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Departmental Assets

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what stocks of (a) antiques, (b) paintings and (c) fine wines are held by his Department; if he will list such assets sold over the last three years together with the sale proceeds from such transactions; what plans he has to sell further such assets over the period of the current Comprehensive Spending Review; and if he will make a statement. [10833]

Mr. Blunkett [holding answer 31 October 2001]: Within its total estate the Home Office possesses the following recorded stocks of antiques, paintings and fine wines:











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No antiques, paintings or fine wines have been sold during the past three years and there are no plans to sell any.

None of these items are held centrally by the Home Office, but by those involved in training and service delivery. Some of these items are gifts provided by those visiting or taking part in seminars and conferences from overseas.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to review the working and implementation of antisocial behaviour orders; and if he will make a statement. [9478]

Mr. Denham: During the passage of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 a commitment was made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, South and Penarth (Alun Michael), the then Home Office Minister, to review antisocial behaviour orders after two years. The review is currently under way.

Fly Tipping

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were convicted of fly tipping in England in each year since 1997. [12409]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 5 November 2001]: The available information, taken from the Home Office court proceedings database, showing the number of persons convicted of 'fly-tipping' offences in England during the period 1997 to 2000 is given in the table.

Number of persons convicted of the given environmental offence at all courts, England 1997 to 2000

Offence description/principal statuteNumber of persons convicted
Prohibition on unauthorised or harmful deposit, treatment or disposal etc. of waste—Environmental Protection Act 1990 sec. 33
1997113
1998157
1999183
2000(27)199

(27) Excluding any convictions at magistrates courts in Staffordshire

Note:

All data are given on a principal offence basis


Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will receive a determination on applications M 1103515 and M 1103516 from the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [12663]

Angela Eagle: The applicants' representative was requested on 19 October to provide additional evidence to enable us to give further consideration to these cases. A decision will be made as soon as possible after this has been received.

Special Constables

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has reviewed the 1997 Her Majesty's inspectorate of contabulary conclusion that special constables should not be paid; and if he will make a statement. [7092]

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Mr. Denham: The Home Office funded two recent research studies which have made recommendations on the recruitment and retention of special constables 1 .

Voluntary service to the community is a key element of the special constabulary but we are reviewing the allowances paid to special constables and a number of other options for achieving radical improvements in the conditions of service and the management of special constables.



Race Relations Act

Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make changes to the authorisation under section 19D of the Race Relations Act 1976 concerning discrimination of the basis of ethnic or national origin in the examination of passengers. [13906]

Angela Eagle: My right hon. and noble Friend Lord Rooker has been reviewing the authorisation made on 23 April by his predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche)—the Race Relations (Immigration and Asylum) (No. 2) Authorisation 2001—each month on the basis of statistical evidence and intelligence material produced by the Immigration Service. The authorisation permitted the Immigration Service to pay particular attention to arriving passengers from certain specified ethnic or national groups, namely Afghans, Albanians, Kurds, Pontic Greeks, Roma, Somalis, Tamils and persons of Chinese ethnic origin carrying Japanese or Malaysian travel documents.

My right hon. and noble Friend has amended the authorisation to remove Pontic Greeks from the list of specified groups, on the grounds that while intelligence suggests that members of this group may pose a threat to the United Kingdom's immigration control in future, there is not sufficient evidence at present to maintain their current inclusion in the authorisation. The remaining groups covered by the authorisation remain unchanged.

A copy of the authorisation has been placed in the Library.

SCOTLAND

Parliamentary Questions

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions she had with the hon. Member for Glasgow, Anniesland (John Robertson), prior to Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland held on 6 November, regarding the content and wording of his supplementary oral question to her. [13541]

Mrs. Liddell: I have regular discussions with back- bench colleagues.

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ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Parliamentary Questions

John Barrett: To ask the Advocate-General what discussions she had with the hon. Members for Glasgow, Anniesland (John Robertson) and for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mr. Lazarowicz), prior to Questions to the Advocate-General for Scotland on 6 November, regarding the content and wording of their supplementary oral questions to her. [13540]

The Advocate-General: I am always personally available to all hon. Members for discussion of any matter of interest to hon. Members, within my responsibilities as Advocate-General.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Magistrates Courts

Norman Baker: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the extended magistrates' sitting hours pilots in Manchester and London are expected to commence; what funding has been identified to facilitate these; and if he will make a statement. [12003]

Mr. Wills: The Government plan to pilot studies to find the most cost-effective means of extending court hours. The aim is to test whether extended hours would have an impact on delays, deter local criminals, improve access to justice and help reassure local communities. Planning is under way involving all criminal justice partners in London and Manchester. The pilots are expected to start next year. Funding of £5.4 million has been identified to facilitate these.

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