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Banks (Financial Exclusion)
Mr. Lilley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what sanctions will apply to banks who do not meet the marketing, accessibility and availability tests of their financial exclusion responsibility. [142248]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government welcome banks' positive response to the challenge to set up basic bank accounts, and their constructive discussions with the Post Office to make them widely available.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Wild Mammals Protection Act
Mr. Peter Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been since the enactment of the Wild Mammals Protection Act 1996. [141633]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Available information, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database, on the number of prosecutions there have been under the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, is given in the table.
| Year | Prosecutions |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 7 |
| 1998 | 8 |
| 1999 | (5)-- |
(5) Nil return
13 Dec 2000 : Column: 175W
National Asylum Seekers Support Scheme
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many voucher-only applicants to the National Asylum Seekers Support Scheme are from (a) families with children under 18, (b) adults aged 18 to 24 and (c) adults aged 25 and over. [141644]
Mrs. Roche: As at the end of November 2000, 740 1 families and 5,950 singles had applied for voucher- only support from the National Asylum Support Service.
Information on the age of dependants and principal applicants is not available.
- 1 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
Child Asylum Seekers
Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the treatment of child asylum seekers with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. [142045]
Mrs. Roche: In ratifying the Convention the United Kingdom entered a reservation in respect of immigration law. Decisions on the entry and stay of children are made on the basis of our domestic law and our international obligations to refugees. We take the view that our treatment of child asylum seekers is entirely consistent with the broad thrust of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. In particular, we are satisfied that the comprehensive provision in United Kingdom law for the care and protection of children applies in full to children who have been recognised as refugees in this country and to those who have sought asylum here but whose claims have not yet been determined.
Anti-social Behaviour Orders
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been issued since 1999 in (a) England and Wales, (b) the Greater London area and (c) the Royal Borough of Kingston. [141629]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Over 140 orders have now been granted in England and Wales. At least 10 of these have been made in the Greater London area. I understand that no orders have been granted in the Royal Borough of Kingston.
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of issuing an anti-social behaviour order. [141630]
Mr. Charles Clarke: As I said in my reply to the hon. Member on 13 November 2000, Official Report, column 531W, I cannot yet say what the average cost of issuing an order is. We will be undertaking a review into the operation and effectiveness of anti-social behaviour orders in the new year. Once the results of the review have been published, we should have a clearer picture of the cost of seeking an order.
Holocaust Memorial Day
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the progress of the preparations for Holocaust Memorial Day 2001. [141327]
13 Dec 2000 : Column: 176W
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Preparations are well in hand.
A Home Office-led Steering Group has been developing guidance and plans since January when my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, announced the establishment of Holocaust Memorial day. The Steering Group includes representatives from a wide range of Government Departments and non-government departments (NGOs).
On 23 October the Local Government Association sent guidance to local authorities on ways they can mark the day, encouraging them to involve local communities and groups. This guidance was produced by a working group chaired by the Acting Chief Executive of the London Borough of Barnet and involved a number of representatives of NGOs with experience and expertise in Holocaust education and remembrance. These included the Board of Deputies of British jews, Beth Shalom Memorial Centre, Anne Frank Educational Trust, Holocaust Educational Trust and Pink Triangle Coalition. The guidance has also been distributed to a wide range of voluntary and community groups through the Commission for Race Equality, the National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service, Stonewall, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, and the Interfaith Network. This effort is being reinforced by seminars for local authority chief officers being run jointly by the Local Government Association and Beth Shalom Memorial Centre. Local authorities have been asked to put details of activities in their areas onto the dedicated website www.holocaustmemorialday.gov.uk.
On 9 November 2000, the Minister for Schools, the Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment, the hon. Member for Redditch (Jacqui Smith), launched a new Holocaust education resource pack for use by schools and others in the week leading up to Holocaust Memorial Day. An editorial team from NGOs with experience and expertise in Holocaust education, research and remembrance produced the education Pack, which was quality assured by Department for Education and Employment. These were the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Holocaust Educational Trust, Pink Triangle Coalition, Anne Frank Educational Trust, London Jewish Cultural Centre, the Wiener Library, Southampton University and Ben Helfgott, himself a Holocaust survivor, from the Yad Vashem Committee. Nearly 30,000 packs have already been issued.
A national ceremony will be held in London on the evening of Saturday 27 January and will be attended by a wide audience including senior public figures, community representatives and students. The event is being produced and televised live by the BBC guided by the Steering Group.
I would like to encourage all Members of Parliament to support and encourage activities in their constituencies to mark the first United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Day. The day is relevant to all of us. Its focus is on learning the lessons of the Holocaust and other more recent atrocities that raise similar issues.
A key aim of the day is to promote a democratic and tolerant society that respects and celebrates diversity and is free of the evils of prejudice. This is reflected in all of the related guidance and plans to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January.
13 Dec 2000 : Column: 177W
Dog Breed Bans (Germany)
Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the action of the German Government in respect of banning certain breeds of dog. [141324]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Government's view is that action by the authorities of other countries, concerning dogs within their own borders, is entirely a matter for them. We have therefore made no assessment of steps taken in Germany as regards certain breeds of dogs.
The German Government has pressed for European Union (EU) legislation on the subject of dangerous dogs, but following related discussion at a meeting last September of the European Union's Judicial Home Affairs Council, it seems unlikely that the matter will progress.
The United Kingdom Government are opposed to European Union legislation on this subject. We also consider that current United Kingdom law, in the form of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (as amended in 1997), is adequate for present and future control needs in this country.
Criminal Records Bureau
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what would be the cost of waiving the charges of the Criminal Records Bureau for checks requested by voluntary sector organisations. [141522]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) on 11 December 2000, Official Report, column 60W.
Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress he has made in carrying out a regulatory impact assessment in respect of the fees to be charged by the Criminal Records Bureau, with particular reference to the voluntary sector. [141523]
Mr. Charles Clarke: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) on 11 December 2000, Official Report, column 60W.
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