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Identity Cards

5. Mr. Renton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in favour of the introduction of a compulsory British identity card. [18986]

Mr. Howard: Of over 3,000 responses we received to the Green Paper on identity cards, 1,700 were in favour of the introduction of an identity card and of these 800 favoured a compulsory card.

Prison Service

14. Ms Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about the study commissioned by his Department into relations between the Home Office and the Prison Service. [18995]

Miss Widdecombe: The hon. Member is referring to the in-depth study recommended by General Sir John Learmont. As my right hon and learned Friend told the House on 16 October, Official Report, columns 30-44, we have set work in hand in response to this recommendation. The work was assisted initially by Miss Kate Jenkins and then taken forward by discussions between Prison Service and Home Office officials--but no in-depth study as recommended by Sir John Learmont has been commissioned. We have had a number of general inquiries in connection with this but no representations as

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such. My right hon. and learned Friend has undertaken to give a full response to the Learmont recommendations in due course and this remains the position.

Neighbourhood Watch Schemes

15. Mr. Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many neighbourhood watch schemes currently operate in Leicestershire; what was the figure five years ago; and if he will make a statement. [18996]

Mr. Maclean: There are currently 2,701 neighbourhood watch schemes in Leicestershire. At the end of December 1990 there were 1,245. This is an increase of 116 per cent. In Leicestershire, as in the rest of the country, more and more people are realising the benefits of neighbourhood and street watch.

Trials

16. Mrs. Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to improve trials. [18997]

Mr. Maclean: The Government have introduced a number of initiatives to improve the way in which the criminal justice system operates. The Criminal Procedure and Investigations Bill, currently before the House, contains measures which will further improve the preparation of cases and the conduct of criminal trials.

New Technology Developments (Funding)

17. Mr. Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how he intends to fund developments in new technology. [18998]

Mr. Maclean: New technology developments are funded directly by public capital provision, or indirectly through grant and credit approvals, or the private finance initiative and challenge funding, such as the closed circuit television initiative.

Cautions

18. Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his policy relating to cautions. [18999]

Mr. Maclean: Cautioning should continue to be used, but only where it is an adequate response to the particular circumstances of the offence and of the offender.

Fire Service College

20. Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the financial deficit shown in the annual report and accounts of the Fire Service College. [19002]

Mr. Sackville: The Fire Service College's accounts for 1994-95 show cumulative deficit of over £7 million. The intention is that the college should continue as a trading fund. A number of measures have already been taken or are under active consideration which are intended to strengthen the college's financial position and to secure its place as the central provider of both command and specialist training for the UK fire service.

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Persistent Criminals

21. Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policies he has to deal with persistent burglars and drug pushers. [19003]

Mr. Maclean: My right hon. and learned Friend announced last October proposals which would require courts to impose stiff minimum prison sentences on persistent burglars and drug dealers. I will be publishing a White Paper shortly setting out full details of these proposals.

Policemen on the Beat

22. Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of policemen on the beat. [19004]

Mr. Maclean: Police officers on the beat are crucial to the fight against crime which is why there is a national objective for high visibility policing. Patrol work, properly directed and targeted, is an effective tool in increasing community safety.

Policing (East Sussex)

23. Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve policing in East Sussex. [19006]

Mr. Maclean: The chief constable of Sussex police is responsible for policing East Sussex. The Sussex police authority's budget this year increased by 16 per cent.--or £20.2 million--over 1994-95. The force have said that total police strength should increase by 130 in 1995-96. Spending will increase by a further £5.6 million or 3.9 per cent. in 1996-97.

Knives and Imitation Guns

24. Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to control the sale of offensive knives and imitation guns. [19007]

Mr. Maclean: An amendment dealing with the sale of knives and other items was accepted during Committee stage of the Offensive Weapons Bill on Wednesday 6 March. The effect of the amendment is to make it an offence to sell to someone under the age of 16 any knife, knife blade--or razor blade--any axe or any other article which has a blade or which is sharply pointed and which is made or adapted to cause injury to another person.

Any imitation firearm which can be readily converted to fire live ammunition is subject to stringent licensing control. Licensing the sale of possession of other imitation firearms would be neither feasible nor effective in combating misuse.

Fire Stations (Docklands)

25. Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his assessment of the increased risk to life and property in the docklands area of London consequent on the proposals to reduce the number of appliances in fire stations covering that area. [19008]

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Mr. Sackville: Responsibility for making any such assessment rests with the London fire and civil defence authority. If an application is received from the authority to remove appliances from the docklands area, my right hon. and learned Friend will take advice from Her Majesty's inspectorate of fire services on whether the nationally recommended standards of fire cover will be maintained.

Social Security Officers (Police Co-operation)

26. Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many chief constables have reported the non-co-operation of local social security officers when asked by the police for addresses for serving warrants for arrest. [19009]

Mr. Maclean: I have received no reports of any difficulties.

Crime Prevention (South-west)

27. Mr. Mark Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support he has given for crime prevention initiatives in the south-west. [19010]

Mr. Maclean: We support crime prevention initiatives nationally in several ways, for example by encouraging the formation of neighbourhood watch and other watch schemes, and by our support for crime concern.

In the south-west in particular, a safer cities project was established in Bristol as part of phase 1 of the safer cities programme, while there is a project at Plymouth under phase 2. There is also a drugs prevention initiative team working in Avon and Somerset, delivering a programme of work which involves local people. There were 14 successful bids from the south-west in the first round of the closed circuit television challenge competition, worth over £450,000.

Public Bodies

28. Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria he uses in deciding appointments to public bodies for which he has responsibility. [19011]

Mr. Howard: My appointments to public bodies are governed by the overriding principle of selection based on merit, taking account of the skills and experience needed by the bodies concerned.

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department have a statutory base, and which (a) publish their advice to Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament (i) under a statutory requirement and (ii) voluntarily. [20097]

Mr. Howard [holding answer 12 March 1996]: The following advisory non-departmental bodies which are sponsored by my Department:


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In addition, boards of visitors may at the discretion of each board publish their annual reports. 1 In these cases, the bodies concerned meet a statutory requirement. In other cases, the bodies act voluntarily.

Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (a) hold public meetings, (b) conduct public consultation exercises, (c) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interests, (d) publish a register of members' interests, (e) publish agendas for meetings and (f) publish the minutes of meetings (i) under a statutory requirement and (ii) voluntarily. [20114]

Mr. Howard [holding answer 12 March 1996]: The following advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by my Department:


The activities listed are undertaken voluntarily by the bodies concerned except for the parliamentary Boundary Commissions which are statutorily required to hold local inquiries in public if certain conditions are met and also to conduct public consultation exercises.

None of the advisory non-departmental public bodies which my Department sponsors publishes a register of members' interests, agendas for meetings or minutes of meetings.

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