§ Mr. SteenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the licences issued by his Department; for what purpose they are issued; and what are the administrative costs involved for each. [37597]
§ Mr. Howard[holding answer 16 July 1996]: The Home Office is responsible for a large number of licensing regimes; in most cases, the licences themselves are issued not by the Department but by bodies such as the Gaming Board, licensing justices, local authorities and the police.
A list of Home Office issued licences and, where available, their administrative costs are as follows:
- (a) Possession of prohibited weapons authority. Details of administrative costs, which are shared with the police, are not available.
- (b) Licences to regulate the supply, etcetera of controlled drugs and precursor chemicals. The total administrative cost to the Home Office for 1996–97 will be $481,000.
- (c) Licences under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. The total annual cost of the administrative and licensing system is £2.3 million.
558 - (d) Licences for the removal of human remains. Licences are administered free of charge and administrative costs are not available.