each year since the prison was opened. [119023]
Mr. Boateng: The information requested is given in the tables.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1991 | 0 |
| 1992 | 1 |
| 1993 | 0 |
| 1994 | 1 |
| 1995 | 0 |
| 1996 | 1 |
| 1997 | 0 |
| 1998 | 0 |
| 1999 | 2 |
| 2000(3) | 2 |
| Total | 7 |
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1990-91 | 0 |
| 1991-92 | 30 |
| 1992-93 | 77 |
| 1993-94 | 61 |
| 1994-95 | 237 |
| 1995-96 | 301 |
| 1996-97 | 157 |
| 1997-98 | 90 |
| 1998-99 | 105 |
| 1999-00(4) | n/a |
(3) As at 14 April 2000
(4) Not yet available
Notes:
1. HMYOI and RC Brinsford opened in November 1991.
2. Establishments have been categorised according to their primary role. However, it should be noted that there are a number of other prisons that hold young offenders (e.g. male remand centres) which are not included.
3. Not all self-inflicted deaths conclude with a verdict of suicide.
4. Incidents do not equate to numbers of prisoners as an individual prisoner may self-harm more than once.
5. Self-harm data are derived from information provided by establishments to the Prison Service Health Policy Unit. These data also include all attempted suicides.
19 Apr 2000 : Column: 508W
Mary Walls
Mr. Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will request an inquest into the death of Mary Walls; and if he will make a statement. [117956]
Mr. Straw [holding answer 6 April 2000]: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Mr. Pendry) on 18 April 2000, Official Report, column 423W.
Police Central Switchboard Calls
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the public of making telephone calls to a police central switchboard at national rates; and if he will assess the benefits of subsidising the service in order to encourage more people to report crime. [119232]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office has made no such estimate.
Gurpal Virdi
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in relation to the Metropolitan Police disciplinary hearing for Sergeant Gurpal Virdi in February, what was the outcome of the request for a tape recorder; what assurance was given of the availability of the transcript; how many days have passed since the end of the hearing without a transcript being made available to Sergeant Virdi; when the police solicitors received a copy; and if he will authorise the release of the transcript. [119477]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that Counsel for Sergeant Virdi withdrew his request for the proceedings to be separately tape-recorded. As a result, no tape recorder was provided for the defendant. A private company employed by the Metropolitan police undertook the official transcription and indicated that they would be able to provide a full transcript within 17 working days from the conclusion of the hearing. Thirty working days have passed since the conclusion of the hearing on 3 March 2000. The Metropolitan Police Complaints Investigation Branch took delivery of the transcripts on 12 April. These are now being collated with all the other relevant papers and will be sent simultaneously to Sergeant Virdi and Metropolitan police solicitors as soon as they are ready. The release of the transcripts is a matter for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations the Metropolitan police made about the date of the tribunal on the unfair dismissal claim by Sergeant Gurpal Virdi; and when they first asked for a postponement. [119478]
19 Apr 2000 : Column: 509W
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the position in relation to Sergeant Gurpal Virdi's case before the employment tribunal remains unaltered since my reply to the hon. Gentleman on 30 November 1999, Official Report, column 110W, and that no further postponement has been sought by the Metropolitan police.
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