HL Deb 26 October 1989 vol 511 cc1618-9WA
Lord Lyell

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they intend undertaking an evaluation of the working of Section 39 of the Public Order Act 1986.

The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)

Section 39 of the Public Order Act 1986 was introduced into the Public Order Bill as it was going through Parliament in response to the depredations suffered by landlowners by members of the so-called peace convoy during the summer of 1986. The section provides the police with a power to direct trespassers to leave land in certain circumstances. Only if the trespassers knowingly fail to obey such a direction do they commit a criminal offence. Section 39 put in place entirely new powers for the police and introduced an accompanying criminal sanction. It has been in force for about two and half years. It has been the subject of representations by a number of people and organisations. In view of the time the section has been operative and because of the interest it has aroused we propose to institute an evaluation of how the section is working in order to obtain a clearer picture of the consistency and effectiveness of its application. Views on the section may be directed in writing to F8 Division, Home Office, 50 Queen Anne's Gate, London SW1H 9AT, to arrive by 31st December 1989.

ANNEX B(i)
CIVIL SERVICE NON-INDUSTRIAL ELECTED UNION REPRESENTATIVES ESTIMATES OF NUMBERS WITH PAID TIME OFF FOR INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DUTIES AND TRADE UNION ACTIVITIES [AS AT 31 ST MARCH 1989]
Table 1 5% and less 6–10% 11–20% 21–30% 31–40% 41–50% 51–60% 61–70% 71–80% 81–90% 91–99% 100% Total full time equivalent
DEPARTMENTS
1. Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 513 35 12 4 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 5 573 19
2. Customs and Excise 632 83 50 12 13 13 8 6 4 12 6 0 839 67
3.Ministry of Defence 938 147 55 17 14 7 4 2 1 0 0 24 1,209 82
4. Department of Employment Group 1,502 313 117 38 16 10 11 4 3 2 5 18 2,039 107
5. Department of Environment/Transport ExcPSA 390 66 32 2 4 7 0 0 2 3 0 19 525 41
6. Foreign and Commonwealth Office including Overseas Development Administration 84 11 10 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 115 13
7. Department of Health and Social Security 1,254 309 132 36 19 16 26 25 18 29 7 20 1,891 231
8. Home Office including Prison Department 1,043 165 82 14 13 3 11 2 2 2 8 14 1,359 89
9. Department of Trade and Industry 364 28 16 7 3 3 2 0 0 0 0 11 434 24
10. Inland Revenue 1,326 244 124 44 22 15 7 5 8 6 1 8 1,810 120
11. Lord Chancellor's Department 73 12 21 11 7 2 2 3 3 2 2 6 144 32
12. Department for National Savings 75 22 13 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 0 14 129 22
13. PSA —including Crown Suppliers 331 41 13 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 6 399 18
14. Scottish Office 141 15 10 3 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 7 180 14
15. Other Government Departments 1,043 100 60 20 5 21 3 2 2 3 0 17 1,274 101
Total 9,709 1,591 747 212 120 104 18 52 44 59 29 169 12,920 980

ANNEX B(ii)
COSTS OF NON-INDUSTRIAL UNION ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES
Table 2
Department Total Number expressed as whole time equivalent Cost in salaries wages and direct benefit (£ million) Costs as percentage of wage bill Total number of non-industrial staff at 31st March 1989
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 19 0.30 0.196 9,572
Customs and Excise 67 0.99 0.260 26,416
Ministry of Defence 82 1.17 0.095 88,709
Department of Employment Group 107 1.23 0.181 54,462
Department of Environment/Transport (excluding PSA) 41 0.59 0.198 19,733
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (including Overseas Development Administration) 13 0.12 0.191 9,443
Department of Health and Social Security 231 2.70 0.250 92,082
Home Office (including Prison Department) 89 1.28 0.206 37,691
Department of Trade and Industry 24 0.35 0.180 12,365
Inland Revenue 120 1.76 0.196 67,035
Lord Chancellor's Department 32 0.22 0.198 10,895
Department for National Savings 22 0.23 0.302 7,242
PSA (including Crown Suppliers) 18 0.28 0.124 13,763
Scottish Office 14 0.16 0.146 6,079
Other Government Departments 101 1.29 0.193 42,809
Total 980 12.67 0.186 498,296