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Milk
Mr. Robertson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent discussions he has had with the main supermarkets on the price of milk; and if he will make a statement. [126956]
Ms Quin: My right hon. Friend the Minister and his fellow Ministers have regular meetings with various organisations concerned with the dairy industry, including the main supermarkets. The price of milk has been one of a number of issues discussed.
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Pig Farmers
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the number of pig farmers that (a) are eligible and (b) will participate in an outgoers scheme. [129399]
Ms Quin [holding answer 6 July 2000]: In general terms, all pig producers who can show they were involved in commercial pig breeding in June 1998 are eligible to take part in the outgoers element of the Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme. There may, however, be further conditions applied as a result of the recently concluded consultation exercise on this part of the scheme and by the terms of the European Commission's clearance document. No formal estimate on the number of pig farmers likely to take part has been made.
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what criteria he has established for eligibility for a pig farmers' outgoers scheme; and when these will be announced. [129397]
Ms Quin [holding answer 6 July 2000]: As things stand, the eligibility criteria for the outgoers element of the Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme is that applicant must be able to show they were involved in commercial pig breeding in June 1998, that they have pig breeding facilities to destroy or dismantle and that they are prepared to enter into binding undertakings to cease pig production for a minimum of 10 years. These criteria may, however, change as a result of the recently concluded consultation exercise on this part of the scheme or to comply with the views of the European Commission. The final terms of the scheme will be announced following European Commission clearance.
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received regarding an outgoers scheme for pig farmers; and if he will make a statement. [129400]
Ms Quin [holding answer 6 July 2000]: We have received a number of representations from hon. Members of this House and others regarding the outgoers element of the Pig Industry Restructuring Scheme (PIRS). This part of PIRS has also just completed its consultation period and responses to that consultation are being assessed, pending clearance of the scheme by the Commission.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Football Hooligans
Mr. Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list those football hooligans who (a) are Category C hooligans and (b) have (i) restriction and (ii) banning orders against them; [128149]
- (2) how many football hooligans have been added to the Category C list in each year; [128148]
(3) how many Category C football hooligans there are in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland. [128150]
Mr. Straw: The National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) maintains lists of convicted or suspected hooligans, but does not apply the term "Category C" to individuals on
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those lists. The individuals currently subject to Restriction Orders or other category of football banning orders have been placed in the Library.
Metropolitan Police
Mr. Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes remained unsolved in the Metropolitan police area on Monday 26 June; and if he will make a statement. [128275]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I understand from the Metropolitan police that the information requested is not yet available for Monday 26 June; but that on the latest Monday for which the information is available, 32,303 crimes of all types were classified as unsolved.
Asylum Seeker Vouchers
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to allow shops which accept asylum seeker vouchers to give change. [128882]
Mrs. Roche: We remain of the opinion that the "no change" policy is an essential part of our strategy. It is designed to be a disincentive to those who intend using the asylum process for economic migration. We are giving further consideration to increasing the flexibility of the present voucher scheme by providing more low denomination vouchers given to asylum seekers.
Criminal Cases Review Commission
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been waiting (a) six to 12 months, (b) 13 to 18 months and (c) more than one and a half years, for the Criminal Cases Review Commission to allocate their case to a case review manager; and if he will make a statement. [128608]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I understand that, at the end of May, the total number of eligible cases awaiting allocation to a case review manager was 899. The kind of breakdown requested is not readily available from the Criminal Cases Review Commission's current management information system, though it will be from a new system that is expected to be in use by the end of August.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect the recent increase of case review managers for the Criminal Cases Review Commission has had on the waiting time for allocation to a case review manager; and if he will make a statement. [128607]
Mr. Charles Clarke: It is not yet possible to say. The Commission was notified at the end of March that it would be given additional funding for 2000-01, and allowed to increase its complement of case review managers from 40 to 50. I understand that the Commission has recently completed a recruitment exercise, but that the successful applicants have not yet all taken up post, and further recruitment will anyway be necessary to bring the number of case review managers up to complement. The impact of
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these additional staff on the waiting time for the allocation of cases will also depend on the nature of the cases to be allocated to them, and the rate of receipt of applications.
Asylum Seekers
Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applicants whose cases fall to be considered under concessions announced in the White Paper on Asylum and Immigration, published in 1998, have not received a decision on their case. [128763]
Mrs. Roche: As at 30 June, outstanding cases are 1,250 (plus 50 pre-1993 cases).
Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if those asylum applicants whose cases fall to be considered under concessions announced in the White Paper on Asylum and Immigration, published in 1998, will be notified of a decision by the end of July. [128762]
Mrs. Roche: The Integrated Casework Directorate aims to clear such cases by the end of July, subject to timely receipt of requested information and the case being clearly identified as falling for consideration under the White Paper criteria. Any cases which come to light beyond that date will be given priority criteria in Liverpool.
Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the remaining cases held in Croydon of asylum applicants whose claim falls to be considered under the concession announced in the White Paper, have been transferred to the Asylum Arrears Group at the Nationality Directorate in Liverpool; and what effect this has had on the time taken to make decisions on those claims. [128730]
Mrs. Roche: Sharing the load of such cases among a greater number of caseworkers was seen as the best means of ensuring prompt resolution. There was also an operational requirement to provide appropriate work for a growing casework unit in Liverpool.
Ministerial Code
Mr. Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since May 1997 Ministers in his Department have made a declaration of interest to their colleagues under circumstances envisaged in Paragraph 110 of the Ministerial Code. [129163]
Mr. Straw: Information relating to internal advice and consultation is not disclosed under Exemption II of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
Custody
Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women have been given a sentence of immediate custody by the courts in the Greater London area in each of the last three years. [129193]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Available information, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Databases, is given in the table.
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| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 14,074 | 15,613 | 16,237 |
| Females | 1,060 | 1,339 | 1,459 |
(6) Courts within areas policed by the Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London Police.
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