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"Corpus Juris"
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 28 October 1997, Official Report, column 778, concerning the document "Corpus Juris", under what authority and terms of reference and for what reason this paper was produced; and by what Ministerial Council of the Community and under which article or treaty any formal proposal would be made. [17319]
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Mr. Michael:
I have no information about the provenance of the document beyond the fact, which is stated in the introduction to the document and was referred to by my hon. Friend in his earlier question, that the work was done by researchers at the request of the Director General for Financial Control of the European Commission.
As has been made clear, the paper has no status beyond that of a possible discussion document, for the commissioning of which no formal Treaty base is required. None of the recommendations has been formally proposed in the Council, nor has the paper itself been formally presented to or discussed in any European Union forum. If the Commission were formally to table proposals arising from the text, it would be for it alone to decide where, and on which Treaty base, to introduce them; that would clearly depend on the content of such proposals. In some areas to which the text refers, e.g. police and judicial co-operation, the Commission
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does not have any formal right of initiative. Any proposal in these areas would therefore need to be presented by a member state.
Since the document covers issues which span the First and Third Pillars of the Treaty on European Union. I do not think I can usefully speculate about which article might be used if a formal proposal were made or which Ministerial Council might be involved.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants for asylum from Nigeria have (a) been granted refugee status, (b) been given exceptional leave to remain, (c) not yet had their application determined and (d) been removed to Nigeria for each of the last 10 years and for 1997 to the latest available date. [18101]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The information requested is given in the table.
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(19) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 with "*"= 1 or 2 and "n/a"= not available.
(20) Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications made in same year.
(21) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.
(22) Provisional. January to October.
(23) Relates to position at end of September 1997.
(24) Refused asylum seekers removed from the United Kingdom--includes persons removed to countries other than those of their nationality.
(25) Includes any voluntary departure up to and including notification of the decision on the asylum application but excludes any subsequent departure.
(26) Includes removals under enforcement powers and those departing voluntarily following enforcement action but excludes all other voluntary departures.
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Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been charged following incidents in Campsfield Detention Centre last August; and if he will make a statement. [18079]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Following the disturbances at Campsfield House detention centre on 20 August, a thorough investigation of the events was conducted by Thames Valley Police. Thirteen detainees were charged initially with violent disorder. Twelve were remanded in prison custody and one was granted bail. On 12 November, charges against four of the detainees were dropped and they were returned to immigration detention.
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The remainder have now been charged with riot. They appeared at Oxford Magistrates' Court on 28 November and were remanded to reappear in January 1998.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost of damage to Campsfield Detention Centre following incidents in August. [18077]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The insurance assessors have estimated the total cost of the damage to Campsfield House to be £175,000.
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Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has issued to (a) ferry and (b) Channel Tunnel Operators concerning the stamping of passports of passengers; and if he will make a statement. [18075]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
No official written guidance has been provided by the United Kingdom Passport Agency on the practice of stamping passengers' passports. I fully support the ferry and Channel Tunnel operators in their efforts to deal effectively with the unacceptable behaviour of certain passengers but the private stamping of passports by the ferry companies is an unorthodox approach which we have not sanctioned.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is offered to security companies undertaking administration of immigration detention on behalf of the Immigration Service. [18099]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
All Group 4 Total Security Ltd. and Wackenhut (United Kingdom) Ltd. staff employed under contract to provide detention management services are required to undergo a comprehensive training programme. This programme includes an immigration induction course; race awareness; self injury and suicide prevention; health and safety; control and restraint; first aid; domestic management; the welfare of and duty of care towards immigration detainees. Refresher training is provided after one year's service and at yearly intervals thereafter.
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the rules of court to be completed for section 3 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; and if he will make a statement.[17738]
Mr. Hoon:
I have been asked to reply.
Section 3 of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 introduces, amongst other things, the power for a civil court to grant relief to a victim of harassment by way of an injunction and whereby the breach of an injunction granted by that civil court may be dealt with as a criminal offence. Subsections 3(1) and 3(2) are in force, and breach of an injunction made under those subsections may at present be punished as a contempt of court by up to two years' imprisonment. Rules and forms for subsections 3(3)-3(9) have been drafted for use by the High Court, county courts, the Crown Court and magistrates' courts to ensure that the process of treating a breach as a criminal offence works effectively. Consultation on these is under way and, as soon as it is complete, the outstanding subsections will be commenced.
Mr. Gareth Thomas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the level of publicly
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funded capital expenditure in the Cardiff County Council area in (a) 1995-96 and (b) 1996-97; and what's the planned expenditure for 1997-98. [17575]
Mr. Ron Davies:
These figures are not held centrally but the principal sums made available or committed over the past three years, totalling £376.4 million, include the following:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| CBDC | 232.0 |
| ERDF | 9.5 |
| WDA | 2.5 |
| Transport grant | 10.3 |
| Millennium Commission | 73.0 |
| SportsLot | 13.9 |
| Welsh Arts Lottery Fund | 17.3 |
| SDS/Welsh Capital Challenge | 9.4 |
| Wales Tourist Board | 0.7 |
| CADW | 0.3 |
| Heritage Lottery | 0.4 |
| Top Slice housing SCA | 7.1 |
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