| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Police (Conflict Resolution)
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the conflict resolution manual, revised by ACPO's Self-defence and Restraint Committee, will contain information on dealing with a mental illness; if the revision has been completed; how beat officers will receive this information; and if the manual will be made available to members of the public. [100718]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I understand from the Self- Defence, Arrest and Restraint sub-committee that work is continuing on revision of the manual, and that the inclusion of information on dealing with persons with a mental illness will be considered as this work progresses.
The contents of the manual will be disseminated to officers through Personal Safety training . A decision on whether the manual can be made public will be made by the Association of Chief Police Officers once the drafting work is complete.
Shotgun Licences
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people living in England and Wales hold a shotgun licence. [100766]
1 Dec 1999 : Column: 214W
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The number of shot gun certificates on issue at the end of 1998 was 627,600.
Mr. Kaufman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letters to him, dated 28 July, 10 September and 14 October, from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, concerning Bulbur Begum. [100638]
Mrs. Roche:
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary wrote to my right hon. Friend on 26 November.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policy changes the Government plans to implement following the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Hashman and Harrup. [100588]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The Government intend to review the powers to bind over once all the relevant cases before the European Court of Human Rights have been decided. The case of Steel and others established that the powers to bind over to keep the peace are sufficiently well established to comply with the Convention. Following the decision in Hashman and Harrup, we shall study the Court's judgment carefully and consider how best to advise the courts and the police on the use of the power to bind over to be of good behaviour.
Mr. Brake:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department plans to take following the September publication of the reports by the Committee on Toxicity, Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment concerning the effects of CS spray. [100782]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Following the report by the independent Committees on Toxicity, Mutagenicity and Carcinogenicity, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary indicated that there was no reason to consider withdrawing CS spray from police use.
Operational guidelines issued by the Association of Chief Police Officers have been revised to take account of the report's findings concerning the use of CS with persons who are mentally ill and those who may have respiratory conditions. The guidelines include appropriate advice on aftercare and will be issued to chief officers shortly.
The Home Office will be taking forward with the Department of Health the report's recommendation for follow up studies into persons who have received medical treatment following the use of CS spray. In addition, the Home Office's Police Scientific Development Branch is continuing work looking at alternative solvents and potential alternative incapacitants.
Mr. Alan Keen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what name he intends the reformed Probation Service for England and Wales to be known. [101283]
1 Dec 1999 : Column: 215W
Mr. Boateng:
A Bill, to be introduced to this House, will reform and modernise the Probation Service within England and Wales. The modernised service will be known as The Community Punishment and Rehabilitation Service for England and Wales (CPRS). This Service has a key role to play in delivering the Government's aims on effective sentencing and punishment that:
The Probation Service has not been well served in recent years by its name, with offenders and the general public alike unsure of its role. The new name encapsulates the Service's role as a law enforcement agency and sends out a clear message to offenders that punishment in the community is not a soft option but one that should work to reduce re-offending.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with regard to projects at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, London, involving the artificial induction of arthritis in mice, what steps were taken to assess the validity of the proposed research and identify other potential sources of the information required before the licence was granted. [100707]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, project licences are issued only if the likely benefits (to man, animals or the environment) outweigh the costs to the animals involved and if there are no alternatives which replace animal use, reduce the number of animals needed or refine the experimental design to minimise suffering. The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate advises on whether, and on what terms, licences and certificates should be granted or amended.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many transgenic pigs have been released since 1 January under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 for export from the UK for use in (a) medical research and (b) breeding programmes; and to which countries they have been exported. [100702]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
49 pigs were exported in March and a further 40 in July. Both batches were exported to the United States of America for use in breeding programmes.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many project licences have been issued during the current year for primates to be used in xenotransplantation procedures, broken down by (a) type of procedure, (b) severity banding of procedure, (c) number of primates used per procedure and (d) origin of primates used. [100701]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
One licence has been issued this year for kidney transplants from transgenic pigs to primates. The severity banding is moderate. 14 macaques were used in 14 procedures and all were obtained from the Philippines.
1 Dec 1999 : Column: 216W
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many procedures have taken place under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 whereby baboons have been given humanised pig hearts; how many baboons were involved; and how many days each survived. [100703]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Since the commencement of baboon studies in 1966, a total of 44 baboons have received transgenic pig hearts, with the longest survival time reaching 99 days. In addition, five animals received non-transgenic hearts.
Mr. Andrew George:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to regulate political party funding, donations and sponsorship for (a) events, (b) conferences and (c) elections. [100428]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Proposals for legislation on these matters, in response to the Fifth Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life on the funding of political parties, were published on 27 July 1999 and a Bill will be introduced into Parliament later this session.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the delay in the publication of his Department's recommendations following its review of strip search procedures; and if he will make a statement. [100173]
Mr. Boateng:
The Prison Service has not yet submitted its recommendations to me. The report is being finalised. Its completion has been delayed because of competing pressures and the complexity of the Prison Service regulations concerned. I understand that I will receive the report and the recommendations shortly. As agreed by the then Minister of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend, the Member for Gateshead, East and Washington, West (Ms Quin) in her reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Dr. Jones) on 15 July 1997, Official Report, column 98W, a copy will be placed in the Library when it is completed.
The public is protected from dangerous offenders;
Offenders are properly punished and their sentences are rigorously enforced;
Punishments are made to work better both in prison and outside; and
Courts have available to them a flexible range of sentences.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |