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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 10 February 1993
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Privity of Contract and Estate
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when it is intended to introduce legislation to implement the Law Commission's report on "Privity of Contract and Estate"--Law Commission No. 95 ; and what representations the Lord Chancellor has received from the business community about legislation on this subject.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The Lord Chancellor is actively considering the recommendations of the Law Commission on this subject and hopes to be able to make an announcement in the near future. He has received representations from both tenants and landlords and is well aware of their respective interests.
Parking Fines (Liverpool)
Mr. Alton : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the revenue from on-street parking fines in Liverpool for the past three financial years.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The fines, fees and fixed penalties collected by the magistrates courts are remitted to the Exchequer as an aggregate amount and the proportion relating to parking penalties cannot therefore be separately identified.
Legal Aid
Mr. Boateng : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proportion of the adult population in England is currently eligible for legal aid ; and what is his estimate of the proportion of the adult population which after 1 April will be eligible for legal aid.
Mr. John M. Taylor : Estimates of eligibility that have been made are based on family expenditure survey data and relate to households. The proportion of households currently eligible for civil legal aid is estimated to be between 50 and 55 per cent. in England and Wales. I estimate that after the changes are introduced in April about 48 per cent. of households in England and Wales will be eligible for civil legal aid. There is no upper financial limit for criminal legal aid : all those whose financial resources are such that they require assistance in meeting their costs are eligible and will continue to be eligible.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Martial Arts Weapons
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ban the importation of martial arts knives and similar weapons ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The importation of 14 types of offensive weapon, including certain martial arts knives, is already prohibited by virtue of an order made under section 141 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
My right hon. and learned Friend will consider, in the light of all the evidence, whether further restrictions on the importation of any offensive weapon that is brought to his attention are necessary.
Regulations
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a list of all the regulations for which his Department is currently responsible with a descriptive title for each individual regulation.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : A provisional list of regulations that impact on business has recently been put together by my Department. I shall place the list in the Library once it has been fully checked for accuracy and consistency of definition.
Prison, Fazakerley
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a decision has yet been made on the proposal to build a prison at Fazakerley in Liverpool.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Government believe that there is a clear need for more secure prison places in the north-west. A new prison at Fazakerley would enable us to locate many prisoners from Merseyside much closer to home than is now possible. I have looked into the concerns expressed against building a prison at Fazakerley, but have concluded that the site is suitable for such a use. In view of the planning authority's reservations the matter will now be referred to the Secretary of State for the Environment who will consider its request that the matter should be the subject of a public inquiry.
Police Restructuring
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation he has had, or proposes to have, with the Greater Manchester police authority about the restructuring of police forces and police authorities.
Mr. Charles Wardle : My right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary has not held discussions with individual police authorities. He is considering what reforms in police organisation and structure may be needed. He will announce his proposals as soon as possible. Interested parties will be consulted before final decisions are reached.
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Drugs, Manchester
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what new strategies he intends to promote to tackle drug problems in Greater Manchester.
Mr. Jack : The Government's overall strategy for tackling drug misuse is aimed at reducing both the supply of and the demand for drugs throughout the United Kingdom.
Local drugs prevention teams have been set up in both Manchester and Salford under the Home Office drugs prevention initiative, and they will continue to work with the local community in finding effective ways of preventing the spread of drug misuse.
Greater Manchester, like other areas, will also benefit from other aspects of the Government's drug strategy such as the assistance we are providing to other countries to help reduce the supply of drugs into this country and the tougher controls which we are introducing on precursor and essential chemicals.
At the national level, we are committed to bringing forward proposals to ensure that the control of drug misuse is co-ordinated effectively, and the Criminal Justice Bill which we hope to bring before the House shortly, further tightens the law on drug trafficking and money laundering.
Youth Crime, Manchester
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he intends to take to deal with car crimes committed by young people in Greater Manchester.
Mr. Jack : The Government has encouraged the police and other agencies in the development of effective crime prevention programmes aimed at tackling youth crime and has funded a number of initiatives. The Home Office safer cities projects in the Greater Manchester area, Salford and Rochdale, have committed £120,000 and £18,000 respectively in 1992-93 to schemes aimed at diverting young people from crime, including car crime. We also established local drug prevention teams in Manchester and Salford in February 1992 with the aim of tackling the spread of drug misuse, particularly among the young. In addition the Home Office currently funds four projects which, in the main, are aimed at providing programmes of supervision or support for young offenders and defendants, in the Greater Manchester probation area through its probation supervision grant scheme. An application in respect of a go-kart project is in the early stages of consideration. The Department of Education announced recently that Manchester is to receive £147,000 in 1992-1993 under its grants for education support and training programme for youth crime prevention schemes. Five estates are targeted and the schemes will focus on car crime and burglary.
As part of its programme of action on youth crime for 1993, Crime Concern is planning a series of regional seminars, one of which is to be held in the north-west, on best practice in diverting young people from crime.
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The Government are also considering what means might be needed to reduce offending by the very small group of persistent juvenile offenders.Wolds Prison
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what grade of staff member has been appointed race relations liaison officer at the Wolds prison.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The post of race relations liaison officer at HM prison Wolds is held by the training manager. Staff at Wolds are not ascribed grades as such.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults on staff there were at the Wolds prison between 1 July and 31 December 1992 ; and what was the average population of prisoners at the Wolds during this period.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : During the period in question there were 16 assaults on staff by prisoners. The average prisoner population was 195.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many disciplinary adjudications were carried out at the Wolds prison in the most recent convenient month ; in how many cases prisoners were found guilty ; in how many cases prospective loss of remission was ordered ; and what was the average number of days' remission forfeited.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : In December 1992, 71 adjudications were carried out at HM prison Wolds. Prisoners were found guilty in 62 cases and punishment of prospective added days was used in 22 cases. The average number of days forfeited was 3.8.
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults by prisoners on other prisoners took place at the Wolds prison between 1 July and 31 December 1992.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Twelve incidents of assault by prisoners on other prisoners took place at HM prison Wolds during the period in question.
Prison Staff (Ethnic Origins)
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many (a) black and (b) female prison officers, there were in 1963, 1970, 1980, 1990 and at the latest available date ; and what proportion these figures form of the total prison staff establishment ;
(2) how many (a) black and (b) female prison governors, there were in 1963, 1970, 1980, 1990 and at the latest available date ; and what proportion these figures form of the total number of prison governors.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Prison Service is currently in the process of conducting a voluntary survey of the ethnic origins of its staff, and until that survey is complete we shall not have comprehensive data. However, the tables set out the information currently available on staff who have recorded their ethnic origin as other than white.
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Prison officer grades
Total numbNumber of Number of women
officer grnon-white officers officers
|per cent. |per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 February 1993 |24,135 |173 |0.7 |2,106 |8.7
1 January 1990 |20,710 |26 |0.1 |1,711 |8.3
1 January 1980 |15,548 |<1> |- |629 |4.0
<1> Figures not available.
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