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Hereford (City Status)

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has had about the future status of the city of Hereford; and if he will make a statement. [125129]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Hereford Town Council has applied for the honour of city status to be restored to Hereford, which lost its previous status as a city when the new Parish of Hereford came into existence on 1 April 2000. It is for Her Majesty The Queen, acting on the advice of Ministers, to decide whether city status should be restored. The application is under consideration.

Firefighters

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of front-line firefighters do not hold a current first aid qualification; and what plans the Government have to increase the number who do hold such a qualification. [125002]

Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 8 June 2000]: Information about the number of firefighters with first aid qualifications is not held by the Home Office and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The Home Office issued advice to Fire Authorities in 1993 recommending that all firefighters be trained to either 'Trained First Aider' or 'Emergency First Aider' standards. Also, there is an expectation that all firefighters are competent in casualty handling and first aid by virtue of their role.

Fire Authorities are required to comply with the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981.

Local Elections

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to promote postal ballots in local elections. [125389]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Representation of the People Act 2000 contains provisions, which will shortly be brought into force, which will allow for postal votes on demand.

Seven local authorities ran pilot schemes involving all postal ballots at the recent local elections and we are looking forward to receiving the evaluation reports of those schemes.

We hope that more local authorities will apply to run such schemes at future local elections.

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to extend the practice of increasing the number of voting days in local elections. [125388]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Fifteen local authorities ran pilot schemes involving voting on more than one day at the recent local elections and we are looking forward to receiving the evaluation reports of those schemes.

We hope that more local authorities will apply to run such schemes at future local elections.

12 Jun 2000 : Column: 510W

Alcohol Licences (River Boats)

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason (a) trains and aeroplane will be exempt and (b) river boats will not be exempt, from obtaining a premises licence under the proposals for the amendment of licensing laws. [125447]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Paragraphs 2 to 7 of Appendix 3 to "Time For Reform" sets out the thinking behind the proposals that boats selling alcohol should require a premises licence but that trains and aeroplane should not. We shall consider comments on these paragraphs when preparing legislation.

Crown Prosecution Service

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received about resources available to the Crown Prosecution Service to pursue prosecutions; and if he will make a statement. [125321]

Mr. Straw [holding answer 9 June 2000]: I am not aware of having received very recent representations from outside Government, though I have received representations in the past from the First Division Association and from staff of the Crown Prosecution Service and others about the organisation's resources. Expenditure plans for the criminal justice system as a whole in resource terms for 2000-01, including the Crown Prosecution Service, were set out in the Criminal Justice System Business Plan published on 23 May 2000.

Passport Agency Computer System

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what software language is used in the National Passport Centre Computerisation; and if it is programmed as a totally integrated relational database. [125542]

Mrs. Roche: The new United Kingdom Passport Agency Computer system, ("PASS") is an integrated relational database solution using the industry-standard ORACLE Relational DataBase Management System (RDBMS). The programming language and database tools used include Oracle Forms, Sequel (SQL), Visual Basic and "C".

Road Accidents

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on breath testing and blood sampling of individuals involved in serious road traffic accidents. [124694]

Mr. Charles Clarke: Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, the police have the power to breath test any motorist who has been involved in a car crash. We support the Association of Chief Police Officers' policy that breath tests should be carried out at all crashes which the police attend. Those motorists who fail that screening test are then normally required to take an evidential breath test at the police station. Failure of that test provides the evidence for prosecution. In certain situations detailed in the Act, a blood sample may be taken by the police in place of an evidential breath sample and it is required where the motorist is suspected of driving when unfit through drugs.

12 Jun 2000 : Column: 511W

Immigration Services Commissioner

Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the role of the Immigration Services Commissioner. [124768]

Mrs. Roche: The role and responsibilities of the Immigration Services Commissioner are set out in Part V of, and in Part I of Schedule 5 and Schedule 6 to, the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The Act prohibits any person or organisation from providing immigration advice or services unless that person or organisation is registered with the Immigration Services Commissioner, authorised to practise by a designated professional body, or is exempt under the terms of the scheme.

The Immigration Services Commissioner will publish the criteria for registration, will receive applications for registration and will determine whether individuals and organisations are competent and otherwise fit to provide immigration advice and services. The Commissioner will also consider cases for exemption. Exemption is likely to be sought by organisations from the voluntary, health and education sectors and the Commissioner will ensure that these organisations meet satisfactory standards.

The Commissioner will establish a complaints scheme and may investigate and determine complaints made against immigration advisers, including members of the designated professional bodies. Remedies available to the Commissioner on finding a complaint proven include powers to require a registered person to re-apply for registration without delay, to withdraw an exemption or to refer a disciplinary charge to the Immigration Services Tribunal. The power to discipline members of a designated professional body remains with the relevant professional body, but the Commissioner has power to refer his findings to the relevant professional body and to impose a timetable for that body to consider the complaint and, where appropriate, to take disciplinary action.

The Commissioner also has a duty to promote good practice by those who provide immigration advice or services.

The Government believe that the activities of the Commissioner, together with other initiatives such as the establishment of the Community Legal Service, will provide a comprehensive and coherent strategy for rooting out unscrupulous and incompetent immigration advisers and service providers, while supporting those providing a quality service. In this way standards in the immigration advice sector will be improved. The Commissioner is in the process of consulting widely within the advice sector in order to formulate the rules and standards, which will govern the regulatory scheme.

Extradition

Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 2 May 2000, Official Report, column 76W, on extradition, (a) what is his policy on requests for consent certificates, when the requesting state has withheld information (i) which would have enabled them to have included further offences in the initial extradition request and (ii) which was relevant to the original offences and (b) what effect the Northern Ireland peace process has had on his practice in relation to extradition requests. [125557]

12 Jun 2000 : Column: 512W

Mr. Straw: Each case is decided on its own merits weighing up all relevant considerations and excluding irrelevant ones. I am not aware of any cases in which the requesting state has asked for the rule of specialty to be waived, and has withheld information relating to either the original, or further offences. The Northern Ireland peace process has not had any effect on my handling of extradition requests.

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