HL Deb 05 May 1999 vol 600 cc678-9

2.45 p.m.

Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will publish, or place in the Library, their response to the Amnesty International document EUR 45/23/98 UK Briefing for the UN Committee Against Torture.

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, the Amnesty International document was not addressed to the Government. It was submitted direct to the UN Committee Against Torture for its oral examination regarding the United Kingdom's Third Periodic Report on the Convention. That examination took place on 16th November 1998, when the UK supplemented its written report with answers to the questions raised by the committee. Unfortunately, the UN has not yet published a record of the hearing. When it is available, the noble Lord will be able to see the detailed answers supplied to the committee. I understand that the committee complimented the UK on its Third Report and noted some positive developments since the previous report, including the introduction of the Human Rights Act and the Northern Ireland peace process.

Lord Hylton

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his reply and pay tribute to his personal concern for prisons and prisoners. Will he accept that the Amnesty report illustrated clearly the wide-ranging dangers to the most vulnerable people in this country, whether they are in custody or at liberty? Will the noble Lord give some examples of current progress in providing better safeguards for such people?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I accept the noble Lord's congratulations on behalf of my noble friend Lord Williams, who is abroad at present. He is the Prisons Minister and certainly deserves the noble Lord's tribute.

Perhaps I may give a single example, referred to in the Amnesty report; namely, that of Category A prisoners. Category A prisoners are now no longer held in separate prisons but in units in five dispersal prisons, where they have rights to education, employment, physical education and recreation, offending behaviour programmes and rights of association.

Lord Archer of Sandwell

My Lords, did my noble friend observe in the Amnesty report the worrying number of deaths in police custody arising from asphyxia caused by inappropriate restraint techniques? Are the Government taking action to ensure that all forces receive regular training in techniques which are effective but are much safer? While my noble friend is reflecting on that, can he shed any light on the curious statistic from the Government's own research report that someone arrested by the Metropolitan Police is over six times more likely to die in custody than someone arrested by a provincial force?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, on the first question, regarding deaths in custody from asphyxia, in the study to which my noble friend refers, in only 8 per cent of the cases examined between 1990 and 1996 may another person's actions, which may include restraint leading to asphyxia, have been associated with the death. However, my noble friend is right. We need better figures on restraint. We have been carrying out a full review which will be available next year. There is a new training syllabus, and 80 senior investigating officers have been trained. On the issue of the higher proportion as regards the Metropolitan Police, perhaps my noble friend will allow me to write to him.

Lord Avebury

My Lords, is the delay in the publication of the transcript of this hearing an outcome of the decision of the United Nations not to publish any documents until they are translated into all working languages of the UN? Will the Government work for the reversal of that inane decision?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I am not aware that that is the reason for it. I understand that, although it is not unusual for UN documents to take some time to appear, this delay is due to pressure of work at the office of the High Commission where priority has been given to publication of the written findings of the committee.

Lord Harris of Greenwich

My Lords, as this Question relates to torture, is the noble Lord aware that many noble Lords have been considerably gratified by the Government's announcement to increase the number of Kosovan refugees who come to this country?

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

My Lords, I do not believe that I should respond to that, but I do with gratitude. I believe that the noble Lord expresses a view that is widely shared throughout the country.