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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 17 March 1993
NATIONAL HERITAGE
Fire Precautions
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the powers of the London Fire Brigade to inspect (a) the Tower of London, (b) Hampton Court and (c) Buckingham palace ; when was the last inspection in each case ; and if copies of each such inspection will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Brooke : As these are Crown properties, the London Fire Brigade has no power to inspect them. The properties are nevertheless required to comply with the provisions of the Fire Precautions Act 1971, with certification as appropriate by the Home Office fire service inspectorate.
The management of each of these properties consults the London Fire Brigade on specific issues. The fire brigade undertakes joint exercises in each property and makes familiarisation visits several times a year.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what action he has taken this year to safeguard visitors to the White Tower at the Tower of London and to maximise precautions against fire.
Mr. Brooke : Following the fire at Windsor in November, I set up an inquiry under Sir Alan Bailey to review fire precautions in the royal palaces, including the Tower of London.
I have asked the Master of the Armouries to write to the hon. Member about measures specific to the White Tower, for which the Royal Armouries has responsibility.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what action he has taken since April 1992 to examine fire precautions and the safety of visitors at Hampton Court palace.
Mr. Brooke : Following the fire at Windsor in November, I set up an inquiry under Sir Alan Bailey to review fire precautions in the royal palaces, including Hampton Court palace.
I have asked the chief executive of the Historic Royal Palaces Agency to write to the hon. Member about measures specific to Hampton Court palace, for which the agency has responsibility.
Television Licences
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many prosecutions took place in Pendle for television licence evasion for the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Brooke : Separate statistics for Pendle, which falls within the area administered by the Preston TV licensing
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inquiry office are not available. In 1992, there were 6,238 prosecutions for television licence evasion in the Preston TVLEO area.Concessionary Television Licences
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what guidance was issued to local authorities and others about the change in entitlement to concessionary television licences ; when the guidance was issued ; and if he will place a copy of such guidance in the Library.
Mr. Brooke : No guidance was issued to local authorities at the time about the effect of the Wireless Telegraphy (Broadcast Licence Charges and Exemption) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 1988. But the changes to the concessionary television licence scheme which these regulations introduced were explained to the House by the then Home Secretary on 18 May 1988 and a press release was issued on the same day by the Home Office.
Museums (Security Vetting)
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will estimate the costs of security vetting (a) one museums support grade member of staff and (b) one member of staff employed by a contract security firm ; and what ongoing non-security costs are borne in relation to the latter.
Mr. Key : The security arrangements at the National Museums and Galleries are the responsibility of the trustees, who have a statutory responsibility for managing their particular institution. They may consult the security advisor at the Museums and Galleries Commission.
Television Programmes
Mr. Stephen : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what action he is taking within the institutions of the European Community and the Council of Europe to prevent the transmission of violent or pornographic television programmes into British homes.
Mr. Brooke : We are exploring with the European Commission the scope for United Kingdom action under the EC broadcasting directive (89/552/EEC) against pornographic satellite channels based in another EC member state. No action is possible under the Council of Europe convention on transfrontier television as it is not yet in force. The convention, which the United Kingdom and seven other states have ratified, will come into force on 1 May 1993.
Departmental Spending
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what percentage share of total departmental spending was accounted for by non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1979.
Mr. Key : The information requested is shown in the table. Figures for the years prior to 1987-88 are not available.
|Per cent.
------------------------------
1987-88 |87.88
1988-89 |85.36
1989-90 |88.02
1990-91 |89.65
1991-92 |89.40
1992-93 |82.86
1993-94 |81.55
Local Authority Services
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Hams (Mr. Steen) on 10 November 1992, Official Report, columns 687-89, if he will include Scottish local authorities in the examination of local provision of arts, theatres and library facilities which is being carried out by a firm of consultants ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Brooke [holding answer 16 March 1993] : On libraries, the Scottish Office will be involved with the work of the steering committee overseeing the exercise. Whether any Scottish local authorities will be among the pilot projects themselves has yet to be determined. The possibility that Scottish local authorities might be included with English ones in a single consultancy study of local authority management of arts facilities is under consideration.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Hams (Mr. Steen) of 10 November 1992, Official Report. columns 687-89, if he will make a further statement concerning (a) the remit of the consultants who are to examine the local authority provision of library services, arts and theatre facilities, (b) the choice of consultants, (c) the expected cost of the investigation and (d) when he expects to receive the final report from the said consultants.
Mr. Brooke [holding answer 16 March 1993] : The steering committee which will oversee the pilot projects on libraries will begin work soon. One of its first tasks will be to decide the remit of any associated consultancy work and a procedure for appointment. Broadly, the remit for the consultants who will be undertaking the study of local authority arts facilities will be to make recommendations on how efficiency in this area of local authority management might best be improved through the introduction of increased competition. I expect to make further announcements in due course concerning both libraries and arts facilities ; these will also cover the costs and timetables for consultancy work involved.
NATIONAL FINANCE
BCCI
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had concerning the content of the second report of the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee, Session 1992-93, on "Banking Supervision and BCCI : The Implications of the Bingham Report".
Mr. Nelson : My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has discussed the report with colleagues and officials. I have also met the hon. Member and a delegation of BCCI depositors.
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Insider Dealing
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received from the City Group of Smaller Companies in respect of changes to insider dealing in the Criminal Justice Bill [Lords] ; what reply he has sent ; what action he will be taking ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nelson : The City Group of Smaller Companies has written to the Treasury setting out some suggested amendments to the proposed insider dealing legislation contained in the Criminal Justice Bill. Representatives of the group met Treasury officials on 15 March to discuss the suggestions in greater detail.
The Government are grateful for the representations made by the group and will give them careful consideration in readiness for the Criminal Justice Bill's remaining parliamentary stages.
Trade Gap
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on how Government policies are promoting the closing of the United Kingdom's trade gap.
Mr. Portillo : I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 17 February 1993, Official Report , column 210 .
Motor Cars
Mr. Hunter : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his assessment of the implications of the Budget statement for the United Kingdom motor car industry.
Mr. Dorrell : The Budget will benefit industry, including the motor industry, by ensuring that the recovery is sustainable. The motor industry is already playing an important part in the recovery and has benefited significantly from the abolition of car tax. Yesterday's Budget completed the switch in taxation from car purchase to car use which the Chancellor announced in his autumn statement.
Yesterday's Budget also included two proposals of particular importance to the motor industry : a clear indication of the Government's intentions on fuel taxation and a new structure for the taxation of company cars from April 1994. Both changes will provide the industry with a stable background against which to plan future investment.
IMF
Mr. Denham : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the progress of the International Monetary Fund's visit to Brazil to discuss a new accord.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 16 March 1993] : It is not for a United Kingdom Minister to comment on the status of negotiations between fund staff and third countries.
Companies
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what percentage of the United Kingdom's gross domestic product is generated by (a) publicly quoted companies and (b) private companies.
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Mr. Nelson [holding answer 16 March 1993] : The latest estimate of the proportion of the United Kingdom's gross domestic product that is generated by companies is for 1991, when it was 53.7 per cent. A split between publicly quoted and private companies is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mortgage Tax Relief
Mr. Alan Milburn : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will provide a table showing the number of recipients of higher rate mortgage interest tax relief for each year since 1979-80 in the United Kingdom by region ;
(2) if he will provide a table showing the number of recipients of mortgage interest tax relief for each year since 1979-80 in the United Kingdom by region ;
(3) what was the total value of providing higher rate mortgage interest tax relief for each year since 1979-80 in the United Kingdom by region (a) at current prices and (b) at 1979-80 prices ; (4) pursuant to his answer of 17 June 1992, Official Report, columns 537-38, to the hon. Member for Angus, East (Mr. Welsh), if he will (a) update the table with the
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latest information he has available on mortgage interest tax relief and (b) provide the information at both 1979- 80 prices and cash prices.Mr. Dorrell [pursuant to his answer, 25 February 1993, c. 686-88] : I regret that three figures in the first two tables were printed incorrectly. For completeness the corrected answer is restated in full as follows :
Information for the total of mortgage interest relief is in the tables. The regional distributions for 1979-80 to 1982-83 have been derived from the relevant surveys of personal incomes. However, following the introduction of mortgage interest relief at source in April 1983, regional information cannot be extracted from Inland Revenue records. Broad estimates for the years 1983-84 to 1991-92 have accordingly been based on analyses of the family expenditure surveys for the years concerned.
Reliable estimates of the value of and the number of recipients of higher rate mortgage interest tax relief by region are not readily available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
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Cost of mortgage interest relief<1>
£ million
|1979-80 |1980-81 |1981-82 |1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92<2><3>|1992-93<2>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |60 |80 |70 |95 |100 |140 |180 |200 |210 |250 |310 |350 |310 |230
Yorkshire |110 |155 |150 |160 |210 |260 |340 |350 |360 |370 |460 |510 |450 |340
North West |135 |200 |180 |215 |260 |330 |440 |490 |510 |530 |690 |770 |640 |500
East Midlands |85 |115 |110 |130 |180 |230 |300 |320 |330 |340 |430 |480 |410 |340
West Midlands |145 |160 |190 |170 |230 |280 |370 |350 |360 |430 |550 |620 |510 |400
East Anglia |45 |50 |60 |75 |90 |130 |170 |170 |180 |220 |270 |300 |250 |180
Greater London |235 |280 |290 |260 |400 |500 |670 |620 |650 |780 |980 |1,100 |710 |740
Other South
East |375 |555 |600 |650 |740 |950 |1,270 |1,220 |1,260 |1,350 |1,750 |1,940 |1,510 |1,390
South West |110 |140 |170 |140 |230 |300 |400 |380 |400 |520 |660 |730 |570 |480
England |1,300 |1,735 |1,820 |1,900 |2,440 |3,120 |4,140 |4,100 |4,260 |4,790 |6,100 |6,800 |5,360 |4,600
Wales |45 |65 |80 |80 |110 |150 |200 |210 |220 |180 |240 |270 |230 |190
Scotland |85 |125 |120 |140 |190 |260 |350 |300 |310 |370 |470 |530 |420 |340
Northern Ireland |20 |35 |30 |30 |40 |50 |60 |60 |60 |60 |90 |100 |90 |70
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
United Kingdom |1,450 |1,960 |2,050 |2,150 |2,780 |3,580 |4,750 |4,670 |4,850 |5,400 |6,900 |7,700 |6,100 |5,200
<1> Excludes option mortgage scheme (1979-80 to 1983-84).
<2> Provisional.
<3> Higher rate relief was abolished in 1991-92.
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Cost of mortgage interest relief at 1979-80 prices<1>
£ million
|1979-80 |1980-81 |1981-82 |1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92<2><3>|1992-93<2>
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |60 |70 |50 |60 |60 |70 |100 |110 |110 |120 |150 |150 |120 |90
Yorkshire |110 |130 |110 |110 |130 |140 |200 |190 |190 |190 |220 |220 |180 |130
North West |135 |170 |130 |140 |160 |180 |250 |260 |260 |270 |320 |340 |260 |190
East Midlands |85 |100 |80 |90 |110 |120 |170 |170 |170 |170 |200 |210 |160 |130
West Midlands |145 |140 |140 |110 |140 |150 |210 |190 |190 |220 |260 |270 |200 |150
East Anglia |45 |40 |40 |50 |60 |70 |100 |90 |90 |110 |130 |130 |100 |70
Greater London |235 |240 |220 |170 |250 |270 |380 |340 |340 |390 |460 |480 |280 |280
Other South East |375 |470 |450 |430 |470 |510 |720 |660 |660 |680 |820 |850 |600 |530
South West |110 |120 |130 |100 |150 |160 |230 |210 |210 |260 |310 |320 |230 |190
England |1,300 |1,480 |1,350 |1,260 |1,530 |1,670 |2,360 |2,220 |2,220 |2,410 |2,870 |2,970 |2,130 |1,760
Wales |45 |60 |60 |50 |70 |80 |110 |120 |120 |90 |110 |120 |90 |70
Scotland |85 |110 |90 |90 |120 |140 |200 |160 |160 |180 |220 |230 |170 |130
Northern Ireland |20 |30 |20 |20 |20 |20 |40 |30 |30 |30 |40 |40 |40 |30
United Kingdom |1,450 |1,680 |1,520 |1,420 |1,740 |1,910 |2,710 |2,530 |2,530 |2,710 |3,240 |3,360 |2,430 |1,990
<1> Excludes option mortgage scheme (1979-80 to 1983-94).
<2> Provisional.
<3> Higher rate relief was abolished in 1991-92.
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Number of mortgagors (thousands)<1>
|1979-80 |1980-81 |1981-82 |1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92<2><3>|1992-93<2>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |280 |280 |290 |310 |380 |390 |410 |420 |440 |520 |540 |550 |560 |560
Yorkshire |580 |570 |560 |560 |680 |700 |730 |740 |770 |770 |780 |800 |800 |780
North West |730 |730 |720 |750 |900 |940 |970 |1,000 |1,040 |1,110 |1,140 |1,160 |1,180 |1,130
East Midlands |380 |380 |420 |450 |560 |590 |610 |650 |680 |660 |670 |680 |690 |750
West Midlands |610 |540 |530 |510 |630 |660 |690 |730 |750 |860 |870 |890 |890 |870
East Anglia |190 |160 |180 |210 |260 |270 |280 |310 |320 |350 |360 |370 |370 |370
Greater London |750 |720 |660 |620 |770 |800 |840 |900 |930 |1,010 |1,020 |1,040 |1,050 |1,020
Other South
East |1,320 |1,410 |1,420 |1,560 |1,850 |1,870 |1,910 |1,910 |1,980 |1,930 |1,970 |2,020 |2,040 |2,130
South West |410 |400 |420 |440 |560 |610 |650 |730 |750 |840 |850 |870 |880 |870
England |5,250 |5,190 |5,200 |5,410 |6,590 |6,830 |7,090 |7,390 |7,660 |8,050 |8,200 |8,380 |8,460 |8,480
Wales |230 |230 |240 |270 |350 |370 |390 |420 |430 |390 |400 |410 |410 |440
Scotland |320 |340 |320 |360 |450 |480 |500 |520 |540 |640 |660 |670 |680 |700
Northern
Ireland |90 |100 |90 |90 |110 |120 |120 |120 |120 |120 |140 |140 |150 |180
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
United Kingdom |5,890 |5,860 |5,850 |6,130 |7,500 |7,800 |8,100 |8,450 |8,750 |9,200 |9,400 |9,600 |9,700 |9,800
<1> Excludes option mortgage scheme (1979-80 to 1983-84).
<2> Provisional.
<3> Higher rate relief was abolished in 1991-92.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Sentencing
Mr. Stephen : To ask the Attorney-General if he will ensure that upon the conviction of any person of a crime to which section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 applies, written notice is given to the victim of that crime or his or her relatives that the
Attorney-General has a right of appeal, with leave of the Court of Appeal, if the sentence passed for that crime is unduly lenient.
The Attorney-General : There are well-established procedures within the Crown prosecution service and other prosecuting authorities for drawing to my attention cases where a reference to the Court of Appeal under section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 might be appropriate. My power to seek leave under the Act applies to all offences triable only upon indictment. There does not appear to be any lack of public awareness of the availability of the reference procedure.
Northumberland Beagling Festival
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Attorney-General how many persons were charged with offences alleged to have been committed at the Northumberland beagling festival, Forestburngate, in September 1991 ; how many prosecutions were brought ; and what were the results of the prosecutions.
The Attorney-General : Thirteen people were charged with offences alleged to have been committed at the national beagle festival held in Northumberland during September 1991 and all were prosecuted. The results were that four were fined and ordered to pay prosecution costs, four were bound over to keep the peace, the charges against two were dismissed after full trial and the charges against three were not ultimately proceeded with.
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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Child Abduction
Mr. Olner : To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement about the future of court mediation services in respect of referrals of child abduction cases.
Mr. John M. Taylor : The future role, organisation and funding of mediation services is being reviewed, within the context of divorce law reform, as part of the Government's rolling programme for the reform of family law. The Government have no immediate plans to introduce special arrangements for mediation in child abduction cases.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Poverty Alleviation
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the World bank is taking to evaluate the effectiveness of its poverty alleviation activities ; when this evaluation is expected to be concluded ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle) on 1 March, at column 21.
Developing Countries
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the dates of forthcoming consultative group meetings for developing countries convened by the World bank or the United Nations Development Programme and the countries which will be discussed at each meeting.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The latest information we have on aid co- ordination meetings planned for the rest of 1993 is as follows : March :Laos, Philippines, Romania
April :Senegal, Zambia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Kyrgyzstan, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
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May :Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Uganda, Papua New Guinea, Egypt, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, MongoliaJune :Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Tanzania, India, Indonesia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikstan
July :Sri Lanka
Autumn :Ethiopia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Nepal
Dates to be determined : Nigeria, Vietnam, Lebanon, Russia, Ukraine, Bolivia.
The timing is subject to agreement in all cases with the Government concerned and slippage may occur because of unforeseen political or economic developments.
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what actions the United Kingdom executive director of the World bank has taken to ensure that developing country non-governmental organisations are fully consulted on the environmental and social impact of World bank projects and structural adjustment loans.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have consistently supported the World bank's policy of encouraging greater openness and consultation by its borrowers with local non-governmental organisations--NGOs. The bank requires prospective borrowers to make an environmental assessment, which is carried out at an early stage of project design, available to affected groups and local NGOs and to carry out meaningful consultations with them.
International Development Association
Mr. Denham : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what evaluation his Department has made of the effectiveness of the ninth replenishment of the International Develoment Association ; what were the conclusions of this evaluation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Commitments to specific projects and programmes under the ninth replenishment of IDA are still being made. Disbursements of funds to implement them will continue for some years. They will be subject to ex-post evaluation by the operations evaluation department of the World bank. I also refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 24 February at column 601.
Peru
Mr. Carrington : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on aid relations between the United Kingdom and the Government of Peru.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Given recent steps to restore democratic government in Peru, we have decided to resume those bilateral aid activities which were suspended in April 1992. Work will resume shortly on our offer of £3 million of programme aid and on new technical co- operation activities.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Medomsley Detention Centre
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Durham, North-West (Ms Armstrong) of 4
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March, Official Report, column 287, why the former HM detention centre at Medomsley, County Durham, cannot be converted into an institution for young offenders instead of being put on the property market ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Peter Lloyd : Medomsley is in a part of the country where there is already enough Prison Service accommodation. Resources would be required to replace dormitories with secure cells for it to meet present-day requirements. In the circumstances, its retention in the Prison Service estate cannot be justified.
Child Pornography
Mr. Ronnie Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what measures are being taken to prevent the production and distribution of child pornography in Britain ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what measures are being taken to prevent the flow of child pornography into Northumbria ;
(3) what representations he has received on the issue of child pornography in recent months.
Mr. Jack : The Government take the problem of child pornography extremely seriously, not least because we recognise that the production of such material often involves the commission of sexual offences against children. The criminal law already contains stringent provisions directed against those who seek to profit from this abhorrent trade. Thus, it is a criminal offence under the Protection of Children Act 1978 to take, distribute, show, advertise or possess with a view to distribution any indecent photograph, film or video recording of a child under the age of 16. The maximum penalty on conviction on indictment of these offences is a prison sentence of three years, an unlimited fine, or both.
In the Criminal Justice Act 1988, the law was further strengthened by the introduction of a new offence of possessing child pornography. For this offence, the maximum penalty on summary conviction is a level 5 fine-- currently £5,000. The criminal law also contains severe penalties for those convicted of the sexual abuse of children, including life imprisonment for those convicted of rape or buggery. The deployment of police resources in Northumbria against child pornography or any other unlawful activity is an operational matter for the chief constable, in the light of his assessment of the needs of his area. At present, however, we have no reason to believe that child pornography is a greater problem in Northumbria than elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
As I indicated in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Castle Point (Dr. Spink) on 5 February, Official Report, column 350, we are currently considering what improvements can be made in the enforcement of obscenity legislation. We have received a number of representations on this subject, including some which have been specifically concerned with child pornography, and we will announce our conclusions in due course.
Immigration Appeals
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals are outstanding at the Immigration and Nationality Department for (a) naturalisation, (b) registration, (c) political asylum and (d) general immigration casework.
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Mr. Charles Wardle : There is no right of appeal under nationality legislation. The available information on immigration cases is that the asylum and special cases division has about 1,550 outstanding cases and the after-entry casework division about 2,800 outstanding cases where an appeal has been lodged and an explanatory statement is awaiting preparation. Comparable figures for appeals casework at ports of entry are not held centrally.
Entry Refusals
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passengers arriving in Great Britain were refused entry at each port in the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The information requested is given in the table.
Passengers refused leave to enter the United Kingdom
and removed,
1992
Number of persons
Port |All nationalities
------------------------------------------------------
Aberdeen |24
Belfast |9
Birmingham |54
Bournemouth |2
Bristol |13
Cardiff |6
Dover East |2,292
Dover Hoverport |76
Dover West |428
East Midlands |6
Edinburgh |23
Felixstowe |147
Folkstone |51
Gatwick North |1,786
Gatwich South |1,505
Glasgow |106
Harwich |512
Heathrow 1 |1,001
Heathrow 2 |1,700
Heathrow 3 |2,711
Heathrow 4 |1,397
Hull |56
Liverpool |43
Luton |29
Manchester |229
Newcastle |1
Newhaven |177
Norwich |10
Plymouth |40
Portsmouth |64
Prestwick |6
Ramsgate |54
Southampton |21
Stansted |104
Thames/Medway |212
Tyne |56
|-------
Total |14,951
John Ryan
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what inquiries have been made into the death of John Ryan in Winson Green prison in 1987 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Immediately following John Ryan's death in the hospital unit at Birmingham prison in 1987, an inquiry was undertaken by the regional principal medical officer. In addition the senior medical officer at the prison, at the time, sent a report to the coroner.
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The inquest verdict was that Mr. Ryan died from electrolyte imbalance due to water depletion and to bronchopneumonia due to lack of care.Mr. Ryan's family sued the Department and at the Birmingham county court judgment was found against the Home Office. Negotiations are under way about the terms of a settlement with Mr. Ryan's family. Mr. Ryan's death in custody was a matter of great regret. The inquiries carried out in 1987 resulted in a number of changes in procedures for monitoring prisoners in the hospital unit. The director of health care services for prisoners is satisfied that the procedures which now operate at Birmingham should prevent the recurrence of such a tragedy.
Immigration Officers
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration officers are currently employed at the immigration and nationality department in each division and at each port of entry.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The number of immigration officers, chief immigration officers and immigration inspectors in post on 28 February is set out in the table.
Immigration and Nationality Department
|IO |CIO |Inspector
---------------------------------------------------------------------
IS (Ports Directorate) |7 |10 |6
IS (Enforcement Directorate) |120 | 28.5 |11
Personnel Management Unit | 18.5 |11 |5
Ports of Entry
Gatwick North | 118.5 |19 |4
Gatwick South | 161.5 |26 |5
Heathrow - Terminal 1 |111 |18.5 |4
Terminal 2 |189 |28 |5
Terminal 3 |244.5 |33.5 |5
Terminal 4 |161.5 |24 |4
Aberdeen |5 |1 |-
Belfast |6 |1 |-
Edinburgh |5 |1 |-
Glasgow |18 |3 |1
Prestwick |3 |1 |-
Hull |11 |2 |-
Immingham |4 |- |-
Leeds/Bradford |9 |2 |1
Newcastle |8 |1 |-
North Shields |8 |1 |-
Stockton |5 |- |-
Liverpool |9 |2 |-
Manchester |62 |8 |2
Preston |1 |- |-
Birmingham |31 |5 | 1.5
East Midlands |13 |3 |-
Midlands Enquiry Unit |12 |3 |0.5
Luton |17 |3 |-
Felixstowe |11 |2 |-
Harwich |35 |8 |1
Gravesend |10 |- |-
Norwich |5 |- |-
Southend |4 |- |-
Stansted | 58.5 | 7.5 |3
London City |8 |1 |-
Folkestone |19 |2 |-
Dover East | 160.5 |22 |7
Dover Hoverport |15 |4 |-
Dover West |22 |3 |-
Ramsgate |15 |2 |-
Sheerness |12 |2 |-
Bournemouth |4 |- |-
Poole |3 |- |-
Portsmouth |24 |4 |-
Southampton |12 |2 |1
Avonmouth |5 |1 |-
Bristol |4 |- |-
Cardiff Airport |4 |- |-
Cardiff Docks |5 |1 |1
Plymouth |8 |1 |-
Swansea |2 |- |7
Newhaven |16 |4 |-
Brize Norton |3 |- |-
| ------- | ------- | -------
Total |1,678 | 252.5 |46
| ------- | ------- | -------
Grand Total | 1,823.5 |302 |68
Firearms
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new firearm licences were issued in each year since 1979 ; and what is the total number of licences currently in force.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Statistics on the number of new firearm certificates issued since 1983 and the number in force at 31 December 1991 were published in Home Office statistical bulletin "Firearms Certificates Statistics, England and Wales, 1991"--issue 19/92. A copy of this bulletin is in the Library. Statistics on new firearm certificates issued prior to 1983 were not collected centrally.
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of firearm licences that have been withdrawn in each year since 1987.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The total number of firearm licences which were either revoked or had an application for renewal refused in England and Wales since 1987 is given in the table.
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