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Written Answers
Wednesday, 13th February 2002.
Prison Population
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they intend to reduce the size of the prison population in England and Wales; and, if so, by what means.[HL2506]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker): We need to ensure that we can perform the basic duty to protect the public by punishing people for the crimes they have committed while ensuring we engage in rehabilitation to reduce reoffending and prevent crime. To this end we are committed to a radical rethink of the sentencing framework so as to give clarity and direction to the courts and avoid the damaging effects of prison overcrowding. Prison must be used as effectively as possible and targeted where it is most necessary. It should be used for incapacitating dangerous, violent and other serious offenders, but prison sentences should be as long as necessary for punishment and public protection and no longer.
The reform of the probation service, with its central focus on reducing reoffending, means that rigorously enforced community sentences are a real and tough alternative to imprisonment. We want to build on this work to provide sentencers with more than two stark options, imprisonment or a community sentence. We are looking at intermediate disposals such as intermittent custody and a strengthened suspended sentence. On community sentences the courts need to be able to mix and match within a generic sentence so that we can get it right for the individual. As part of the work taking forward the recommendations of the Halliday report on the sentencing framework we are looking at new forms of community penalties that allow the sentencer this flexibility. We aim to encourage greater use of community penalties for some non-violent offenders such as those convicted of theft and handling or fraud.
Home detention curfew and a rigorous assessment process play an important role by enabling some prisoners to be released from prison while still subject to restrictions placed on their liberty. This facilitates a smoother and more effective integration back into the community and helps offenders to secure employment as soon as possible.
We are addressing the recent increase in the female prison population by taking forward the Government's strategy for female prisoners. A cross-government women's offenders reduction plan is currently being developed by a multi-agency team drawn from across the criminal justice system, which is based in the Home Office. The aim of the programme is to strengthen policy, programme, research and spending partnerships across government to reduce women's offending. This
includes linking criminal justice work with broader government efforts to tackle social exclusion, particularly as it affects women at risk of offending.Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What progress is being made with respect to full implementation of the provisions of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.[HL2743]
Lord Rooker: The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000 has now been implemented with the following exceptions.
The Government intend to lay a draft Section 12 order (maintenance of a reasonable intercept capability provision) before Parliament following the Easter recess. The Part 1 interception code of practice is due to be laid before Parliament before the Easter recess. The Government intend to commence the Part I, Chapter II (communications data) provisions in the spring. The Part II surveillance codes of practice are due to be laid before Parliament prior to the Easter recess. The intention is to commence Part III of RIPA in the latter half of 2002.
Passports: Entry Clearance
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether passports are no longer stamped at ports of entry in cases where entry clearance visas have been granted prior to the holders' arrival in the United Kingdom; and, if so, whether they have considered the implications for the internal control of foreign nationals.[HL2761]
Lord Rooker: Entry clearances issued after 2 October 2000 confer leave to enter. These new style entry clearances are activated upon passing through the arrivals control in the United Kingdom. The passport would normally be endorsed on the first presentation of the entry clearance only.
An immigration officer conducts a process of verification on each arrival, for example, to establish that the person is the rightful holder of the document. He will also check the personal details of an arriving passenger against the Immigration Service Warnings Index, a computer system which provides information for the purpose of immigration control, national security and the prevention of crime.
The immigration officer may also extend his examination for the purpose of establishing whether the entry clearance was obtained on the basis of false information, failure to disclose material facts, or because there has been a change of circumstances since it was issued. The entry clearance may be cancelled in such circumstances.
The entry clearance (visa) indicates on what basis and for how long entry has been granted and contains
other information such as whether the holder is required to register with the police. Where a person subsequently comes to adverse notice, the conditions of entry are apparent from the endorsement on the visa.Over 30 Month Rule
Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Why they continue to destroy the carcasses of cattle under the over 30 month scheme when equivalent schemes elsewhere in the European Union test carcasses individually and allow uninfected animals into the food chain.[HL2554]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): The arrangements reflect the different history and incidence of BSE between the UK and other EU member states. The over 30 month rule was introduced in the UK in 1996 to exclude beef from older cattle from the food chain and thereby reduce the risk of consumer exposure to BSE. The over 30 month scheme (OTMS) was also introduced in 1996 to provide an outlet for cattle which could no longer enter the food chain by virtue of the rule.
The Food Standards Agency is responsible for assessing whether the OTM rule is still necessary, and the agency has indicated that it intends to undertake a review of the future of the rule. In the light of this review the Government will consider whether any changes should be made to the OTMS; any such changes would need to be agreed with the European Commission and the member states.
A400M Military Transport Aircraft
Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether a suitable turbo-prop engine exists for the A400M military transport aircraft or whether it will be necessary to produce an entirely new design; and, if so, what are the related project risks; and[HL2735]
What is the estimated cost of developing the turbo-prop engines to be fitted to the A400M military transport aircraft.[HL2736]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): The prime contract with Airbus Military is for development and production of the A400M, including its turbo-prop engines, and specifies performance guarantees that Airbus Military must achieve. No existing turbo-prop engine achieves the power or efficiency required for the A400M aircraft. Any technical risks in developing a turbo-prop engine lie with Airbus Military.
The integrated nature of the contract specifies the overall A400M capability to be delivered by Airbus Military; no separate engine development costs are identified.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the draft performance regime for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Phase 2 operations, involving Railtrack, Eurostar, a domestic passenger operator and freight operators, designed by Union Rail and the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions' consultants, Mott Parsons Gibb. [HL2571]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): The performance regime for Section 2 of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link has not yet been finalised. When it has been agreed it will be for the Office of the International Rail Regulator to decide whether details of the regime should be published in accordance with the Railways Regulations 1998 and relevant European directives.
Work-Related Road Safety Task Group
Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What efforts they are making to encourage employers to address work-related road safety as part of their management of health and safety at work in the light of the recommendations of the independent Work-Related Road Safety Task Group published on 22 November 2001; and [HL2682]
When they and the Health and Safety Commission expect to respond to the Work-Related Road Safety Task Group's recommendations; and [HL2683]
Whether they will invite the Health and Safety Commission to reappraise its current priorities to ensure that sufficient resources are available to begin work on the Work-Related Road Safety Task Group's main recommendations. [HL2684]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We have asked the Health and Safety Commission to consider the recommendations of the task group and its resource implications and to report to Ministers in May 2002. We will need to consider that advice carefully, and part of our considerations will, of course, include how best to ensure that employers address at-work road safety issues.
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