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Science Base
Ms Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he is taking to reinforce the science base in the North West. [125755]
Mr. Byers: I have today set up a new group which will examine ways of boosting economic development in the North West by capitalising on the region's scientific and industrial strengths. The North West Science and Daresbury Development Group will also make proposals on the role that the Daresbury Laboratory in Cheshire can play in this process. The Group will report to me by 29 December 2000.
DEFENCE
Queen Victoria School
Mr. Nigel Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what key targets have been set for the Queen Victoria School for the Financial Year 2000-01. [125756]
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Dr. Moonie: The Chief Executive of Queen Victoria School has been set the following Key Targets for 2000-01:
- 1. To maintain the staying on rate at school for S4 to S5 at a minimum of 4 per cent. above the Scottish national average for the current year. 1
- 2. To maintain the percentage of pupils obtaining at least five Credit awards at Standard Grade at 2 per cent. above the Scottish average. 1
- 3. To maintain a percentage of the presentations at Higher Grade achieving A to C at least equal to the Scottish average. 1
- 4. To achieve a pupil per capital cost of not more than £15,500 by March 2001. The 1999-2000 target was £17,415.
- 5. To generate income to the school of at least £245,000.
- 1 All Queen Victoria School statistics to be based on the school's results over the last three years, compared with the national average for the current year, those statistics being as published in the Scottish Executive Official Statistics.
War Widows Pilgrimage Scheme
Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received calling for extension of the War Widows Pilgrimage Scheme. [125757]
Dr. Moonie: Following a recent approach by The Royal British Legion, I have agreed to an extension of the War Widows Pilgrimage Scheme for a further two years, until 31 March 2003. The Government greatly appreciate the excellent work of The Royal British Legion who administer this subsidised scheme on our behalf and which, to date, has enabled more than 4,000 widows to visit their husband's grave in many parts of the world.
ECHR (Cyprus)
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the European Convention on Human Rights is applied to the sovereign bases in Cyprus. [124402]
Mr. Spellar: The European Convention on Human Rights is not extended to the Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Young Offenders Institutions
Ms Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 18 May 2000, Official Report, columns 219-20W, on young offenders institutions, at which installations the eight self-inflicted deaths in 1999 took place; and what were the (a) ages and (b) gender of the residents concerned. [123978]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 5 June 2000]: The information requested is given in the table.
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.
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Endocrine Disrupters
Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications he has received for licences to undertake testing for endocrine disrupters; and if he will indicate in each case the (a) level of funding, (b) length of study, (c) animal species which are to be used and (d) relevant research body. [124786]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: No project licences have been issued to undertake regulatory testing of endocrine disrupters as there is currently no formally agreed regulatory test requirement or protocol.
Licences have been issued to assist in the development and validation of the test systems that might be required to underpin any regulatory testing regime. The work is done almost exclusively on fish.
Information on sources of funding, research bodies and length of studies are not collated centrally.
Animal Experiments
Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what factors are taken into account by the Chief Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspector when making a cost/benefit assessment under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 before granting a licence to allow experiments on animals. [124789]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Section 5(4) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 requires that, in determining whether and on what terms to grant a project licence, the Secretary of State must weigh the likely adverse effects on the animals concerned against the benefit likely to accrue as a result of the programme specified on the application.
For the purposes of the cost/benefit assessment, the cost to the animal is considered as the adverse effects of pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm. The benefits must be for humans, animals or the environment and relate to the scientific and/or medical progress likely to result directly from the programme outlined in the application.
All members of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate apply the cost/benefit assessment set out in detail in the Chief Inspector's paper, including in the Annual Report of the Animal Procedures Committee for 1997, Chapter 2, Annex 1.
Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to the Chief Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspector with regard to the safety testing for chemicals used in
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household products, and the products themselves, where it is not claimed that a product will itself improve the health of man or animals or provide enhanced protection for the environment; and if he will make a statement. [124790]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Section 5(3) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 sets out the purposes for which a project licence shall be granted. If a programme of work does not satisfy one or more of those reasons, it will not be authorised.
National and international regulatory bodies require that products, ingredients and chemicals are tested to ensure that they are safe (for humans, animals and the environment) during manufacture, transport and use, thereby preventing ill-health or abnormality or their effects and providing protection of the natural environment. The product itself does not have to improve the health of man or animals or provide enhanced protection of the natural environment.
This country has taken, and continues to take, a leading role in Europe in encouraging the use of alternatives which replace animal use, reduce the number of animals used and refine the procedures to minimise pain and suffering.
Secure Training Centres
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which secure training centres are unable to accept inmates sentenced to a detention and training order; and if he will make a statement. [125025]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 8 June 2000]: All three Secure Training Centres (STCs) are able to accommodate children and young people sentenced to Detention and Training Orders (DTOs). Eighteen of the 37 trainees in Medway, 21 of the 40 in Rainsbrook and 17 of the 36 in Hassockfield are serving DTOs.
Blantyre House
Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what dates HM Inspector of Prisons last inspected HMP Blantyre House; on what date his report was submitted to his Department; and on what date it is expected to be published. [125065]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 8 June 2000]: Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons carried out a full announced inspection of Blantyre House prison from 21 to 25 January this year. He submitted his report to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 21 March. Discussions on factual accuracy as set out in the established protocol are taking place. I expect the report to be published shortly.
Prostitutes' Cards
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responses he has received to the consultation exercise entitled New Measures to Control Prostitutes' Cards in Phone Boxes; what action he now proposes to take; and if he will make a statement. [125535]
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Mr. Charles Clarke: We received 60 replies to the consultation exercise. Many respondents did not comment directly on the need for action and just under half (27) specifically stated there was a problem which needed to be tackled. Only four did not feel action should be taken. We therefore conclude we need to take specific action to deal with prostitutes' cards in phone boxes.
However, it remains the case that this is very much a local problem and action needs to be targeted at the specific areas involved.
No single straightforward solution emerged from the consultation responses, although there was strong support both for call barring and for a new criminal offence. We accept that action should be taken on both these fronts together.
On call barring, we are asking the Director-General of Oftel to consider how best to develop an effective scheme in consultation with the industry.
On the new criminal offence, respondents to the consultation exercise expressed differing views on how an effective new criminal offence could be formulated. They highlighted the need for the new offence to fit coherently into controls and regulatory schemes already in place. I have, therefore, asked my officials to meet local authorities, Oftel, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and other agencies to draw up final proposals with a view to legislating when parliamentary time allows.
In taking this action, we have looked carefully at whether effective measures against prostitutes' cards could lead to an increase in street prostitution, and whether, if so, the cards should be seen as the lesser affront. We raised this issue specifically as part of the consultation. However, the responses as a whole did not suggest this was a major concern. It was noted that street prostitution had not decreased with the advent of carding. Moreover, the number of prostitutes advertising in this way in London was estimated at between 250-400, but the number of cards produced was 13 million per year. Prostitutes outside London and Brighton do not normally have recourse to this particularly offensive form of advertising, although we are aware of small scale use of this form of advertising in a few other areas. We have, therefore, concluded that action against carding is justified and is very unlikely to be counter-productive.
I have placed a summary of the responses in the Library.
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