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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 14 November 1990
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Deaf People
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Attorney-General what facilities are made available in the courts at all levels for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The Attorney-General : In the magistrates courts, it is for the court to ensure that it can communicate adequately with deaf persons appearing before it. Where a defendant who is deaf or hard of hearing does not himself arrange for the services of an interpreter, magistrates courts make use of interpreters provided through the agency of local directors of social services and voluntary bodies such as the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.
In the Crown court, and in the civil courts, interpreters must be provided by the parties. Court staff will always advise parties where a list of interpreters may be obtained. In Crown court cases fees for interpreters are paid from central funds. In civil cases the payment of fees is a matter for the parties.
Provided that court staff are given sufficient warning of the needs of a party or a witness who is hard of hearing, arrangements can generally be made to ensure that that person will be able to sit as close as possible to, and with an unobstructed view of, the judge and the witness box.
Many of the purpose-built courtrooms have excellent acoustics and many are equipped with microphone and public address systems which may be used to enhance the ability of the hard of hearing to follow proceedings.
Attendance Allowance Appeals
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Attorney-General what was the average waiting time from an appeal being made against an attendance allowance decision and the appeal decision, for the last period for which figures are available.
The Attorney-General : The office of the social security commissioners does not record information on the average waiting times for appeals in relation to individual categories of benefit or appeal.
PRIME MINISTER
Ethnic Minorities
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list those provisions in legislation which give local authorities powers in relation to a single ethnic minority group.
The Prime Minister : There are no such specific provisions in legislation, although section 71 of the Race Relations Act 1976 places a duty on local authorities to ensure that they carry out their various functions with due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful racial discrimination and promote racial equality, and section 35
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of that Act recognises that it is sometimes necessary to meet the special needs of racial groups regarding their education, training or welfare.DEFENCE
Radar
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there has been any change in the financial arrangements for the relocatable over- the-horizon radar.
RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the reason for building new housing for United States personnel at RAF Bentwaters/Woodbridge.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Carlisle (Mr. Martlew) on 1 November, at column 770.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Gulf Crisis
Mr. Prescott : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what time and day his Department learnt of the invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces, in Greenwich mean time and Kuwait local time ; and at what time British Airways was informed.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : It was not until approximately 0300 GMT (0600 Kuwait local time) on 2 August that we had clear evidence of a full-scale Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. This was approximately one hour after the closure of Kuwait airport. The news became public at about 0400 GMT (0700 Kuwait time).
Foreign Affairs Council
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report a statement on the outcome of the Foreign Affairs Council on 12 November.
Mr. Hurd : The Foreign Affairs Council met in Brussels on 12 November. My hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office represented the United Kingdom.
Ministers discussed the Iraq-Kuwait crisis and reaffirmed their determination to bring about the release of all hostages in Iraq and Kuwait, the refusal of their Governments to negotiate with Iraq and their condemnation of Iraqi treatment of hostages. They agreed to give the highest priority to the role of the United Nations and to continue to put pressure on Iraq to receive the Secretary-General's special representative. They agreed a United Kingdom proposal to make demarches to a large number of countries and groups of countries to convince them to pursue these same aims in contacts with the Iraqis. The Council discussed the proposed EC/United States and EC/Canada declarations and asked the Commission and presidency to continue to work with the Americans and Canadians to achieve agreed texts to be exchanged in the margins of the Paris CSCE summit.
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The Council had an initial discussion of the draft negotiating mandates for association agreements with Poland, Hungary and Czechoslovakia. The United Kingdom looks forward to early detailed examination of the mandates with a view to their approval this year. The Council reviewed policy towards Asia and Latin America and noted that the programme for the 1990s would be considered by a special Development Council later in the year. The Council discussed again the Commission's proposals for a new Mediterranean policy which were remitted for further detailed work. Finally, the Council discussed progress in the Community's negotiations with EFTA for the creation of a European economic area. The United Kingdom called for renewed EC efforts to maintain the momentum of the negotiations through a constructive approach to outstanding issues.In the margins of the Council, Ministers held an informal meeting with Foreign Ministers of the Arab Maghreb Union. The meeting discussed a wide range of political and economic topics of mutual interest including the development of EC/AMU relations and the Gulf crisis. On behalf of the Twelve the EC presidency urged the AMU to join in exerting pressure on Iraq to accept the UN
Secretary-General's envoy and to release all hostages.
TRANSPORT
Greater Manchester Relief Road
Mr. Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many letters his Department has received from residents of Worsley, Whitefield, Radcliffe and Bury about the proposed Greater Manchester western and northern relief road ; and how many of those supported the proposals as outlined in the White Paper "Roads for Prosperity".
Mr. Chope : Several letters have been received but none has been in support of the outline proposed in the White Paper. Full public consultation will take place after details of a route have been published.
Mr. Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will arrange for an environmental impact assessment to be carried out in respect of the Greater Manchester western and northern relief road route.
Mr. Chope : An environmental assesment will be undertaken before proposals are put forward for public comment.
Mr. Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the implications of the construction of the Denton to Middleton section of the M66 for the Greater Manchester western and northern relief road.
Mr. Chope : Completion of the M66 between Denton and Middleton will have no significant effect on traffic flows on the M62 west of junction 18. There are no implications for the Greater Manchester western and northern relief road.
Mr. Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has revised the traffic forecasts for the Greater Manchester western and northern relief route.
Mr. Chope : We have not yet prepared detailed local traffic forecasts for this scheme.
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Lancaster Avenue--Thurlow Park Road Junction
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve the junction between Lancaster avenue and Thurlow Park road, London SE27.
Mr. Chope : The Department has no current proposals to improve the A205 south circular road at the junction of Thurlow Park road and Lancaster avenue. The London borough of Lambeth, as the Department's agents for this part of the trunk road, was asked in March 1988 to investigate the feasibility of improving traffic movement and safety at this junction. Its report is still awaited.
The Secretary of State recently decided to terminate the agency agreement with Lambeth with effect from 1 April 1991, and to appoint consultants instead. We shall ask the consultants to look into possible improvements to this junction.
Municipal Airports
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contributions have been made, net, from the charge fund to the running of municipal airports at Manchester, Birmingham, Luton and East Midlands ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : No such contributions have been made.
Lorries
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all defects and contraventions discovered by checks carried out by his Department, the Health and Safety Executive and the police to assess on-the -road compliance with regulations for the mechanical safety and roadworthiness of lorries during the past three years.
Mr. Chope : Information on mechanical defects found at annual tests of heavy goods vehicles is given on page 19 of the vehicle inspectorate executive agency's annual report for 1989-90, and details of vehicles inspected at roadside spot checks with prohibition rates are given on page 22. Copies of the report are in the Library.
A27
Mr. Bellotti : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce detailed possible routes for the proposed dual carriageway between Lewes and Polegate on the A27 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Chope : I hope that there will be public consultation on possible routes for the proposed A27 Lewes to Polegate improvement in late 1991. The timetable thereafter will depend on the issues that the consultation raises, the progress that can be made with the design of the chosen option and the statutory procedures.
Underground Escalators
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to London Underground's policy towards easing access to the underground by the disabled, elderly or those with young children when escalators are out of action for considerable periods ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : During periods when escalators are unavailable, London Underground Ltd. attempts to ease
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access for all its customers. It does so by providing alternative routes through stations, wherever possible, and by the use of temporary signs and announcements on stations and trains. In addition, uniformed staff, trained to take care of travellers with special needs, are at hand. Details of how people with mobility handicaps can plan the best routes to avoid escalators are set out in London Transport's publication "Access to the Underground", a copy of which is in the Library.Fuels (Pollution)
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will discuss with the oil companies the development of less-polluting fuels for vehicles.
Mr. Chope : My Department and the Department of Energy are in frequent contact with the motor and the oil industries on this subject.
Vehicle Pollution
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what new measures he plans to reduce pollution caused by motor cars and lorries.
Mr. Chope : I have little to add to my hon. Friend's answer to the hon. Member for Newport, West on 30 October, columns 464-66. The Government are doing everything they can to achieve the earliest possible agreement within the European Community on a new, consolidated directive to reduce car emissions. We shall also urge the Community to adopt tighter noise limits for all vehicles when this matter is discussed next year.
Air Accidents
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the air accidents investigation branch of his Department proposes to make any recommendations to the Civil Aviation Authority to help it determine further action as a result of the reports of the crashes of two light aircraft on the Coal Aston airstrip, Derbyshire, published in the air accidents investigation branch bulletin 11/90.
Mr. McLoughlin : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on Thursday 1 November, Vol. 178, column 707.
The Minches
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if his Department will declare the Minches an area to be avoided ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. McLoughlin : Her Majesty's Government took the lead in establishing the internationally recognised deep water route to the west of the outer Hebrides. This is clearly marked on charts, with a recommendation that laden tankers of over 10,000 gross registered tonnage should use it instead of the Minch when weather conditions permit.
It is important that tanker masters retain the freedom to use the Minch in poor weather. The outer route in the Atlantic is subject to much stronger winds and rougher seas than the sheltered waters of the Minch, and greater stresses are thus imposed on both vessels and crew. These stresses slightly increase the chances of an equipment
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failure. More significantly, the weather conditions and the remoteness of the outer route mean that in the event of failure, the chances of preventing the vessel from going ashore are lessened. In poor weather, therefore, the chances of both loss of life and pollution may be greater if the vessels use the outer route than if they go through the Minch.In these circumstances the Government's role must be to ensure maximum use of the outer route in appropriate conditions. An "area to be avoided" is recommendatory and the Government are not convinced that establishing one in the Minch would have any greater effect than the existing recommendatory deep water route. An alternative sometimes suggested is a mandatory traffic separation scheme in the Minch. The problem with this is that it might encourage tankers to take the route through the Minch. It would also inhibit fishing vessels, which would be obliged to comply with its provisions. The Government consider that the best course is to continue to urge the use of the outer route in appropriate conditions, internationally through the International Maritime Organisation, nationally by contact with the oil companies and locally by means of notices to mariners issued at Sullom Voe.
East London River Crossing
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the public inquiry into the east London river crossing to be concluded.
Mr. Chope [holding answer 13 November 1990] : The conduct of the inquiry and the timing of its closure are matters for the inspectors of the joint inquiries, but I understand that there is a full programme arranged until the Christmas recess.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Refugee Children
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Refugee Council's proposals to provide reception and assessment services to unaccompanied refugee children.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. The Refugee Council's proposals to provide reception and assessment services to unaccompanied refugee children were sent to the Minister for Health and my right hon. and learned Friend. They make a useful contribution to consideration of the issues in this complex area and are being considered by both Departments. I intend to respond to the Refugee Council, on behalf of both Departments, as soon as possible.
Electoral Registration
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has issued to electoral registration officers regarding the removal of electors from the register ; what degree of discretion electoral registration officers have in applying Home Office guidelines ; whether electoral registration officers seek advice from local authorities ; for what purposes electoral registration officers may use the community charge register ; and what statutory duties local authorities have with regard to canvassing potential electors for inclusion in the electoral register.
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Mrs. Rumbold : In a circular issued on 10 August 1990 as part of its guidance to electoral registration officers (EROs) in England and Wales, the Home Office made recommendations about the use of information on the community charge register in compiling the electoral register. This included that a person's name should not be carried forward from one electoral register to the next if that person does not respond to the electoral canvass and his or her name does not appear on the community charges register. It also recommended that where such a name does appear in the community charges register it should not be carried forward for more than one year without further inquiries to establish eligibility.Electoral registration officers are responsible to the courts in the performance of their statutory duties and are not obliged to follow Home Office guidance. They are appointed, in England and Wales, by district or London borough councils and are free to seek advice, including legal advice, from the local authority by which they were appointed, or its officers, if they so wish.
Under section 29 of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, EROs in England and Wales may, for the purpose of exercising their functions, inspect the community charges register of any charging authority. The purpose of the Home Office guidance issued on 10 August was to enable and encourage EoOs to make the fullest and most effective use of this right of access, to assist in the preparation of an accurate electoral register.
Electoral registration officers have a statutory duty to prepare and publish each year registers of electors for the
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area for which they are responsible. To this end, they are required to have a house-to-house or other sufficient inquiry made as to the persons entitled to be registered.Emergency Planning
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by location for the three counties Yorkshire and Humberside, and by year for the last four years to date, the local authorities that have developed emergency control centres ; and how many (a) emergency planning officers and (b) clerical support staff for emergency planning officers have been employed.
Mr. John Patten : The following emergency centres have been established to meet minimum recommended Home Office standards over the past four years :
County |Emergency Centre |Year
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Yorkshire |Craven |1989-90
North Yorkshire |Richmond |1987-88
North Yorkshire |Scarborough |1988-89
|County Standby
West Yorkshire |(located in Calderdale) |1990-91
West Yorkshire |Calderdale |1990-91
|County Standby
Humberside |(co-located with Great Grimsby)|1989-90
Humberside |Beverley |1987-88
Humberside |Cleethorpes |1987-88
Humberside |East Yorkshire |1989-90
The number of (a) emergency planning officers and (b) clerical support staff employed over the last four years are :
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North YoSouth YoWest YorHumberside
|(a)|(b)|(a)|(b)|(a)|(b)|(a)|(b)
-----------------------------------------------
1987-88 |10 |4 |12 |3 |11 |3 |10 |6
1988-89 |10 |4 |12 |3 |12 |3 |10 |6
1989-90 |10 |4 |12 |3 |13 |3 |10 |6
1990-91<1> |10 |4 |12 |4 |14 |3 |10 |6
<1> Estimated.
South Yorkshire Police (Dedicated Suites)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list by location for the South Yorkshire police force those that have (a) dedicated rape suites, (b) dedicated domestic violence units and (c) dedicated child abuse (i) units and (ii) suites.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Dedicated rape suites are situated at Phoenix house, Doncaster, Barnsley district general hospital, and the sexual offences and child investigation unit at Wath.
There are no dedicated domestic violence units in the force area, but consideration is currently being given to incorporating the work of such units in the facilities which are already provided for the reception and interviewing of victims of sexual offences. Child abuse units have been established at police divisional headquarters at Heeley and the Old Police house at Wath ; there are child abuse suites at Phoenix house, Doncaster, the sexual offences and child abuse investigation unit at Wath, and the Children's hospital at Sheffield.
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Horserace Totalisator Board
Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the chairman of the Horserace Totalisator Board was appointed ; and when his appointment will terminate.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The chairman of the Horserace Totalisator Board, Lord Wyatt of Weeford, has been chairman of the Tote since 1 May 1976. His present term of appointment runs to 30 April 1991.
Remand Prisoners
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of remand prisoners being held in prisons in England and Wales on 1 January and 1 November.
Mrs. Rumbold : At the end of December 1989, 9,485 untried and convicted unsentenced prisoners were held in prison service establishments in England and Wales and none in police cells. The corresponding figures for the end of September 1990, the latest date for which the information is available, were 9,377 in prison service establishments and 768 in police cells.
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Belmarsh Prison
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women prison officers will be employed at Belmarsh prison.
Mrs. Rumbold : Individual prison officers have not yet been allocated to Belmarsh in significant numbers. It is therefore not known how many female officers will work there.
Police Cells
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide figures for each month, from May onwards, for the number of remand prisoners and newly sentenced prisoners being held in police cells in the three counties of Yorkshire and Humberside police authority areas who would normally have been housed in Her Majesty's prison establishments ; and if he will show in his answer by month (a) the location of the police cells, (b) their sex and (c) the number of prisoners they have had under their care.
Mrs. Rumbold : The average number of prisoners, who have been held in police cells in the Humberside and Yorkshire police authority areas each month since May 1990, are given in the table. All the prisoners are male.