§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what demurrage charges were involved in the unloading of the Brewster houses in the Falkland Islands.
§ Mr. RaisonDemurrage costs amounted to £284,000.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why he decided that Brewster houses should be on six sites, rather than one as originally planned.
§ Mr. RaisonSites for the new houses were identified by the Falkland Islands Government and involved more than one site from the outset.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is his policy for formulating rents for Brewster houses in the Falklands.
§ Mr. RaisonPolicy on the formulation of rents for Government-owned houses in the Falkland Islands is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Brewster houses in the Falklands have been let to overseas aid staff associated with his Department.
§ Mr. RaisonEleven houses have been allocated to aid personnel.
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§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the cost of the James Brewster contract for Falklands housing has escalated since the reply, Official Report, 14 December 1983, c. 469, to the hon. Member for Linlithgow.
§ Mr. RaisonThe latest cost estimate of the project remains at under £7 million.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a three-bedroom Brewster bungalow has been allocated to one unmarried aid worker in the Falklands.
§ Mr. RaisonI understand that the local housing committee in the Falkland Islands has so allocated one of the Brewster bungalows.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the Brewster houses contract in the Falklands is behind schedule.
§ Mr. RaisonThe programme is behind schedule due to delays occasioned by breakdowns in shipping, delays in unloading at Port Stanley, the use of contractors staff to assist with unloading and difficulties faced by the local public works department in preparing the necessary infrastructure for the houses.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the value of the trucks bought for the Brewster contract for Falklands housing; and what was the cost of the 40-tonne crane needed for the Brewster housing contract and of shipping it to the South Atlantic.
§ Mr. RaisonTwo tipper trucks were bought for on-site work for the housing contract at a cost of £43,446 fob. The cost of the crane was £76,450 fob. The separate cost of shipping the crane cannot be identified since it formed part of the first shipload of housing components sent to the islands.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why it took 27 days to unload the ships carrying Brewster homes to the Falklands.
§ Mr. RaisonLarge quantities of supplies, equipment and materials had to be sent to the Falkland Islands to meet the requirements both of the civilian population and of the garrison. This resulted in congestion at the port due to the limited unloading facilities available.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons MV Alsterberg had to move during the unloading of Brewster homes in the Falklands.
§ Mr. RaisonI understand that the Alsterberg was able to complete its unloading without having to move.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs at what cost he commissioned James Brewster to provide missing pieces at Callaghan road in the Falklands.
§ Mr. RaisonCertain replacement parts are currently being shipped to the Falkland Islands for the houses on Callaghan road at no cost to Her Majesty's Government under the contractor's all risks policy.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to what extent his Department 569W is stripping Brewster houses in the Falklands of fittings in order to reduce rents; what is happening to the fittings stripped for this purpose; and if he will define the nature of the fittings.
§ Mr. RaisonI am not aware of any fittings being stripped from the Brewster houses to reduce rents. Housing policy and the charging of rents is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government who are offering houses for rent unfurnished, partly furnished and fully furnished. The Falkland Islands Government propose to offer for sale hard and soft furnishings surplus to requirements.
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will name the firms who tendered for the contract of 54 houses in the Falklands.
§ Mr. RaisonThe firms were as follows:
- J. Brewster Associates (Myresjo)
- R. B. Farquhar Ltd.
- Gee, Walker Slater
- Hallam Group
- JMJ/Guildway
- Laing (Superhouse)
- Miller Construction/Octagon Contracts (Scansystem)
- Oil Fab/Walker Timber
- Pauling/MBD (Puntalo)
- Pauling (Lockwood)
- Taylor Woodrow (Swiftplan)
§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why £500,000 was spent on importing equipment to the Falklands for the construction of Brewster homes.
§ Mr. RaisonFollowing the cessation of hostilities there was insufficient equipment available on the islands to meet the requirements of a housing programme of this magnitude.
Youth custody trainees aged 15, 16 or 17 held in adult prisons† in England and Wales on 30 November 1983: by sex and length of service Sex Length of sentence Total Number* 21 days to 4 months Over 4 Over up to 6 months Over 6 up to 9 months Over 9 up to 12 months Over 12 months Adult prisons with young offender wings Male 4 23 6 10 18 61 Female — — — — — — Other adult prisons† Male 5 23 11 20 35 94 Female 2 5 — 1 2 10 * The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate: detailed checking of individual cases would involve disproportionate cost. † Including Ashford, Manchester and Risley remand centres.
§ Mr. Berminghamasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will provide details of the total number of males under the age of 21 years sentenced to periods of imprisonment in youth custody centres and detention centres during the first six months of the scheme's operation, broken down by age and length of sentence;
(2) if he will provide details of the total number of females under the age of 21 years sentenced to periods of imprisonment in youth custody centres and detention centres during the first six months of the scheme's operation, broken down by age and length of sentence.
§ Mr. HurdWe plan to publish shortly a statistical bulletin giving details of the information so far available