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Tourism Grants: VAT Charges
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the legal basis on which they charged VAT at 17.5 per cent on their grant of £14.2 million to the British Tourism Authority (BTA) and £3.8 million to the English Tourism Council (ETC); and whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer has the power to waive the collection of the VAT from BTA and the ETC; and[HL454]
What contingency plans have been made by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to ensure that the British Tourism Authority (BTA) and the English Tourism Council (ETC) are compensated in full for the amount of VAT which they have paid to the Treasury on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport grant of £14.2 million made to the BTA and of £3.8 million made to the ETC.[HL455]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The British Tourism Authority and the English Tourism Council were not charged VAT on these grants. Their grant income is and remains outside the scope of VAT.
Customs and Excise: Records of Searches
Lord Randall of St Budeaux asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 2 April (WA81), whether national records are maintained by HM Customs and Excise of people searched at ports and airports, and their ethnic appearance.[HL639]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: HM Customs and Excise compiles and publishes national data about people searched under the powers of the Customs and Excise Management Act. The published data includes information about the percentage of such searches which prove to be successful and the ethnic appearance of the people searched. Specific information is not maintained or published about its use of search of person powers at individual ports and airports, including Heathrow. Customs and Excise does not maintain or publish records of people who are stopped but not searched, and who are free to leave after initial informal questions.
Retired Police Officers: Re-employment
Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will institute discussions with the Inland Revenue to find a way to remove obstacles that impede police officers from retiring from their posts with occupational pensions and then recommencing work shortly afterwards.[HL415]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker): There are a number of issues associated with the re-employment of retired police officers that are currently being explored. In exploring these issues discussions with the Inland Revenue or others will take place as necessary.
Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have any plans to remove the abatement rules that preclude a police officer from taking a full pension while working in a government post.[HL524]
Lord Rooker: Abatement does not apply where a former police officer is re-employed on open competition in a post covered by a different public service pension scheme. It does not apply, even if a post is not subject to open competition, if a former officer is retired and is entitled to receive an immediate pension either because of length of service or age.
If a former police officer in receipt of a pension is re-employed in a post covered by the police pension scheme--the scheme paying the pension--then abatement applies.
Abatement is a matter of general public service pensions policy. The policy is kept under review in the light of changing circumstances.
Police Officers: Medical Retirement
Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they are taking to reduce the percentage of police officers retiring for medical reasons.[HL428]
Lord Rooker: We will be considering a range of issues relating to police pension arrangements, including the rate of officers retiring for medical reasons, in the coming months.
Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Of police officers who retire for medical reasons in each of the past five years and in each police district; what were the categories of such medical reasons; and how many and what proportion of such retirements fall into each of those categories.[HL429]
Lord Rooker: The information requested is not available. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary did, however, undertake a sample of the reasons for medical retirement in 10 forces in 1995-96 and 1996-97.
The sample showed that for male officers 54 per cent of medical retirements were the result of musculo-skeletal conditions; 24 per cent resulted from psychological or mental health conditions; 5 per cent resulted from cardiovascular conditions; 12 per cent from other reasons; and 5 per cent from a combination of conditions.
The sample showed that for female officers 47 per cent of medical retirements resulted from musculo-skeletal conditions; 38 per cent resulted from psychological or mental health conditions; 1 per cent resulted from cardiovascular conditions; 12 per cent from other reasons; and 2 per cent from a combination of conditions.
Police Forces: Civilianisation
Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they are taking to involve former police officers in the civilianisation of the force.[HL431]
Lord Rooker: Decisions on who to employ in each police force, and in what capacity, are the responsibility of each police authority and chief officer.
Police Force: Bureaucracy
Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they are taking to deal with the alleged weight of bureaucracy in the police force.[HL430]
Lord Rooker: We are implementing proposals from the recent report Making a Difference: Reducing Police Paperwork, and, last November we issued police forces in England and Wales with a revised Manual of Guidance for the Preparation, Processing and Submission of Files. This reduced considerably the number of forms officers have to complete when they pass cases to the Crown Prosecution Service.
We are also investing in a range of new communications technology to minimise the paperwork that officers are required to process.
In addition, the Home Secretary recently announced that he was setting up a study into the working day of a typical police officer in order to identify bureaucratic barriers which prevent officers from spending more time on the beat.
Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they take into account the bureaucracy that can impact on the police when new legislation is being considered.[HL432]
Lord Rooker: Yes, the Government are determined to keep bureaucratic burdens to a minimum. Also, all relevant police groups are consulted on proposed new legislation.
Young Offender Institutions: Reoffending Rates
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish rates of reoffending after two years for young offender institutions in England and Wales.[HL469]
Lord Rooker: We collect reconviction rather than reoffending data. The latest available data are for those discharged from young offender institutions in 1996: 75 per cent were reconvicted for a standard list offence within two years of discharge. We do not produce figures for individual establishments; inmate transfers would make them meaningless.
Further details of available figures are given in Chapter 9 of the Command Paper Prison Statistics England and Wales 1999, available in the Library.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
Lord Pearson of Rannock asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What are the terms of reference of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; and to whom and to what extent is it accountable for its decisions and actions; and[HL526]
What is the burden of proof required by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; and what criteria does it use when judging evidence or claims; and[HL527]
How the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority decides the amount of compensation it awards; and how much it awards annually; and[HL528]
What avenues are open to third parties to show that allegations brought before the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority are false.[HL529]
Lord Rooker: The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority was established to administer the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, approved by both Houses of Parliament, made by my right honourable friend the then Home Secretary (Mr Straw) on 12 December 1995 under powers conferred by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995 and effective for all claims made on or after 1 April 1996.
Under this tariff-based scheme (the 1996 scheme) and its successor scheme (the 2001 scheme), the authority determines what awards should be paid in individual cases in accordance with the tariff of injuries appended to the scheme and the scheme provisions relating to loss of earnings, care costs and other heads of damage.
The authority's decisions are open to appeal to an independent appellate body, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel, the members of which are appointed by the Home Secretary and the Scottish Ministers.
The authority chief executive is responsible for the preparation of the authority's financial statements. These are audited by the National Audit Office to ensure that they properly represent the receipts and payments of the authority and are properly prepared in accordance with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Act 1995 and whether in all material respects the receipts and payments have been applied to the purposes intended by Parliament and conform to the authorities which govern them.
The burden of proof required by the authority and the panel is that applicable in civil proceedings, namely the balance of probabilities. Each case is considered on its merits.
In the financial year 2000-01 the scheme paid out some £206 million in compensation.
Third parties who consider that allegations brought before the authority or the appeals panel are false should bring them to the attention of those bodies or to the police or to another appropriate authority. However, it is for the authority and appeals panel alone to determine claims in the light of all the information available to them. Under the terms of the scheme approved by Parliament those bodies are exclusively responsible for settling claims and for the interpretation of the scheme rules.
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