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Burns Committee
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will establish an investigation into the source of the leak of the findings of the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs; and if he will make a statement. [126303]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I am not aware of a leak of the findings of the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs in England and Wales.
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with Lord Burns following the publication of the report of the Committee of Inquiry into Hunting with Dogs; and if he will make a statement. [126304]
Animal Experiments
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were (a) granted unamended, (b) granted in amended form and (c) rejected in the last year for which figures are available. [126332]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: This information is not recorded centrally.
I am advised that the vast majority of project licence applications are revised during negotiations with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate or have conditions added to either restrict or qualify the authorities sought. Proposals which are outside the requirements of the law or not good science will rarely become formal applications (and hence rejections) because most potential applicants seek and take the advice of inspectors at an early stage.
Paragraph 13 of Appendix B of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals (Great Britain) 1998 provides figures for the number of project licences granted and revoked during 1998 and how many were in force on 31 December 1998. A total of 1,104 project licences were granted in 1998. This is also shown subdivided into severity bandings.
Appendix C of the 1998 Statistics contains 10 typical examples of the value added to licence applications by the Inspectorate's assessment process.
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with Huntingdon Life Sciences; and if he will make a statement. [126264]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien: I visited Huntingdon Life Sciences on 8 June 2000 in connection with my responsibilities under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. During my visit I talked to managers and staff about the campaign of harassment they have experienced from animal rights extremists over recent months. This included meeting two women who had their cars set on fire outside their homes. While it is a long-standing tradition in this country that individuals are free to express their views peacefully, people also have a right to carry out their lawful business without fear of intimidation and violence. The Government unreservedly condemn those who use such repellent tactics and wholeheartedly support the police in their continuing efforts to combat those who use them.
Crime Fighting Fund
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the additional police officers announced as part of the Crime Fighting Fund are (a) in service and (b) coming into service in each of the next eight quarters (i) nationally and (ii) in Merseyside. [127073]
Mr. Charles Clarke: All forces in England and Wales have been asked to profile their planned recruitment over the 12 months of 2000-01. On the basis of the force profiles, the table shows the number of officers recruited, or planned to be recruited, that will be deemed to be Crime Fighting Fund officers.
The total allocation of Crime Fighting Fund officers for 2000-01 is 3,000. Forces have, so far, profiled the recruitment of 2,672 of the 3,000. Forces will have the opportunity to re-profile their recruitment up to the maximum of 3,000 Crime Fighting Fund officers as the year progresses. The number of deemed Crime Fighting Fund officers may rise or fall if actual recruitment does not match profiled recruitment or if the profile changes.
Forces have not yet been asked to profile recruitment for 2001-02. The table shows the allocation of Crime Fighting Fund officers for 2001-02 as a whole.
| England and Wales | Merseyside | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 April to 30 June 2000 | 679 | 28 |
| 1 July to 30 September 2000 | 616 | 26 |
| 1 October to 31 December 2000 | 886 | 42 |
| 1 January to 31 March 2001 | 491 | 9 |
| Sub-Total 2001-02 | 2,672 | 105 |
| Allocation for 2001-02 | 2,000 | 96 |
| Total for 2000-01 and 2001-02 | 4,672 | 201 |
Criminal Records
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of exempting volunteers from fees for (a) criminal conviction certificates, (b) criminal record certificates and (c) enhanced criminal record certificates; [126991]
- (2) what his latest estimate is of the fee to be charged for (a) criminal conviction certificates, (b) criminal record certificates and (c) enhanced criminal record certificates; [126992]
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(3) what plans he has to review his policy on the liability of volunteers for fees for criminal conviction certificates, criminal record certificates and enhanced criminal record certificates; [126993]
(4) what estimate he has made of the number of volunteers each year who will require (a) criminal conviction certificates, (b) criminal record certificates and (c) enhanced criminal record certificates once the Criminal Records Bureau is in operation; [126990]
(5) what estimate he has made of (a) the start-up costs and (b) the first year's operating costs of the Criminal Records Bureau; and if he will make a statement. [126989]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Criminal Records Bureau is being established within the framework of a Public Private Partnership. The Department has planned provision across the three financial years 1999-2002 for expenditure of around £10 million in connection with the establishment of the Bureau. But the Bureau's full operating costs will not be known until a contract has been awarded to the private sector partner.
It has always been planned that the Bureau's costs should be recovered through the charges that it makes for certificates. Work on the level of fees must await information about the Bureau's operating costs. But we have made clear our determination to keep the cost of certificates as low as possible. Reducing or waiving charges in respect of particular voluntary organisations, or for the voluntary sector as a whole, would raise substantial problems of principle and would either place an added burden on the public purse or lead to an increased level of fee for others seeking certificates from the Bureau, who may be no less deserving than volunteers.
Part V of the Police Act 1997, under which the Bureau is being established, does not require volunteers to apply for certificates. It will generally be for organisations to decide who will require a certificate. Work is continuing on estimating the likely number of applicants for certificates, building on work on demand estimates and market research, and will be subject to consultation before final conclusions are reached.
Before we make Regulations to prescribe various matters including charges for certificates, we shall undertake a Regulatory Impact Assessment, in consultation with representatives of voluntary organisations and others. This will provide a thorough and up-to-date assessment of the implications.
Advertising
Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by his Department on advertising in each year since May 1997. [125697]
Mr. Straw: The money spent on advertising in each financial year since May 1997 was as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997-98 | 1.4 |
| 1998-99 | 1.8 |
| 1999-2000 | 5.9 |
In each year the major Home Office campaigns have been on fire safety, electoral registration and special constables recruitment. The higher expenditure in 1999-2000, was largely accounted for by additional expenditure on fire safety and on publicity to explain the new voting system for the European Parliamentary election.
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Corruption Law
Mrs. Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the Government's proposals for the reform of the law of corruption. [127223]
Mr. Straw: The Government's proposals for the reform of the law of corruption in England and Wales are published today and copies will be placed in the Library.
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Television Licence Reminders
Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will discuss with the Television Licensing Authority the sending of television licence reminder forms headed Accounts Payable to companies; and if he will make a statement. [125736]
Mr. Chris Smith: Under the provisions of the Broadcasting Act 1990, the BBC has statutory responsibility for the administration of the television licensing system. TV Licensing carries out the day to day administration of the licensing system as agent for the BBC. The wording of TV Licensing's renewal reminder letters is therefore a matter for TV Licensing and the BBC, and not one in which the Government can intervene. The BBC has, however, confirmed that it is not promoting the TV licence as an Account Payable.
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