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Honey (GM Pollen)

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when, and on what terms, EU marketing consent was given for honey containing genetically modified pollen. [121699]

Ms Stuart: The European Commission, in response to questions from the European Parliament, has advised that honey containing trace amounts of pollen from genetically modified crops is not classified as a novel food, and may therefore be lawfully sold throughout the Community. Work carried out by the Laboratory of the Government Chemist, a report of which is available in the Library, indicates that the amount of genetically modified material in honey is likely to be extremely small, at most no more than 0.00000000003g to 0.000000005g in a 500g jar.

All GM crops intended for deliberate release in this country, and in the rest of the European Community, have to be thoroughly assessed for human and environmental safety before they are allowed to be planted. This assessment includes safety implications of any exposure to pollen through ingestion or inhalation from the air, or as a result of it landing on other crops.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Hunting with Hounds

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Burns Committee to report. [121529]

16 May 2000 : Column: 71W

Mr. Mike O'Brien: I understand Lord Burns hopes to submit his report to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary by late spring.

Jay Abatan

Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if there will be a coroner's inquest, with a jury, into the death of Jay Abatan. [122481]

Mr. Boateng: I understand that the coroner will decide shortly whether to resume the inquest into the death. A jury would not be mandatory, but the coroner could summon one if she were satisfied that there was reason to do so.

Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable on the circumstances of the death and investigations following the attack on Jay Abatan in Brighton in January 1999. [122480]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I have received a report from Sussex Police and will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible. A copy of this letter will be placed in the Library.

Animal Trainers

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many animal trainers are licensed under the Performing Animals Regulations 1925; and if he will make a statement. [122303]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Home Office has so far this year received notification of 61 trainers and exhibitors of performing animals currently registered with local authorities under the Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925. Local authorities were reminded last January of their obligation under the Act to copy related certificates of registration to the Secretary of State.

Sentencing

Mr. Hope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce new sentencing arrangements. [122565]

Mr. Straw: As part of our objectives of reducing crime and dispensing justice fairly, we have already put in place a comprehensive programme of work to reduce the rate of re-offending. This includes ensuring that the Prison Service and the probation service work more effectively together; improving the enforcement of community penalties; developing programmes, in custody and in the community; which are known to reduce re-offending (based on the "what works" strategy) and building on the opportunities which new technology opens up.

Together these developments present an opportunity to consider possible new forms of sentences which better protect the public and reduce re-offending. In particular, they open up the possibility of a more flexible sentencing structure, in which the boundaries between custodial and community penalties are less rigid. However, the current legal framework established in the Criminal Justice Act 1991 may not be best suited to an approach of this sort. I have therefore decided to review that framework. The review will complement that of the criminal courts being conducted by Lord Justice Auld.

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Its terms of reference will be:

In the light of the Government's objectives to protect the public by reducing crime and re-offending, and to dispense justice fairly and consistently, to consider:

what principles should guide sentencing decisions;

what types of disposal should be made available to the courts in order to meet the overarching objectives;

the costs of different disposals and their relative effectiveness in reducing re-offending;

what changes therefore need to be made to the current sentencing framework, as established by the Criminal Justice Act 1991, so as more effectively to reduce re-offending, including any transitional and consequential arrangements; and

the likely impact of any recommendations in terms of costs and the effects on the prison population.

In particular, the review should bear in mind the desirability of promoting flexibility in the use of custodial and community based approaches.

The review will be led by a senior official from the Home Office. I want it to be a rigorous, evidence-based exercise. It will operate in an open way, involving and seeking views from as wide a range of interests as possible. I expect it to take about 12 months from now to produce recommendations, which will then be the subject of formal consultation.

1999 European Parliamentary Elections

Mr. Olner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to complete the review of the 1999 European parliamentary elections. [122568]

Mr. Straw: The review has been completed and copies have today been placed in the Library.

Lowdham Grange Prison

Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the recommendations for improvements made by the Chief Inspector of Prisons in his unpublished report on Lowdham Grange are to be implemented before the publication of the report. [121466]

Mr. Boateng: The report was published on 27 April. In accordance with the protocol for handling inspection reports, the Prison Service will produce an action plan within 30 working days of publication of the report, addressing all the recommendations made by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons. It is not possible to say how many of the 127 recommendations were fully implemented before publication, but once the action plan has been completed and reviewed at Prison Service Headquarters, I will write to the hon. Member with a progress report on implementation.

Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial penalties have been incurred at HMP Lowdham Grange since the prison opened; and what were the reasons for each penalty. [121465]

Mr. Boateng: The information in respect of performance measures is shown in the table. There was a reduction in fee of £702.00 in respect of an unavailable prisoner place in June 1998. There have been no reductions in fees since February 1999.

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	Incident of failure
Nature of performance measure	June 1998 to August 1998	September 1998 to November 1998	December 1998 to February 1999
Keeping Prisoners in Custody
Failure of security procedures	1	0	0
Key/lock compromises	2	1	0
Maintaining Order and Control
Assault on staff and others	9	5	6
Assault on prisoners	1	0	0
Incident of concerted indiscipline	3	3	0
Incident of self harm	8	1	9
Incident of Class A drugs	22	25	11
Contingency planning exercise	0	1	0
Comply with agreed reporting procedure	1	0	0
Tool/implement loss (found)	2	0	1
Tool/implement loss (not found)	0	1	0
Providing Decent Conditions
Failure to provide meals	2	0	0
Response to prisoner complaints	30	12	4
Substantiated complaints	5	2	2
Repair failure	3	1	0
Providing Positive Regimes
Deliver work hours	0	14	13
Reduction	£45,080	£31,231	£6,334

16 May 2000 : Column: 73W

Private Prisons

Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will review his decision not to make contracts between his Department and private prison operators public; and if he will make a statement. [121464]

Mr. Boateng: Unpriced copies of contracts between the Prison Service and companies operating prisons are available in the Library and can be obtained from the Prison Service for a small fee to cover administrative and printing costs. This policy is consistent with the Cabinet Office guidance on interpreting the Code of Practice on Access to Official Information and with the requirements of the European Union Procurement Directives.

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