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Metropolitan Police

Mr. Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make additional appointments to the Metropolitan Police Committee. [54138]

Mr. Straw: I have today appointed the following as members of the Metropolitan Police Committee:











They will join the eleven existing members, who are Sir John Quinton, who will remain Chair, Miss Maria Callaghan, Mr. Thomas Chan, Councillor Maurice Heaster (Conservative, Wandsworth), Major General Malcolm Hunt, Councillor Margaret O'Neill (Labour, Bexley), Mrs. Shahwar Sadeque, Mr. Mark Souhami, Mr. Inder Uppal, Mr. Reginald Watts and Ms Rachel Whittaker.

Nine of the new members were nominated by the Association of Local Government, in response to my request for nominations reflecting the current make-up of London Boroughs. The tenth is the representative of the Outer London Metropolitan Police Group.

The new members will take up their appointments on 1 September 1998. The Committee's task will continue to be to advise me in relation to the discharge of certain of my functions as police authority for the Metropolitan Police. The functions in question are based on those

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which, outside London, are the responsibility of the police authorities established under the Police Act 1964, as amended by the Police Act 1996.

In particular, I look to the Committee to prepare for the Metropolitan Police Authority which we intend to establish as part of our proposals for a Mayor and Assembly for London.

The next couple of years bring new challenges, with the Crime and Disorder Bill, efficiency plans and the preparation for the Metropolitan Police Authority. The whole Committee has much to contribute on these and other key issues.

Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the funding of the transitional arrangements necessary to enable those parts of the Metropolitan Police District not within the Greater London boundary to be transferred to neighbouring police force areas in April 2000. [53213]

Mr. Michael: The changes to the Metropolitan Police District boundaries are expected to come into effect in April 2000. It is likely that transitional costs in transferring those areas not within the boundary of the proposed Greater London Authority to other forces will fall in the financial year 1999-2000. It is too early to give an accurate estimate of the size of such costs but they will be taken into account when considering the needs of the police areas affected.

Fire Safety

Mr. Heppell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 8 April 1998, Official Report, column 255, about the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997, when he expects to issue a consultation document on the Government's proposals for the amendments; and if he will make a statement. [54140]

Mr. George Howarth: As I explained on 8 April, the European Commission has expressed some concern about our implementation of the fire safety aspects of the European Framework Directive (89/391/EEC). We expect to be in a position to publish a consultative document on our proposals for amendments, to allay the Commission's concerns, in early August. Copies of the document will be available to hon. Members through the usual sources. However, as the House will be in recess at the time of publication, my hon. Friend and others may like to know that copies may also be had, free of charge, from Christians Limited, whose details are as follows:










Juveniles (Secure Accommodation)

Ms Beverley Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the provision of secure accommodation for juveniles. [54141]

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Mr. Straw: The Crime and Disorder Bill [Lords] will provide courts with more appropriate custodial remand and sentencing powers to deal with the most serious and persistent young offenders. To complement these changes, the Government have undertaken a review of all forms of secure accommodation for young offenders and young people held on remand. The Government believe that present arrangements for the provision and management of secure accommodation are inefficient and incoherent and are in need of reform. The review of juvenile secure accommodation was completed at the end of March and the Government have decided now on a programme of further work to be undertaken, a summary of which has been placed in the Library.

The main focus of this further work involves extending the role of the new Youth Justice Board for England and Wales, expected to be in place by October this year. The Crime and Disorder Bill already provides for the Youth Justice Board to advise on the setting of standards for secure accommodation for remanded and sentenced juveniles and to monitor the delivery of those standards. The Government have decided in principle to extend this role to include the commissioning and purchasing of secure accommodation for juveniles on remand and under sentence. This additional function will enable the Youth Justice Board to provide a much-needed central focus for the delivery of high quality secure facilities for remanded and sentenced young people. Subject to the outcome of further detailed work, the Government envisage that it should be possible for the Youth Justice Board to take on the function of commissioning and purchasing secure accommodation by April 2000. This will involve making an order under clause 42 (6) of the Crime and Disorder Bill.

A priority for immediate action is to improve the standard of care and quality of regimes in accommodation currently used for those remanded and sentenced as juveniles. Ninety per cent. of these young people are held in Prison Service accommodation. The Prison Service is already working on the development of new regime standards for juveniles and is planning to pilot improved regimes in two establishments, Werrington and Huntercombe Young Offender Institutions. Proposals to help achieve greater separation of juveniles from adult prisoners are also being taken forward. This work will pave the way for the introduction of the detention and training order, contained in the Crime and Disorder Bill, which will involve a programme of improved education and training to tackle offending behaviour, undertaken partly in custody and partly in the community.

The Government plan to set out their detailed proposals on the future role of the Youth Justice Board in respect of secure accommodation early next year.

Police Complaints Authority

Mr. Darvill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends to make further appointments to the Police Complaints Authority. [54142]

Mr. Straw: I have decided to appoint Mr. Ian Bynoe and Miss Mehmuda Mian as Members of the Authority.

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Mr. Bynoe has most recently been engaged in research work commissioned by the Institute for Public Policy Research. He was previously Legal Director of MIND (The National Association for Mental Health). He will take up his post on 3 August.

Miss Mian was until recently a senior caseworker in the Solicitors Practice Unit of the Office for Supervision of Solicitors. She will take up her post in the autumn.

Their appointments, which are initially for three years, bring to 13 the number of Members of the Authority, including the Chairman and Deputy Chairman.

Crime Prevention

Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his oral statement of 21 July 1998, Official Report, columns 914-28 on crime prevention, how much will be spent on the extension of closed circuit television in each of the next three years. [52522]

Mr. Michael: Further announcements on how the £250 million crime reduction strategy will operate will be made in the autumn.

Asbestos

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department issues to those constructing buildings for which it is responsible on the use of materials containing asbestos. [52314]

Mr. Straw: In each building contract that the Home Office enters, the contractor warrants that asbestos will not be used in constructing the works.

CS Spray

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the numbers of incidents when CS spray has been used by the police force in Gloucestershire for the most recent five years for which records are available; [51391]

Mr. Michael: Since 1 January 1996, there have been 46 Parliamentary Questions about police use of CS spray, and the Home Office has received 55 letters from hon. Members on the subject. Since 1 April 1997, 69 letters on the subject have been received from members of the public.

CS sprays have been discharged by Gloucestershire police officers in 138 incidents since its introduction there on 14 April 1997.

In December 1996, the Home Office Police Research Group published an assessment of police operational trials of CS spray. The trials involved 16 forces and took place between March and August 1996.

In October 1997, my right hon. Friend reviewed the available evidence relating to the use of CS spray by the police and confirmed our support for its use. During operational trials, it was found that CS typically took

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effect within five seconds. We have no doubt that, in many cases, its use has not only prevented injury to police officers and members of the public but prevented any injury to the person who would otherwise have been subject to physical restraint.

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