§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What training has been provided for staff in the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Immigration and Nationality Department and the Prison Service respectively on the provisions of the Human Rights Act and their implications for the work of those departments. [HL1762]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton)All Lord Chancellor's Department policy and legal staff have been provided with training on the implications of the Act. This included introductory training, as well as more detailed training on the main departmental business areas. The Court Service will be undertaking it own programme for court staff before October 2000. Written guidance has also been made available to staff.
The Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate is due to start its Human Rights Act 1998 training programme in May this year. All Immigration and Nationality Directorate staff and staff working for associated public bodies will receive general guidance material and staff instructions will be revised later this year to take account of the Act. We intend to provide introductory seminars on the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights to almost 3,000 Immigration and Nationality Directorate staff. In addition, we intend to provide detailed, applied training later this year to over 400 staff whose roles require them to have more advanced knowledge of the Act.
In respect of the Prison Service, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 25 January to a Question from the noble Baroness, Lady Stern (Official Report, col. WA 191).