681
Wildlife and Countryside
80 c. 66. || The Highways Act
1980.
1981 c. 22.
The Animal Health
Act 1981.
1981 c. 37.
The Zoo Licensing
Act 1981.
[19 OCTOBER 1981]
In section 31(10) the
words or of that subsection " wards.
on-
Section 340(2)(d).' In Schedule 5, para-
graph 1.
In section 4(5), the cntries relating to the Protection of Birds Acts 1954 to 1967 and the Con- servation of Wild Creatures and Wild Plants Act 1975.'
The Earl of Avon: My Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in the said amendments. These amendments complete, and in the case of Amendments Nos. 251 and 256 correct, the list in Schedule 16 of enactments which are to be repealed as a consequence of the Bill. I beg to move. Moved, That this House doth agree with the Com- mons in the said amendments.-(The Earl of Avon.)
On Question, Motion agreed to.
262
263
COMMONS AMENDMENTS
In the Title, line 5, after first' animals' insert to amend the law relating to protection of certain mammals; '.
line 6, leave out from amend' to end of line 7.
The Earl of Avon: My Lords, I beg to move that this House doth agree with the Commons in the said amendments. These are technical amendments which are required as a result of the amendments made to Clause 12 and Schedule 7, to which the House has already agreed. I beg to move.
Moved, That this House doth agree with the Com- mons in the said amendments.—(The Earl of Avon.)
Lord Melchett: My Lords, very briefly, may I simply reiterate the thanks which have already been expressed during previous stages of the Bill in particular to the noble Earl, Lord Avon, and to the noble Earl, Lord Ferrers, who took part in some of the earlier debates on amendments. To the qualities which have been noted in the noble Earl, Lord Avon, I think we must add a remarkable speed in dealing with amendments towards the end of the Bill, for which I am sure not only I but many other noble Lords are extremely grateful. I am very grateful to him for the courtesy and kindness with which he has dealt with the very many points that have been raised by myself and by my various noble friends at different stages of the Bill. I have the feeling that, had it been up to the noble Earl, we should have had a much better Bill than we actually have, but the fact that it is a better Bill than it was when it was introduced is certainly in no small part due to his efforts. We are very grateful to him.
The Earl of Avon: My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Melchett, for what he has said. I have been learning throughout this session on the Wildlife and Countryside Bill, and think I have learned quite a lot from the noble Lord opposite.
On Question, Motion agreed to.
Bill returned to the Commons with the amendments.
Bill [H.L.]
682
Written Answers
PRISONERS: MENTAL HEALTH
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prisoners have been transferred to special hospitals under the Mental Health Act 1959 since 20th March 1980 whilst they were on hunger strikes, or at the end of their sentences respectively; how many prisoners have been forcibly fed since that date, and of those, how many were considered by the consultant to have their capacity for rational judgement impaired by illness.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Belstead): Of the prisoners transferred to special hospitals since 20th March 1980 none was recorded as refusing nourishment at the time of the transfer and 10 were transferred within three weeks of the date on which they were due to be released from prison. Since 20th March 1980 four prisoners have been artificially fed. In all four cases a psychiatrist from outside the prison medical service had confirmed the prison medical officer's opinion that the prisoner's capacity for rational judgement was impaired.
PRISONERS: RACIAL DISCRIMINATION ALLEGATIONS
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether prisoners with a complaint relating to alleged racial discrimination are allowed to com- mence proceedings against the prison authorities without first seeking permission from the same authorities.
Lord Belstead: Governors have been advised that any application by an inmate to a court which con- stitutes the institution of proceedings must be posted without delay. An inmate may write to a solicitor about a complaint against the prison authorities, provided that he has first raised the matter through internal procedures and has received a reply. This requirement is currently under review.
PRISONERS:
ASSOCIATION AND EXERCISE
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
In how many closed prisons is evening association allowed and, within this number, in how many exercise period is reduced in accordance with Standing Order 6A-12h.
Lord Belstead: Evening association is generally allowed at closed training prisons. In local prisons opportunities for evening association are very limited because of the numbers of prisoners held therein and constraints on resources. There is no centrally held information on the number of prisons in which the exercise period is reduced for prisoners who are employed indoors and have evening association.
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