To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of staff are (a) employed by his Department and (b) on duty between 10 am and 5 pm to answer hon. Members’ immigration telephone hotline calls; and what the average number of calls per day has been since its establishment. (138858)

[holding answer 23 May 2007]: The Border and Immigration Agency MPs’ Hotline employs 16 members of staff with up to nine call agents and four supervisors on duty to answer telephone calls between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm. The Border and Immigration Agency has received on average 126 calls per day from Members of Parliament, the House of Lords and Members of the Devolved Legislatures during the period of 1 June 2003 to 11 May 2007, which is the only period where statistical information is available.