To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) posts, (b) full-time equivalent posts and (c) vacant posts there were at each civil service grade in the immigration and nationality directorate on the most recent date for which information is available; and if he will make a statement. (75162)

The information is set out in the following table:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Lin Homer was appointed director general of the immigration and nationality directorate; where the application for the job vacancy was advertised; how many applications were received for the position; and who made the final decision on the successful candidate. (75849)

Lin Homer was appointed as director general of the immigration and nationality directorate on 27 May 2005 and took up post on 1 August 2005. The post was advertised in the national press including The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph. It was also advertised on the Home Office jobs database and the civil service recruitment gateway. There were 40 applicants who responded to the advertisement. The appointment was approved by the Prime Minister with the agreement of the Home Secretary, on the recommendation of the head of the home civil service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what standard checks are made by the immigration and nationality directorate on its employees' right to work. (76194)

A range of pre-appointment checks are conducted for prospective employees including nationality and residence verification, immigration record checks and national security vetting.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many joint meetings between the officials of the immigration and nationality directorate and Jobcentre Plus have taken place over the past five years. (76195)

Officials, at a variety of levels and locations, in the immigration and nationality directorate meet with their counterparts in Jobcentre Plus on a regular basis. There is no central record of the number or content of these meetings so it is not possible to state how many have taken place over the Past five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff at the immigration and nationality directorate have been found not to have valid leave to remain in the United Kingdom in each of the past five years. (75202)

[holding answer 6 June 2006]: The Department's records show that one member of staff of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was detected as not having valid leave to remain in the United Kingdom in 2004.