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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 8 May 1989
HOME DEPARTMENT
Crime (Greater London)
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the trends in crime in Greater London during 1987 and 1988.
Mr. John Patten : Information is published in table 7 of Home Office statistical bulletin 7/89, a copy of which is in the Library. More detailed figures for each borough in the Metropolitan police district are also available in the Library. My right hon. Friend has also sent some further details of the figures for their local police force area to all right hon. and hon. Members for constituencies in England and Wales and placed copies of those further details in the Library.
DNA Testing
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further representations he has received regarding the use of DNA testing.
Mr. Renton : We continue to receive various representations from Members of Parliament and others concerning the use of DNA testing in immigration cases.
Drugs (International Co-operation)
Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to strengthen international co- operation against drugs.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : We are pursuing a wide range of initiatives to strengthen international co-operation. We are working to enable the United Kingdom to ratify the new United Nations Convention against the illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances. We are negotiating bilateral agreements on the confiscation of drug traffickers' assets. Five such agreements have now been concluded and more are in the pipeline. We are holding a ministerial conference of the Council of Europe's drug co- operation group (the Pompidou Group), under my right hon. Friend's chairmanship, in London on 18-19 May, to discuss the threat posed by cocaine and "crack", confiscation of proceeds derived from illicit trafficking and the problems of AIDS and drug misuse.
Traffic Congestion
Mr. Adley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, concerning the police role in coping with traffic congestion in London.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : My right hon. Friend has had no recent discussions with the commissioner on this subject
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but he has drawn to the commissioner's attention a number of points raised with him by hon. Members representing constituencies in London.Exeter Prison
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Exeter prison was built ; what was the originally intended maximum number of prisoners ; what is the number on remand or serving custodial sentences there now ; and for how many hours daily an inmate is confined to his cell.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Her Majesty's prison Exeter was opened in 1853 to accommodate about 280 inmates and the young offender remand centre there was added in 1964 to accommodate a further 53. At 28 April 1989 the numbers held compared with the certified normal accommodation were as follows :
|Numbers held |Certified normal
|accommodation
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Exeter Prison
Adult Male |236 sentenced |254
|12 convicted not
|sentenced
|90 unconvicted
Female |Nil |3
|---- |----
|338 |257
|---- |----
Exeter Remand Centre
Young Offender |11 sentenced |53
|20 convicted not
|sentenced
|30 unconvicted
|---- |----
|399 |310
Inmates are confined to their cells for 8-19 hours a day ; the average is 16 hours a day.
Jersey (Housing)
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the laws governing housing in Jersey.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : There have been three such cases during the last year.
Firefighters
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about changes he proposes to the pay and conditions of firefighters.
Mr. John Patten : I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 3 May to the similar question from my hon. Friend the Member of Stafford (Mr. Cash) at column 113.
Police Drivers
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on the training of drivers of fast response cars ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Police driver training has recently been reviewed by a working party set up by the
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Association of Chief Police Officers. I understand that the working party's report will be published within the next few weeks.Immigration
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Minister of State expects to reply to the hon. Member for Stretford's letter of 7 February last regarding Mr. M. F. (Ref. EBO762).
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I wrote to the hon. Member on 28 April.
Street Lighting
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals for the introduction of a statutory obligation to provide adequate street lighting, as a measure to protect against mugging or rape, he is considering.
Mr. John Patten : There is widespread concern, which we share, about the level of violent crime. Improved street lighting may have a part to play in tackling this and other problems, and many local authorities have undertaken improved lighting schemes, a significant number of which have been funded through the Department of the Environment estate action programme. I await with interest the results of the major research study being carried out in Wandsworth on our behalf by Southampton university, assessing the impact of street lighting on crime and the fear of crime.
Summer Time
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement spelling out the differences in summer time by comparison with last year in consequence of the Summer Time Order, 1989 ; if the order stems from a decision of the European Community ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The Summer Time Order 1989 is necessary to set out the dates of the summer time period for the years 1990 to 1992 inclusive. It also gives effect to the Fifth Council Directive on summer time arrangements in the European Community which was formally adopted by the Council of Ministers in Brussels on 21 December 1988. The effect of the order is to continue the present summer time system for a further three years.
Police Vehicles
Mr. Beaumont-Dark : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fatal accidents involving motor vehicles driven by police in the course of their duties have occurred from 1 January 1989.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Information about accidents involving police vehicles is collected and published annually by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary. Full information will, therefore, not be available until returns are submitted by individual forces to Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary after the end of the year. However, I am aware of nine specific accidents which have occurred since 1 March 1989 arising from police vehicle pursuits, or responses to emergency calls, which have resulted in a total of 12 fatalities.
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Mr. Beaumont-Dark : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any intention of issuing new guidelines in respect of pursuit by police vehicles ; and if he has any plans to meet chief constables to discuss the matter.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Police driver training, including police pursuit management, has recently been reviewed by a working party set up by the Association of Chief Police Officers. I understand that its report will be published within the next few weeks. We shall consider it carefully when it is published.
Breath Tests
Mr. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library copies of the representations that he has received following his recent consultation about police powers to stop motorists and administer breath tests ; and how many of those representations supported (a) consolidation of existing powers as no change, (b) unfettered discretion to administer breath tests and (c) spot checks by the police administered on a random basis.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Following the reply given by my right hon. Friend to my hon. Friend the Member for Derby, North (Mr. Knight) on 1 February, at column 252, we have received some 3,400 letters from individuals, letters from organisations and petitions on the subject of police powers to require roadside breath tests. Of these, approximately 3,000 express support for extended powers in the form of unfettered discretion, random breath testing or other forms. The remainder suggest that there should be no change to current powers. We shall consider these responses carefully, including whether they should be placed in the Library.
Sunday Trading
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether his proposed new working party on small shops and Sunday trading will include representatives of the National Chamber of Trade ;
(2) if he will make a statement outlining the constitution and purpose of his proposed new working party on small shops and Sunday trading.
Mr. Renton : No working party has been established but I propose to hold a meeting on 24 May with representatives of the Shopping Hours Reform Council at its request and of the Association of District Councils to seek a way forward on shopping hours reform. Representatives of the National Chamber of Trade will not be present.
National Stadium
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations his Department has received concerning proposals to build a national stadium to improve the safety of sports spectators in the light of events at Hillsborough on 15 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hurd : My Department has not received any representations about proposals to build a national studium. Responsibility for the safety and comfort of
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spectators rests with the individual sports ground operator or event organiser, who must comply with the terms and conditions of any safety certificate in force for the ground in question.Hillsborough Disaster
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of West Yorkshire outlining the interviewing criteria and procedures to be used by West Yorkshire police in response to telephone calls and their investigations following the Hillsborough disaster on 15 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The interviewing critera and procedures are a matter for the investigating officers in consultation with Lord Justice Taylor. I understand that anyone who telephoned the police on the special telephone lines and who has relevant information will be interviewed by the investigating team.
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of West Yorkshire, as to on what basis and by whom the decision was taken to allow only one week for members of the public to contact West Yorkshire police, by special 'phone lines, after the Hillsborough disaster ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : The officer in charge of the police investigation team, in consultation with Lord Justice Taylor, decided to open the special telephone lines for three days initially. Owing to the heavy response on the first three days the lines were kept open for a further three days. The number of calls had lessened considerably by the sixth day and it was not thought necessary to keep the lines open any longer. The fact that the lines would close on the sixth day was widely publicised.
It remains open to anyone who believes that he or she has relevant information to contact the secretary to the inquiry at room 662, 50 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AT.
Mr. Terry Fields : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the chief constable of West Yorkshire as to how many telephone calls have been received on the special telephone lines set up by West Yorkshire police, investigating events at Hillsborough on 15 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : A total of 2,666 calls were received on the special telephone lines during the six-day period.
Offences (Leicestershire)
Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences there were in Leicestershire in 1987 and 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Leicestershire, North-West (Mr. Ashby) on the 13 April at column 713.
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Car Telephones
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) charged with and (b) convicted of road traffic offences connected with the use of mobile car telephones.
Mr. John Patten : The available information relates to proceedings at magistrates courts for all offences of careless driving and so on and is published annually in "Offences relating to motor vehicles, England and Wales, Supplementary tables" (table 5 of the issue for 1987, the latest available). Information is not collected centrally about the circumstances of these alleged offences.
Risley
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people currently at Risley have ever been in-patients at a psychiatric hospital or clinic.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Of the population on 5 May (322 male and 114 female prisoners) 37 male and 33 female prisoners have been in-patients at a psychiatric hosptial or clinic.
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people currently at Risley were unable to give a permanent address when the order for their remand was made.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : Current information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. A survey conducted in November 1988 indicated that 13 per cent. (40) of prisoners at Risley who had been remanded from Cheshire courts and 9 per cent. (46) of those from Lancashire courts had been remanded in custody because they had no permanent address or had an unsuitable address.
Gaelic Broadcasting
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement concerning the level and source of funding of a new Gaelic-speaking broadcasting authority ; (2) what agreement has been reached between his Department, S4C, Scottish television companies and other interested parties concerning the use of money currently paid by Scottish ITV companies to S4C, to fund Gaelic television programming.
Mr. Renton [holding answer 5 May 1989] : Representations about the funding of Gaelic television programmes will be considered alongside the other comments which have been made in response to the Government's broadcasting White Paper.
Political Asylum
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of (a) the Soviet Union, (b) Hong Kong, (c) India, (d) Pakistan and (e) Bangladesh (i) the numbers of requests received annually since 1979 for political asylum from citizens of these countries and the number granted and (ii) the number of requests received annually since 1979 for residency from citizens of each of the countries and the number granted.
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Mr. Renton [holding answer 27 April 1989] : Information on applications for, and on grants of refugee status in the United Kingdom in the years since 1979 to 1987, by nationality, is published in the annual Home Office statistical bulletins "Refugee Statistics, United Kingdom" (tables 5A-5F of issue 12/86, table 6 of issue 13/87 and table 7 of issue 16/88), copies of which are in the Library. Information for 1988 will be published in the summer of 1989. Information on applications in the Indian sub-continent in 1979-87 for an entry clearance for settlement, and in 1985 -87 for a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode, in the United Kingdom is given in tables 6, 9, 11 and 12 of "Control of Immigration Statistics, United Kingdom, 1987" (Cm. 415). The corresponding figures for the other years, and information on applications in Hong Kong in 1985-88 for an entry clearance for settlement, are given in the following tables 1 and 2. Information for earlier years for Hong Kong and similar information for the Soviet Union is not readily available.
Information on the total number of persons granted settlement in the United Kingdom in the years 1979 to 1987, by nationality, is published in table 22 of "Control of Immigration : Statistics, United Kingdom 1987" (Cm. 415). The number of persons accepted in 1988 for the nationalities requested is given in the following table 3.