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Firearms Compensation
Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list by each firearm compensation category and by each police area, the outstanding claims which have not been settled in terms of (a) numbers and (b) amounts; [70575]
- (2) what is the total amount paid out to date in firearms compensation since 1997. [70574]
Mr. Boateng:
£72.8 million has been paid so far in compensation. Detailed information about the number, category and value of claims outstanding in each police area is not readily available. Overall, there are around
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10,000 claims awaiting payment offers under Option C of the schemes, the great majority of which will have received payments under other options. The aim remains to make offers on the outstanding claims by the end of March.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requests he has received from the U.S. court in respect of the enforcement of its order that Louise Woodward should not profit from her conviction. [70572]
Mr. Boateng:
As a matter of policy, we do not normally comment on the fact or substance of requests from other governments for mutual legal assistance in relation to criminal matters. The recent out-of-court settlement of private civil proceedings brought in the United States against Ms Woodward by the parents of Matthew Eappen, which is reported to have included undertakings not to profit from any sale of the story in relation to this case, could not be the subject of such a request.
Mr. Malins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the effect on the numbers of au pairs coming to the United Kingdom of the decision by the Department for Education and Employment to include them within the minimum wage provisions; and what representations his Department has made about the matter to the Department for Education and Employment. [70374]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I have been in contact with my colleagues at the Department of Trade and Industry, who are responsible for the National Minimum Wage provisions. I have made no study of the kind referred to by the hon. Member.
Mr. Campbell-Savours:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek a report from the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester on the reasons for police interviews of women in connection with the conviction of Owen Oyston for rape in the last six months. [70720]
Mr. Boateng:
I understand that witnesses were contacted by the Greater Manchester Police following the service of a subpoena on the Chief Constable requiring him to disclose material from the criminal proceedings for the purposes of a civil action against Mr. Oyston. Officers contacted witnesses to advise them of the civil proceedings and to seek their consent to the disclosure of their statements. Officers have not taken statements or conducted interviews on behalf of the plaintiff to the civil action.
Mr. Heppell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in how many cases since 1991 discretionary power has been exercised for the release on compassionate grounds of (a) long-term and (b) life prisoners; [70392]
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Mr. George Howarth:
Following the coming into force of section 30 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 on 1 October 1997, the release on compassionate grounds of life prisoners is considered under that Act. Section 36(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 now applies only to determinate sentence prisoners.
Prison Service records show that 54 determinate sentence prisoners (including long term) and 18 life sentence prisoners were released on compassionate grounds between the implementation of section 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, in October 1992, and the end of 1998.
When considering compassionate release on medical grounds, the Secretary of State applies the following criteria in all cases:
Mr. Alan Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to introduce payments for special constables. [70947]
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Mr. Boateng:
None. A pilot scheme was conducted in Dorset between 1991 and 1993 whereby special constables who performed 125 hours duty in a six month period qualified for a bounty payment of £200. The results of the scheme were inconclusive and the Police Service did not consider that a bounty should be mandatory for special constables.
During its review of 1995-96, the Special Constabulary Working Group received evidence suggesting that the overwhelming majority of special constables valued their voluntary status highly and did not want this to be changed. As a result, the Group concluded that a bounty should not be paid to special constables and recommended that the regulation enabling the discretionary payment of a limited bounty should be repealed. We agree with this recommendation and the relevant regulation will be repealed later this year.
Mr. Alan Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to recruit more special constables. [70952]
Mr. Boateng:
We support the police forces' recruitment campaigns by holding a Specials Week during which I and a number of my ministerial colleagues attend events held by forces around the country to highlight and promote the service provided by special constables. To complement these activities, some forces are supported with local press and radio advertising costing £500,000. In addition, the Home Office has produced a recruitment video, a series of posters, and a recruitment brochure for the forces.
Mr. Alan Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total number of special constables currently serving in each police authority area; and what is the cost. [70953]
Mr. Boateng:
The provisional figures for the number of special constables in post in each police force area in England and Wales on 30 September 1998 are:
(2) what criteria he applies in the exercise of his powers under section 36(1) of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 regarding the release of prisoners on compassionate grounds under licence. [70393]
the prisoner is suffering from a terminal illness and death is likely to occur soon; or the prisoner is bedridden or similarly incapacitated; and
the risk of re-offending is past; and
there are adequate arrangements for the prisoner's care and treatment outside prison; and
early release will bring some significant benefit to the prisoner or his/her family.
In the case of determinate sentence prisoners, compassionate release may be considered where tragic family circumstances exist, in which case the criteria are as follows:
the circumstances of the prisoner or the family have changed to the extent that if he/she served the sentence imposed, the hardship suffered would be of exceptional severity greater than the court could have foreseen; and
the risk of re-offending is past; and
it can be demonstrated beyond doubt that there is a real and urgent need for the prisoner's permanent presence with his/her family; and
early release will bring some significant benefit to the prisoner or his/her family.
In addition, in the case of all determinate sentence prisoners the following factors are considered:
whether temporary release under the Prison Rules could significantly reduce the prisoner's and/or family's suffering;
the length of the sentence still outstanding; the effect on the overall sentence passed by the court if early release is granted; and any remarks which the trial judge made on sentencing which may have a bearing on the question of release;
the wishes of the prisoner and his/her family and the level of benefit which would derive to the prisoner and/or the family from permanent release; and
in medical cases, the diagnosis and prognosis; in particular whether there is a specific estimate of life expectancy; and the degree of incapacitation.
The Secretary of State may also release a determinate sentence prisoner if he is satisfied that other exceptional circumstances exist.
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The costs of special constabularies are not collected centrally.
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