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Licensing White Paper

Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the responses to the Licensing White Paper (Cm 4696) at the end of the consultation period. [133281]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We will place in the Library copies of responses from bodies commenting on the command paper (Cm 4696), except for any responses submitted on the basis that their contents would not be made more widely available.

Female Prisoners

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a list of Category A female prisoners serving sentences in prisons in England and Wales. [133711]

Mr. Boateng: There are currently two female category A prisoners held in prison in England and Wales.

Ashford Prison

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consultations he carried out

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with the local borough council and local residents before deciding to build a Category A unit for female prisoners at Ashford, Middlesex Prison; [133707]

(2) what the anticipated cost is of building the proposed Category A unit for female prisoners at Ashford, Middlesex Prison; [133712]

(3) what will be the maximum number of prisoners that can be accommodated at the proposed Category A unit at the women's prison at Ashford, Middlesex. [133705]

Mr. Boateng: There is no proposal to build a category A unit at Ashford. However, the Prison Service notified Spelthorne Borough Council on 13 July that it was proposing to ask bidders for the prison to design and cost proposals to hold high security (category A) women. In order to meet the security requirements for holding category A women, it is proposed to make one small design change, a facility to hold dogs in kennels. The remaining upgrade will be procedural, including extra patrols (with or without dogs), additional searching and close monitoring of the movement of the individuals concerned. The existing proposal for internal and external physical security are considered sufficient for use with category A prisoners.

Correspondence

Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he proposes to answer the letter of 16 May, sent by the Right hon. Member for Alyn and Deeside, regarding Ms Fenwick of Deeside. [133125]

Mr. Charles Clarke: I will write to my right hon. Friend as soon as possible.

Mrs. Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Broxbourne will receive a reply to her letters of 25 May, 21 June and 19 July relating to her constituent Mrs. Babayemi. [133602]

Mr. Boateng: I am sorry the hon. Member has not received a reply to her letters. The Minister of State, Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche), will be writing in the very near future.

Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 23 May concerning lock purchasing. [132446]

Mr. Boateng [holding answer 25 July 2000]: I will be writing to my hon. Friend today.

Immigration Rules

Mr. Darvill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes have been made to the Immigration Rules as a consequence of the provisions of the Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) Order 2000 coming into force. [130213]

Mrs. Roche: I am today, laying before Parliament, a Statement of the Changes to the Immigration Rules which are of a consequential nature, related to the Immigration (Leave to Enter and Remain) Order 2000, which was agreed without division in the House. The Order is designed to underpin the introduction of a flexible immigration control. Greater operational flexibility will

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allow us to use resources more effectively to tackle the increasingly sophisticated methods of abuse. In particular, the Statement covers the introduction of entry clearances as leave to enter; of provision for leave to be granted other than in writing and prior to a person's arrival in the United Kingdom; and provision for leave to lapse unless given for a period of more than six months, and not conferred by a visit visa.

Animal Experiments

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a Royal Commission into animal experiments; and if he will make a statement. [133701]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Government have not ruled out a Royal Commission, but in the meantime we are seeking to secure improvements to the operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and to promote the fullest application of the 3Rs--the replacement of the use of animals with alternative methods; the reduction of the numbers of animals used; and the refinement of the procedures to minimise pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm.

In this context, the Animal Procedures Committee will be issuing a public consultation paper in the autumn as part of its review of the cost/benefit assessment of applications for authority to conduct scientific research using animals. As part of this work, the Committee plans to produce an authoritative statement on the validity of animal experiments. I understand that the Committee will present its report in the summer 2001.

Public Bodies

Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each group that is responsible to his Department with significant and plural membership from outside the Civil Service, and to which the Nolan rules on non-departmental public bodies do not apply; and for each such group, if it (a) is a company limited by guarantee, (b) is a charity, (c) has no formal legal basis and (d) has some other legal basis, giving details. [131175]

Mr. Boateng [holding answer 18 July 2000]: Information on task forces, ad hoc advisory groups and reviews responsible to the Home Office is collected centrally by the Cabinet Office. I refer to the replies given to my hon. Friends the Members for Cannock Chase (Dr. Wright) and for Eastwood (Mr. Murphy) respectively, by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office on 27 July 2000, Official Report, columns 799-800W. Non-departmental public bodies and other public bodies for which the Home Office has responsibility are also listed in the Home Office's Annual Report; the report covering the year 1999-2000 was published on 11 April 2000 and copies were placed in the Library.

The bodies to which the Nolan rules do not apply are listed in the Home Office annual report under the heading, "Other public bodies". The Fire Service Research Committee and Training Trust and the Philip Lawrence Awards are charities. The Criminal Justice Consultative Council, Immigration and Nationality Directorate Complaints Audit Committee, Ministerial Action Group

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to Retail Crime Reduction Action Team, Prisons Ombudsman, Property Crime Reduction Action Team, Retail Crime Reduction Action Team, Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team, and the Visiting Committees for the Immigration Detention Centres at Campsfield House, Harmondsworth and Tinsley House have no formal legal basis.

Advisers to my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary, on Representations against exclusion under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 and the Annual Review of the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act were brought into existence by the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The Independent Assessor for Miscarriage of Justice Compensation was brought into existence by the Criminal Justice Act 1988, and the Interception of Communications Commissioner, by the Interception of Communications Act 1985. The Security Services Act 1989 brought the Security Service Commissioner into existence. Selection Panels for Independent Members of Police Authorities were created under the Police Act 1996, whilst the Sentencing Advisory Panel was brought into existence by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Both the Service Authority for the National Crime Squad and Service Authority for the National Criminal Intelligence Service were created by the Police Act 1997.

Advisory Bodies

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list all the (a) task forces, (b) action teams, (c) policy reviews and (d) other temporary advisory bodies with external members currently in existence within his Department; and on what date each body (i) was set up and (ii) is expected to terminate. [131452]

Mr. Boateng: Information on these bodies is set out in an answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, on 27 July 2000, Official Report, column 799W, and in the earlier answer, 11 January 2000, Official Report, column 134W. Information on bodies for which the Home Office has responsibility is also listed in the Home Office Annual Report, copies of which were placed in the Library.

I will write with dates when these bodies were established.

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