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Immigration Detainees
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many Immigration Act detainees were held in each of the prisons or detention centres in use for this purpose on 30 November and 31 December respectively.[Hl432]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The available information, relating to persons held in detention solely under Immigration Act powers as at 30 November and 31 December 1998 by place of detention, is given in the tables.
| Location | Total Detainees |
| Immigration detection centres | |
| Campsfield | 184 |
| Dover Harbour | 14 |
| Harmondsworth | 90 |
| Heathrow's Queen's Building | 15 |
| Longport | 4 |
| Manchester Airport | 9 |
| Tinsley House | 146 |
| Other immigration detention centres | 1 |
| Prison establishments | |
| Belmarsh | 10 |
| Birmingham | 5 |
| Brixton | 12 |
| Bullingdon | 2 |
| Canterbury | 5 |
| Craiginches | 10 |
| Durham | 2 |
| Edinburgh | 6 |
| Gateside | 5 |
| Haslar | 129 |
| High Down | 23 |
| Holloway | 20 |
| Holme House | 2 |
| Inverness | 2 |
| Leeds | 4 |
| Liverpool | 5 |
| Magilligan | 7 |
| Manchester | 4 |
| Norwich | 3 |
| Pentonville | 9 |
| Rochester | 192 |
| The Mount | 2 |
| Wandsworth | 9 |
| Winchester | 3 |
| Woodhill | 2 |
| Wormwood Scrubs | 18 |
| Other prison establishments | 12 |
| Total | 966 |
(1) Excluding persons detained in police cells (other than at Dover).
(2) Excluding persons detained in police cells (other than at Dover).
The Earl of Mar and Kellie asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty): There are no plans to establish a separate public footpath maintenance fund. In England and Wales, responsibility for maintaining footpaths lies with county and unitary councils, who budget for this task in the normal way. They already receive central government grant towards their overall highway responsibilities, which include footpath maintenance. However, the Countryside Commission, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales all fund programmes to open up and improve rights of way.
In Scotland, local authorities have no statutory duty to maintain footpaths, although they do have powers to do so if they choose.
The Earl of Mar and Kellie asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Scottish Office (Lord Sewel): Under Section 129(5) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984, it is an offence to drive or propel a vehicle on a footpath, as defined under that Act, unless there is a specific right to do so. The grant of permission by a landowner to ride a motorcycle on a public path may in certain circumstances constitute a "specific right" to ride such a vehicle there and in those cases would provide a defence to the criminal offence described in Section 129(5) of the 1984 Act. In the event of a prosecution being brought before it, the court would have to decide the issue by reference to all the facts and circumstances of the case. In addition, it should be noted that Section 129(5) does not create an offence in relation to any footpath which is a public path created under Section 30 of the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967 or which forms part of a long distance route the proposals for which have been approved by the Secretary of State under Section 40(1) of that Act.
The Earl of Mar and Kellie asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Sewel: This information is not available in the form requested. The following table provides details of recorded instances of damage on SSSIs in Scotland.
* These figures are for Great Britain as a whole as separate country figures are unavailable.
The Earl of Mar and Kellie asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Sewel: Records of reports to Procurators Fiscal of alleged activities likely to damage Sites of Special Scientific Interest taking place without consent are not held centrally.
The Earl of Mar and Kellie asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Sewel: This information is not held centrally.
I am not aware of any such proceedings.
Baroness Wharton asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Lord Donoughue): No single Whitehall department is responsible for the sponsorship and development of the horse industry as a whole. The Ministers and officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food already engage in parts of dialogue with the horse industry. Health and welfare issues were among the subjects discussed at a meeting between the Equine Liaison Group and senior veterinary officials from the Ministry on 2 November 1998, at which many horse industry organisations were represented.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is not responsible for taxation or betting. Officials from the Inland Revenue do not hold regular meetings with the equine industry, but are always prepared to meet representatives of the industry to discuss specific taxation issues. The Home Office holds meetings as required with the industry to discuss horse racing and betting issues, normally in conjunction with the British Horse Racing Board.
I myself met representatives of the horse industry on 22 December 1998 and on 19 January 1999. Between them they covered the British Equine Federation, British Horseracing Board, the Horse Societies, the Sporting horse sector, and breeding and equine veterinary interests. I propose to continue such personal contacts.
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Donoughue: The Government wish to incorporate environmental considerations, including the biodiversity dimension, more fully into the common fisheries policy (CFP). The European Commission is committed to produce an action plan for fisheries under its biodiversity strategy which will guide it when drawing up proposals for the CFP.
Location Total Detainees
Immigration detention centres
Campsfield 169
Dover Harbour 17
Harmondsworth 88
Heathrow's Queen's Building 15
Longport 8
Manchester Airport 13
Tinsley House 135
Other immigration detention centres 1
Prison establishments
Belmarsh 13
Bedford 2
Blakenhurst 2
Brixton 14
Bullingdon 3
Canterbury 5
Craiginches 7
Edinburgh 6
Haslar 111
High Down 24
Holloway 19
Holme House 2
Leeds 2
Lewes 2
Longriggend 10
Magilligan 7
Manchester 4
Norwich 3
Pentonville 6
Rochester 181
Wandsworth 10
Woodhill 2
Wormwood Scrubs 15
Other prison establishments 17
Total 913
Whether they have plans to establish a public footpath maintenance fund to complement the availability of funds for public footpath construction and creation.[HL421]
Whether the grant of permission by a landowner to ride a motor cycle on a public footpath overrides the provision of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 which states that vehicles are not permitted on public footpaths.[HL419]
On how many occasions Scottish Natural Heritage
(or the agency's predecessor bodies) have recorded activities likely to damage notified Sites of Special Scientific Interest taking place without consent under Part II of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (a) prior to April 1985 and (b) since April 1985.[HL422]
Year Number of Occasions
1981/82 Not recorded
1982/83 Not recorded
1983/84 *104
1984/85 *194
1985/86 *86
1986/87 *81
1987/88 *123
1988/89 *177
1989/90 *255
1990/91 *141
1991/92 21
1992/93 17
1993/94 16
1994/95 23
1995/96 28
1996/97 29
1997/98 22
On how many occasions Scottish Natural Heritage (or the agency's predecessor bodies) have reported alleged activities likely to damage notified Sites of Special Scientific Interest taking place without consent under Part II of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to the Procurators Fiscal (a) prior to April 1985 and (b) since April 1985.[HL423]
On how many occasions Procurators Fiscal have instituted proceedings in the courts in relation to activities likely to damage notified Sites of Special Scientific Interest taking place without consent under Part II of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
(a) prior to April 1985 and (b) since April 1985.[HL424]
What plans they have for improving dialogue with the horse industry, particularly in relation to health, welfare, taxation and betting, in order to influence the priority of equine matters within the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and communication, co-ordination and decision making.[HL226]
Whether it is their intention, or the intention of the European Union, that a biodiversity dimension should be inserted into the common fisheries policy when it is reviewed for the year 2002.[HL437]
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