Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 11 November 2008
Olympics
Olympic Games 2012: Construction
[holding answer 23 October 2008]: £95 million to fund commencement of construction of the Olympic Village was originally allocated from Funders' Group contingency as an interim measure. The Funders’ Group have now confirmed that up to £22 million that has already been spent will be funded from Funders' Group contingency with the balance being funded by the ODA until funding arrangements are further considered, expected to be early in the new year.
Olympic Games 2012: Flowers
In line with the sustainability plan published last year, ‘Towards a One Planet 2012’, the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will seek to use natural materials and identify opportunities for using locally sourced plants where possible.
Sustainability is a rapidly evolving field and alternatives will be considered nearer the time when there are likely to be more options available.
Together with LOCOG and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) I am committed to making the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games as sustainable as possible.
Olympic Games 2012: KPMG
KPMG was instructed by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) with input from the Government Olympic Executive and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games to assist in the evaluation of the options analysis for:
venue options for Basketball which would include the final round of the Handball Competition;
review of the value engineering study conducted by the ODA in late 2007;
the use of the Royal Artillery Barracks at Woolwich as the venue for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games Shooting competitions;
the use of Greenwich for the Equestrian and Modern Pentathlon events during the Games;
the use of Eton Manor as the possible venue for Wheelchair Tennis, Paralympic Archery and training pools;
considerations stress value for money.
The KPMG report is yet to be finalised and therefore plans for any part of its publication, including the specific terms of reference, are still to be determined.
Wales
Departmental Conditions of Employment
The Wales Office has the following staff working on flexible terms:
(a) 82 per cent. work on a flexi-time basis
(b) no staff work on a job share basis, but some are part-time (3.6 per cent.)
(c) one member of staff (1.8 per cent.) has a formal arrangement to work more than four hours a week from home, and other staff members work on this basis on an ad hoc basis.
Departmental ICT
Since the creation of the Wales Office in 1999 there have been no reported thefts or losses of memory sticks, laptop computers, desktop computers and hard drives, although there have been three reported losses of mobile phones, one in 2004, one in 2006 and one in 2007.
Departmental Official Residences
I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson) on 14 July 2008, Official Report, column 1W.
Departmental Security
Since 2001 we have recorded a loss of three security passes, two in 2006 and one in 2008.
These passes solely gain access to the Wales Office and are immediately removed from the internal database.
Prime Minister
Official Hospitality
I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I made on 22 July 2008, Official Report, columns 108-10WS, and the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Cleethorpes (Shona McIsaac) on 25 July 2007, Official Report, column 1108W. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor, the right hon. Tony Blair, on 11 October 2006, Official Report, column 788W, and the answer given by my noble Friend the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 21 July 2005, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA261.
Expenditure on other ministerial hospitality is a matter for the relevant Department.
Scotland
Airwave Service
The Scotland Office does not use Airwave technology and has no plans to do so.
Football: Racial Discrimination
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have had discussions with the Scottish Executive on a number of issues, however none specifically concerning anti-Irish racism at football matches involving Scottish clubs.
Tackling such issues falls to the Scottish Football Association and Scottish football clubs, in conjunction with the police. Sport and policing are devolved matters.
Football: Terrorism
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and I have had discussions with the Scottish Executive on a number of issues, however none specifically concerning chanting at football matches in Scotland.
Tackling such issues falls to the Scottish Football Association and Scottish football clubs, in conjunction with the police. Sport and policing are devolved matters.
Northern Ireland
Abortion Act 1968
Successive Governments have consistently said that extending the Abortion Act 1967 to Northern Ireland would need the most careful consultation there and that no change to the current arrangements should be made against the wishes of the people in Northern Ireland.
The Government believe that the best forum for taking decisions on this matter is the Northern Ireland Assembly once it has taken on responsibility for the criminal law.
Access NI
While the statistics requested are not available, I can confirm that a number of registered bodies and applicants have queried the information provided on the Disclosure Certificate. In a small number of these cases the certificate has been amended as a result. Statistical information of the kind requested will in future be collated.
While the statistics requested are not available, I can confirm that a significant number of letters, e-mails and telephone calls have been received complaining about various aspects of the service. The majority of these are related to the current delays in returning certificates. Statistical information of the kind requested will in future be collated.
Airwave Service
No organisation for which my Department is responsible use, or is planning to use Airwave handsets.
Bloody Sunday Tribunal of Inquiry
I am advised that the costs of the inquiry for each calendar month since February 2005 have been as follows:
NIO funding to the inquiry MOD legal costs Total 2008-09 April 499,141 25,377 524,518 May 332,889 11,454 344,343 June 189,141 18,812 207,953 July 375,454 21,150 396,604 August 346,626 22,358 368,984 September 406,974 27,884 434,858 Total 2,150,225 127,035 2,277,260 2007-08 April 286,425 20,946 307,371 May 325,249 25,896 351,145 June 300,272 15,978 316,250 July 940,194 27,058 967,252 August 338,424 22,305 360,729 September 507,882 17,983 525,865 October 234,884 25,629 260,513 November 462,529 22,189 484,718 December 239,949 21,362 261,311 January 453,054 25,255 478,309 February 599,295 23,167 622,462 March 365,839 22,194 388,033 Total 5,053,994 269,962 5,323,956 2006-07 April 351,827 22,192 374,019 May 4,033,188 24,689 4,057,877 June 706,742 26,602 733,344 July 353,425 42,161 395,586 August 954,094 18,323 972,417 September 330,117 21,305 351,422 October 219,749 29,300 249,049 November 716,369 25,984 742,353 December 576,040 27,861 603,901 January 415,493 27,826 443,319 February 360,675 20,670 381,345 March 501,147 18,293 519,440 Total 9,518,866 305,206 9,824,072 2005-06 April 551,126 38,093 589,219 May 448,943 27,278 476,221 June 665,401 60,196 725,597 July 762,083 53,926 816,009 August 1,201,478 27,437 1,228,915 September 574,566 11,327 585,893 October 662,000 30,054 692,054 November 488,252 31,803 520,055 December 455,719 47,323 503,042 January 439,321 31,390 470,711 February 456,188 36,448 492,636 March 456,892 26,650 483,542 Total 7,161,969 421,925 7,583,894 2004-05 February 1,629,280 31,696 1,660,976 March 698,762 70,821 769,583 Total 2,328,042 102,517 2,430,559
NIO funding to the inquiry covers expenditure by the Bloody Sunday inquiry, including staff, accommodation, IT, travel and legal costs for some participants.
Departmental Liability
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) publishes its annual contingent liabilities and those of its non-executive non-departmental public bodies as part of the Departmental Resource Accounts.
The following table shows the dates on which the NIO's Departmental resource accounts were issued in the last five financial years:
Date of Issue 2007-08 16 July 2008 2006-07 11 July 2007 2005-06 20 July 2006 2004-05 7 November 2005 2003-04 27 January 2005
Details of the Contingent Liabilities of Executive NDPBs are published separately in their respective resource accounts which are laid before the House in accordance with the deadlines set by Her Majesty's Treasury.
Departmental Procurement
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO), including its agencies, seeks to comply with 'The Better Payments Practice Code' for achieving good payment performance in commercial transactions. Under this code, the policy is to pay bills in accordance with contractual conditions or, where no such conditions exist, within 30 days of receipt of goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice, whichever is later.
The prompt payment results for 2007-08 showed that 91.6 per cent. of departmental and agency invoices were paid in accordance with the terms of the standard; this can be broken down as follows:
Body Paid on time (Percentage) Northern Ireland Office 89.9 Northern Ireland Prison Service 92.6 Forensic Science Northern Ireland 96.1 Youth Justice Agency 95.0 Compensation Agency 98.6
Any analysis relating to the size of the business can be completed only at disproportionate cost.
Mentally Ill Staff
In Northern Ireland, section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 ensures that equality issues, including disability, are integral to the whole range of public policy decision making. Public authorities such as the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) are required to submit equality schemes to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.
Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995) (as amended by article 5 of the Disability Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 2006), which came into force on 1 January 2007, introduced the ‘disability duties’ in Northern Ireland to reflect changes to disability legislation in Great Britain.
Under section 49B of the DDA 1995, the NIO is required to submit a disability action plan to the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. This plan sets out how it proposes to fulfil the disability duties in relation to its functions and monitor and report on progress.
The NIO is committed to a series of actions which we believe will help remove the attitudinal and environmental barriers experienced by many disabled people. The plan focuses on a number of key areas to help secure improvements: employment; accessibility; communication; and public appointments.
Employee engagement is key to the NIO’s Development and Health and Well Being Strategy and a crucial factor in motivating and retaining our employees.
Since April we have arranged a number of seminars and events which has raised employee awareness of physical and mental health issues and health related articles are published on the NIO’s internal intranet.
In recognising that stress can lead to mental illness we have in place policies on the prevention, recognition and management of stress at work and are currently delivering a “Managing Stress” course mandated for all managers.
The NIO also provides staff with the opportunity to attend the Occupational Health Service, to seek support from the Welfare Support Service or through an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). The EAP is complementary to the Welfare Support Service and provides an independent, confidential and professional counselling support service for all staff and their immediate family members. These services are available to all staff, and have benefited and assisted those who are absent because of sickness to return to work, and those who are in work to remain in work.
Those public sector bodies which are sponsored by my department but are separately designated with respect to section 75 are responsible for publishing and implementing their own disability action plans.
Transport
A12: Gidea Park
[holding answer 10 November 2008]: Responsibility for the A12, from central London to the London boundary and the section of the A127 within London, lies with the Mayor and Transport for London. Questions on such operational matters including any works carried out at Gallows Corner or plans for a new flyover should be directed to them.
Air Traffic Control: Illegal Broadcasting
The Office of Communications is the Government agency responsible for monitoring and prosecuting illegal broadcasters. NATS, the leading air navigation services provider, is a private company and questions concerning the extent of disruption to its air traffic control services should be directed to the company’s chief executive.
Airports
[holding answer 10 November 2008]: The published take-off field length for a Boeing 747 is 3,200 metres, assuming maximum take-off weight and full thrust, and the published landing distance (for a dry runway) is 2,250 meters.
Airports: Planning Permission
[holding answer 10 November 2008]: We intend to publish a National Policy Statement on airports, in due course.
Aviation
[holding answer 4 November 2008]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the question from the hon. Member for Richmond Park (Susan Kramer) on 3 November 2008, Official Report, column 46W.
Aviation: Fares
The following table shows the average UK one-way air fare, including taxes and charges, covering domestic and international flights.
Average air fare (£) 1997 203 1998 192 1999 163 2000 158 2001 143 2002 129 2003 112 2004 107 2005 101 2006 103 Notes: 1. ‘Fare’ includes all taxes and charges. 2. Covers domestic and international scheduled flights, but excludes transfer and charter passengers. 3. Domestic component based on a sample of routes where sufficient data available. Source: DFT analysis of CAA and IPS data.
Biofuels
The Government are currently consulting on proposals to slow down the rate of increase of obligation levels under the renewable transport fuel obligation. The impact assessment which accompanies the consultation examines the potential effects on investment in biofuel production in the UK only.
This assessment concluded that a slowdown, together with future European targets for biofuels, should still give an incentive to the biofuels industry to invest in new technology and domestic capacity. A 5 per cent. biofuel obligation is still proposed in 2013-14 rather than 2010-11 and the final level of investment in sustainable production is not expected to be significantly affected. However there may be differences in the short to medium term in how fuel suppliers meet the obligation.1
The views of consultees on the impact assessment and estimates of the effects on investment of the proposed slow down shall be taken into account by the Government.
1 Source:
Consultation on the Draft Renewable Transport Fuel Obligations, (Amendment) Order 2009, Annex D Impact Assessment; page 71.
Driving Tests: Standards
During the last 12 months, the Driving Standards Agency’s (DSA’s) Quality Assurance Teams (QATs) have quality assured 46.7 per cent. of DSA’s examiners.
The Agency’s QATs have also been used to assure the standards of delegated examiners (who primarily conduct bus and lorry driving tests). Delegated examiners are non-DSA personnel who are permitted, by the Secretary of State, to conduct driving tests. They are used by many police forces, fire and rescue authorities and some bus companies to conduct tests for their employees.
New arrangements were introduced for delegated examiners from 10 September 2008, including revised quality assurance procedures. Since then, DSA have quality assured 3.4 per cent. of them.
Driving: Licensing
There is no such specific research. However, the Department’s annual report “Road Casualties Great Britain” has since 2005 included information on factors that, in the opinion of the reporting officer, may have contributed to a crash. Included in the list of factors that can be reported are “uncorrected, defective eyesight” and “illness or disability, mental or physical”. The figures reported are:
Fatal accidents Serious accidents Slight accidents All Uncorrected, defective eyesight 2005 10 35 181 226 2006 4 47 158 209 2007 5 41 161 207 Illness or disability, mental or physical 2005 89 380 1316 1785 2006 75 393 1,379 1,847 2007 93 345 1,369 1,807
There is no information on how many of these cases involved drivers who should not have had a licence due to their health or eyesight.
We are currently reviewing the procedures by which health issues are addressed in the driver licensing system. However, all drivers have a duty to ensure they are fit to drive before doing so.
Where DVLA receives sufficient evidence of a relevant disability the driving licence can be revoked immediately.
There are procedures in place for police forces to inform DVLA where they suspect that a driver is: suffering from a medical condition affecting their fitness to drive. This is not dependent on whether or not a decision is made to prosecute the driver for any related road traffic offence. Where sufficient evidence is not provided immediately, an investigation will be conducted and, if the individual is assessed as unfit to drive, the licence is revoked. There are currently no proposals to change this approach.
The investigation of such accidents is a matter for the police. The introduction of such a condition on the licence is not currently judged to be either proportionate or appropriate.
While there is no legal obligation on doctors to notify DVLA, they do have a duty of care, not only to their patient but also to the general public. On this basis, they do have an obligation to report to DVLA instances where they consider a patient unfit to drive.
The General Medical Council (GMC) has issued guidelines to the effect that doctors should inform DVLA about unfit patients who they have advised should notify DVLA, but have failed to act on that advice.
There is no proposal to change this position.
Greater Manchester
The Department for Transport and its agencies do not directly fund either of the two organisations in question. Community Network for Manchester has received Government funding through Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and Working Neighbourhoods Fund. This funding has been provided through Manchester city council.
Heathrow Airport: Construction
[holding answer 10 November 2008]: Now that the period for public consultation has closed, it would not be appropriate for Ministers to enter into further discussion on Heathrow matters with individual Members. Today's debate will provide a further opportunity for all hon. Members to put on record their views and those of their constituents.
Heathrow Airport: Public Participation
[holding answer 4 November 2008]: The adding capacity at Heathrow equalities impact assessment consultation document was published on the Department’s website along with foreign language translations of the executive summary detailing how to respond, and was the subject of a press release.
Around 300 organisations were contacted directly by letter drawing attention to the consultation document and alerting them to the intention to hold discussions with stakeholders. These included among others, local authorities, charities and voluntary sector organisations.
A selected number of organisations identified by our independent consultants representing members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities, age and disability sectors were also invited to take part in some additional meetings to discuss the issues. Three of these meetings were held in the local community. No public exhibitions were held.
Monorails
The Department for Transport does not hold detailed information on monorail systems.
Railways: Construction
In due course, we intend to publish a National Policy Statement on National Networks, which will include our policy for the development of the national rail network.
Railways: Overcrowding
The information requested is currently published annually in aggregated form by the Office of Rail Regulation within its “National Rail Trends Yearbook” and is available on the ORR website. The latest published data relate to passenger counts carried out by train operators in autumn 2006.
Railways: Standards
Rail statistics are published by the Office of Rail Regulation. The latest data available are for 2006 and are published in the National Rail Trends Year Book for 2006-07, which is available in the Library of the House. The published crowding measure (which was first used by the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising in 2000) is based on an assumed standing room of 0.45 metres per standing passenger.
There are two specific variations to the published measure: Class 376 trains, operating on Southeastern services; and for services operated by Stagecoach South West Trains to and from London Waterloo.
New (Class 376) purpose-built vehicles ordered for Southeastern are configured to serve short-distance Metro passenger flows, and the stock has been specifically configured with low density seating and appropriate grab rails for standing passengers, to ensure that passengers can stand in relative comfort for short-distance journeys; the same is true for Class 455 units operated by Stagecoach South West Trains, on services that stop within 20 minutes of leaving London Waterloo. In these cases the standard is varied to 0.35 and 0.25 square metres respectively.
Road Traffic: Essex
The Kelvedon Phase 2 major maintenance scheme is already funded and will begin construction on 13 November 2008. The future programme of works for the financial year 2009-10 will include both the Witham Phase 2 works and the Hatfield Peverel Auxiliary Lane scheme, both being programmed for construction concurrently.
The Hatfield Peverel Auxiliary Lane section of the works will involve the construction of a southbound auxiliary lane between Junctions 21 and 20B of the A12, along with improvements to the northbound slip road at Junction 20B. This scheme will take place entirely within the current highway boundary.
There will not be any requirement for additional money for the construction of the schemes as all design and construction costs will be taken from the Highways Agency's regular funding.
Allocation of funding for schemes programmed to start during the financial year 2009-10 will be confirmed early 2009.
Roads: Accidents
The information requested is given in the table:
Child (0-15) Adult (16+) All Fatal Serious Slight Total Fatal Serious Slight Total Fatal Serious Slight Total 1992 310 7,434 36,443 44,187 3,908 41,144 216,056 261,108 4,229 49,256 257,268 310,753 1993 306 6,670 35,617 42,593 3,493 37,652 216,742 257,887 3,814 45,020 257,301 306,135 1994 299 7,226 37,627 45,152 3,320 38,552 221,960 263,832 3,650 46,540 265,169 315,359 1995 270 6,983 36,536 43,789 3,330 37,866 219,477 260,673 3,621 45,533 261,533 310,687 1996 270 6,719 37,848 44,837 3,304 37,085 229,597 269,986 3,598 44,499 272,481 320,578 1997 255 6,197 38,094 44,546 3,344 36,119 238,193 277,656 3,599 42,984 281,220 327,803 1998 206 5,873 37,366 43,445 3,213 34,315 238,393 275,921 3,421 40,834 280,957 325,212 1999 221 5,478 36,352 42,051 3,183 32,914 234,947 271,044 3,423 39,122 277,765 320,310 2000 191 5,011 34,513 39,715 3,211 32,382 237,129 272,722 3,409 38,155 278,719 320,283 2001 219 4,769 33,281 38,269 3,199 31,559 232,170 266,928 3,450 37,110 272,749 313,309 2002 179 4,417 30,093 34,689 3,221 30,846 226,169 260,236 3,431 35,976 263,198 302,605 2003 171 3,929 27,888 31,988 3,320 29,095 218,477 250,892 3,508 33,707 253,392 290,607 2004 166 3,739 27,095 31,000 3,037 26,790 212,539 242,366 3,221 31,130 246,489 280,840 2005 141 3,331 24,654 28,126 3,051 25,031 207,339 235,421 3,201 28,954 238,862 271,017 2006 169 3,125 22,229 25,523 2,994 25,057 198,442 226,493 3,172 28,673 226,559 258,404 2007 121 2,969 20,717 23,807 2,817 24,285 190,872 217,974 2,946 27,774 217,060 247,780 1 Includes cases where age of the casualty was not reported.
The information is also published in table C on the Department's website at the following web address:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/172974/173025/221412/221549/227755/315281/personaliniury.xls
Thames Gateway Bridge
Department for Transport officials have regular discussions with Transport for London regarding the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge. The Secretary of State and the Mayor met on 9 July and discussed the matter but further work was needed in order to address the issues raised at the inquiry. The proposed Thames Gateway Bridge is a Transport for London project however, and is therefore a matter for the Mayor. It would be inappropriate for me to make a statement.
Transport: Disabled
Transport for the London 2012 Olympic games and Paralympic games is the responsibility of the Olympic Deliver Authority (ODA). The ODA published their Accessible Transport Strategy in May 2008, which outlines the plans for ensuring that disabled persons can make best use of public transport to get to and from games venues and events. This includes the accessibility work streams under way on the London transport network, including improvements in accessibility at key stations such as Stratford Regional station and Stratford International, and other accessibility programmes such as London Underground’s “Step Free Programme”.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Crime
The information requested in respect of cautions covering the offences of (a) Drunkenness, (b) Drunkenness with aggravation, (c) Offences against the licensing acts, (d) other offences against intoxicating laws, and (e) selected motoring offences, is provided in the table. The Office for Criminal Justice Reform is unable to provide data for Hemel Hempstead as data are not collected at the level required.
The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery. The alcohol related offences presented in the table are not notifiable offences and do not form part of the arrests collection.
From data reported to the Ministry of Justice, with the exception of these offences, it is not possible to separately identify whether cautions or arrests for other offences were alcohol related.
2005 2006 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Cautions 17 19 19 11 8 8 10 2 PNDs 64 106 83 105 83 88 89 94 1 From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and final warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. 2 Includes offences of: (a) Drunkenness simple. (b) Drunkenness with aggravation simple. (c) Offences by licensed person. (d) Other offences against intoxicating liquor laws. (e) Driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. 3 Includes all alcohol related penalty notices for disorder: Drunk and disorderly Selling alcohol to person under 18 Selling alcohol to a person who is drunk Supplying alcohol to a person under 18 Purchasing alcohol for person under 18 in licensed premises Purchasing alcohol for person under 18 for consumption in a bar in licensed premises Delivering alcohol to person under 18 or allowing such delivery Being drunk in a highway, other public place or licensed premises Consuming alcohol in designated public place Consuming alcohol by person under 18 in licensed premises Allowing consumption of alcohol by person under 18 in licensed premises Purchase of alcohol by a person under 18 4 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. 5 Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
Alcoholic Drinks: Young People
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 30 June 2008, Official Report, column 711W.
I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given on 10 June 2008, Official Report, column 18W.
Information held on the court proceedings database cannot be broken down by constituency.
Asylum
Statistics on the location of asylum seekers in the UK are linked to the available information on the support that the asylum seeker receives. A detailed breakdown by regional location of those asylum seekers not in receipt of support would only be available at disproportionate cost by examination of each of the individual case records.
The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support broken clown by parliamentary constituency are published on a quarterly basis and are available from the Library of the House. Tables are placed in the Library of the House on a quarterly basis and are named "Asylum seekers supported in accommodation, by UK Government Office Region and Parliamentary Constituency" and "Asylum seekers in receipt of subsistence only support, by UK Government Office Region and Parliamentary Constituency". These regional breakdowns are available from December 2002.
The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support broken down by UK Government Office Region and local authority are also published on a quarterly and annual basis. Copies of these publications are available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
[holding answer 27 October 2008]: No Government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally and this includes failed asylum seekers. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately and that remains the case.
As part of the Government's 10-point plan for delivery, by December 2008 the majority of foreign nationals will be counted in and out of the country. This is part of a sweeping programme of border protection which also includes the global roll-out of fingerprint visas, compulsory watch-list checks for all travellers from high-risk countries before they land in Britain and ID cards for foreign nationals.
On 19 June 2008, the Government set out its plans to more robustly enforce the immigration rules including the removal of those not entitled to be here. Copies of the document are placed in the Library of the House. It is also available to view at:
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/?requestType=form&vie w=Search+results&simpleOrAdvanced=simple&page=1&content Type=AII&searchTerm=enforcing+the+deal&Submit=Go
This information is not available and could be obtained by examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
Records indicate that in both June and September 2007 9 per cent. of those asylum seekers required to report failed to do so at least once. This data is based on management information and is not a National Statistic. It should be treated as provisional as it is subject to change.
The information does not include asylum seekers reporting at police stations or failed asylum seekers who are subject to reporting restrictions. It refers to asylum seekers who have made an application for asylum and have not yet had an outcome.
Asylum: Iraq
Under the locally engaged staff assistance scheme UKBA can receive applications from current staff seeking entry under the direct entry scheme or the Gateway Protection programme and applications from former staff seeking entry under the Gateway Protection programme.
(a) Seven applications from current staff, are awaiting evaluation under the direct entry scheme. There are no applications from current staff awaiting evaluation under the Gateway Protection programme.
(b) The Gateway Protection programme is wider than the locally engaged staff assistance scheme. Under Gateway 102 applications from former Iraqi staff are awaiting evaluation and a further 58 from Iraqi nationals who are not nor have ever been employed by HMG. This includes all applications where a final decision in accordance with the Gateway policy has yet to be made.
Border and Immigration Agency: Correspondence
A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 6 November 2008.
e-Borders: Consultancy Fees
The e-Borders programme has spent £36 million on consultancy fees since the inception of the pilot project for e-Borders in 2004.
Prior to contract award the expenditure on procurement was £31.4 million, and on Project Semaphore was an additional £4.6 million. Post contract award (14 November 2007) the cost of consultancy services has been substantially reduced to just £1 million.
British Nationality: Assessments
[holding answer 6 November 2008]: The following table shows how many Life in the UK tests were taken in each accredited centre in the Government region of London.
Centre name Number of tests ABAAS Forest Gate 1,896 TBG Tower Hamlets 12,435 Anglo-British Academy of Advance Studies 12,567 Deltaclub Group 11,301 The Learning Line 11,527 Intech Centre 6,757 Southgate College 7,992 Best Computer Training—Whitechapel 6,371 Tottenham Learning Zone 16,475 HALS Wood Green Library 2,669 Exchange Group—Willesden 7,375 Akshar IT Centre 12,565 TBG Camden 3,260 The Sunrise Academy 16,018 PDA (Training) Ltd. 12,316 London Community College 10,668 Greenwich Community College 3,370 Next Education Limited 8,969 Exchange Group—Wimbledon 7,998 A4e Westminster 20,025 Iranian Association 8,299 Exchange Group—Kensington 9,686 Orpington Learndirect Centre 3,764 Learning Curves 13,453 Exchange Group—Ilford 7,379 Harrow College Adult Learners Centre 11,169 Exchange Group—Morden 1,963 Computer Learning Centre 6,890 Training and Assessment Services 11,968 E-Link 10,146 Note: Data supplied by University for Industry
[holding answer 6 November 2008]: The Life in the UK testing service is provided to UKBA by the University for Industry (Ufi) via a commercial contract. Contractually Ufi are required to maintain a minimum network of 28 test centres in the Government Region of London. As at 31 October there were 30 test centres.
The number and location of test centres is under constant review by Ufi and they have put a proposal to UKBA to reduce the minimum number of centres required in London to 21. UKBA is still considering the proposal and a decision is expected by the end of November.
Ufi are seeking to reduce the network as the number of tests taken has reduced from a peak of 43,000 in June 2007 to an average of 19,000 per month for the quarter ending September 2008.
Coastal Areas: Crime
Information is not available in the form requested. The Home Office collects and publishes statistics for seven key offences for each local authority area in England and Wales. It is likely that some seaside towns will equate to the local authority area. The local authority data is available at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/laa1b.xls
Although the Home Office does not currently collect recorded crime data at super output area (SOA) level for all police forces in England and Wales, data have been collected at this level for a selection of forces. These data are available on the neighbourhood statistics website at:
http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/
The Home Office intends to extend the coverage of the SOA recorded crime data collection, with full England and Wales coverage expected to be available during 2009-10.
Crime
The British Crime Survey (BCS) asks questions on worry about crime for three crime types: burglary, car crime and violent crime. The level of worry about burglary has been measured since 1992, and levels of worry about car crime and violent crime have been measured since 1998.
The latest figures from the 2007-08 BCS show that 12 per cent. of people report a high level of worry about each of burglary and car crime and 15 per cent. of people report a high level of worry about violent crime. Figures since 1992 are included in table 1 and can also be found in the Home Office statistical bulletin “Crime in England and Wales 2007/08”, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library.
Ints 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Statistically significant change, 2006-07 to 2007-08 Percentage with high level of worry about: Burglary 19 26 22 19 19 15 15 13 12 13 13 12 — Car crime n/a n/a n/a 22 21 17 17 15 13 14 13 12 — Violent crime n/a n/a n/a 25 24 22 21 16 16 17 17 15 — Unweighted base1 10,044 14,502 7,973 14,925 19,388 32,765 36,427 37,872 45,046 47,713 47,122 46,888 — 1 Unweighted bases refer to high levels of worry about burglary. Bases for violent crime will be similar but for car crime they will be slightly lower as based on those residing in households owning, or with regular use of, a vehicle only.
Crimes of Violence
The available information is given in the following tables. Bath and North East Somerset is a Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area. Data for violence against the person at CDRP level are only available from 1999-2000 onwards.
Number of offences Area Number of offences Rate per 1,000 population England 233,441 5 Avon and Somerset 9,614 7 Bath and North East Somerset n/a n/a n/a = Not available
Number of offences Area England Avon and Somerset Bath and North East Somerset 1998-99 Number of offences 470,689 12,333 n/a Rate per 1,000 population 10 8 n/a 1999-2000 Number of offences 543,114 12,921 1,108 Rate per 1,000 population 11 9 7 2000-01 Number of offences 562,679 15,376 1,198 Rate per 1,000 population 11 10 7 2001-02 Number of offences 613,869 17,686 1,640 Rate per 1,000 population 12 12 10 n/a = Not available Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
Number of offences Area England Avon and Somerset Bath and North East Somerset 2002-03 Number of offences 781,768 20,739 1,544 Rate per 1,000 population 16 14 9 2003-04 Number of offences 902,732 26,530 2,000 Rate per 1,000 population 18 18 12 2004-05 Number of offences 981,646 31,462 2,685 Rate per 1,000 population 20 21 16 2005-06 Number of offences 992,612 30,496 2,877 Rate per 1,000 population 20 20 17 2006-07 Number of offences 976,369 30,881 3,000 Rate per 1,000 population 19 20 17 2007-08 Number of offences 896,287 27,147 2,857 Rate per 1,000 population 18 17 16 Note: The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.
Departmental Data Protection
Except in exceptional cases, when it is in the public interest, it has been the policy of successive Governments not to comment on breaches of security or the criteria used to decide such matters.
Departmental Information Officers
Press and communications officers in the Home Office are employed at the Senior Information, Information and Assistant Information Officer grades. The following table gives details of the staff currently employed by the Department and its agencies in these grades.
Press Officers Communication Officers Total Home Office 32 21 53 UKBA 6 23 29 Total 38 44 82
Other specialist and generalist staff across the organisation may have communications as a core part of their role, as good communication is integral to helping implement Government policy. However information on the numbers of staff in this category is not held centrally and could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Also data on staff employed by non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
Press officers in the Home Office are employed at the senior information (SIO) and information officer (IO) grades. The total number of full-time equivalent press officers currently employed by the Department is 37.89 (this figure includes six regional press officers employed by UKBA).
Ministers undertaking engagements outside of London may also for short periods of time be assisted by press officers employed by the Government News Network (GNN). This assistance is demand led and information on the total amount of time spent in terms of full-time equivalents is not held centrally and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Departmental Internet
Page hits and visitors to www.homeoffice.gov.uk and its sub-domains for 2007-08 can be found in the tables placed in the House Library.
Running costs for www.homeoffice.gov.uk in 2007-08 are £620,000 (excluding staff costs). Running costs for www.homeoffice.gov.uk in 2008-09 are anticipated to be £620,000 (excluding staff costs).
Costs for all Home Office sites are embedded in budgets across the Department and could be extracted only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Official Hospitality
The Home Office systems do not separately identify the costs of food, alcohol, staff and accommodation related to entertainment separately and they could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However we do retain records for hospitality provided by both civil servants and Ministers. The spend for 2007-08, the last 12 month period for which there are audited figures, was £58,156.
Home Office expenditure on official hospitality and entertainment conforms to departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, which complies with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. Hospitality is defined as the provision of food, drink and entertainment of non civil servants where it is beneficial to the interests of the Department.
For the Department's agencies, the Criminal Records Bureau and the Identity and Passport Service’s spend could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Deportation
Of the 63,865 removals from the UK in 2006, 34,825 (55 per cent.) were persons refused entry at port and subsequently removed. This proves the success and strength of our border and juxtaposed controls. Figures are rounded to the nearest five and are provisional.
National Statistics on immigration and asylum are available from the Library of the House and the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
Detention Centres
The pilot of a mobile detention facility started in Northampton on 30 September and lasted for five weeks. The pilot covered the full range of operational scenarios our in-country enforcement officers face to test the facility's usefulness and how it complements, or adds to the existing fleet of vehicles available to the United Kingdom Border Agency.
The benefits will be assessed to determine whether the United Kingdom Border Agency wants to deploy additional vehicles of this specification in the future.
The mobile detention facility itself was adapted for this pilot from this existing fleet of vehicles, and on completion of the pilot it will continue to be available for operational tasking as required on a national basis.
[holding answer 20 October 2008]: One site in Scotland has already been identified as suitable for a future A2D pilot and the location and start date will be announced when contractual negotiations are complete.
Detention Centres: Finance
We do not differentiate costs between an adult and a person under 16-years-old in our immigration removal centres (IRC). The estimated average cost of holding a single person in an IRC is £130 per day.
Drugs: Crime
The information requested is not available.
The Home Office Drug Interventions programme (DIP) holds data on the number of people who test positive at arrest or charge in DIP intensive areas, and the offences for which they were arrested or charged. No information is available as to whether the individuals were convicted for the offence for which they were arrested or charged.
Drugs: Crime Prevention
In the last three years, the information returned to the Home Office through the CDRP Survey for England and Wales shows that the county of Glamorgan issued three crack house closures (Cardiff city and county), Caernarfonshire issued one (Conwy county borough council), Monmouthshire issued two (Monmouthshire county council) and Denbighshire issued nine (Wrexham county borough council).
Genetics: Databases
LGC and Cellmark have successfully applied for use of information from the national DNA database (NDNAD), to develop computer software to enhance use of the NDNAD and thus allow more suspects to be identified. Requests for the release of information must be approved by the NDNAD Strategy Board. The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 lays down that DNA samples and the profiles derived from them can only be used for the purposes of prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of an offence, the conduct of a prosecution or, since April 2005, for the purposes of identifying a deceased person. In accordance with this, no information has been supplied to private firms to assist with the development of software for any other purpose. The information supplied from the NDNAD was anonymised, that is, no details that would enable individuals to be identified were supplied to the private companies.
Illegal Immigrants: Employment
[holding answer 28 October 2008]: The information requested is set out in the table at annex A.
Prior to April 2005 the UK Border Agency did not produce regular reports on numbers of individuals arrested. The data provided is management information. It may be subject to change and does not represent published national statistics.
Total enforcement visits Number of arrests made 2005-06 3,748 3,774 2006-07 5,412 4,001 2007-08 7,178 5,589 Note: The data provided is management information. It may be subject to change and does not represent published national statistics.
Immigration
When considering applications for leave to enter or remain staff in the UK Border Agency must satisfy themselves that the applicant is validly married to the sponsor. The type of marriage is not recorded and therefore statistics are not available. I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 10 November 2008, Official Report, column 803W.
We set out in the Green Paper “The Path to Citizenship” that there would be three routes to citizenship—economic, family and protection—and a clear three-stage journey through temporary residence, a new stage of probationary citizenship and then British citizenship or permanent residence. Consideration is being given to each stage.
Immigration: Community Work
We want migrants who wish to make the UK their long-term home to integrate fully into our society and we want to reward migrants who make an effort to be active citizens with a quicker path to citizenship.
We have established a group with representatives from local government and the third sector to help us identify the most effective and practical way of implementing the proposal, including the most appropriate way we can verify that activities have taken place.
Immigration: Criminal Records
[holding answer 4 November 2008]: Grants of settlement 1997-2007 to persons previously granted exceptional leave to remain in the United Kingdom are published in Table 5.3 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom 2007".
This publication is available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/hosb1008.pdf
The Home Office does not collate statistics on the number of people with exceptional leave to remain who have been refused settlement in the UK and whether the reason for refusal was on the grounds of having a criminal conviction in the UK. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by undertaking a search of case files of all individuals with exceptional leave to remain who have applied for settlement in the UK since 1997.
Number of persons Category of grant 19973 19983 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 20044 2005 2006R 20075, P Grants in own right or on a discretionary basis (excluding spouses and dependants) On completion of four/five years6: in employment with a work permit 2,845 3,155 3,285 4,455 4,335 5,845 9,190 16,205 25,470 11,270 15,165 in permit free employment7 705 855 700 1,415 890 980 1,325 1,325 1,625 670 790 as business or self employed, or as persons of independent means 265 200 130 260 160 115 230 220 320 2,595 75 Commonwealth citizens with a United Kingdom-born grandparent, taking or seeking employment 1,110 1,675 2,240 2,580 3,255 4,060 5,275 4,755 4,795 1,900 1,675 British overseas citizens with special vouchers 220 170 220 160 140 60 * 5 * * — Refugees and persons given exceptional leave to remain: 4,830 6,675 22,505 25,355 17,965 18,235 12,185 19,025 33,850 19,075 10,250 Of which: recognised refugees8 2,405 4,270 1522,505 1525,355 1517,965 10,955 4,875 1,695 1,230 40 30 persons given exceptional leave to remain 2,425 2,405 15— 15— 15— 7,280 7,310 8,545 21,840 14,555 8,850 granted under the Family ILR exercise9 — — — — — — — 8,785 10,780 3,975 215 other asylum-related grants — — — — — — — — — 500 1,155 Other grants on a discretionary basis10 2,160 3,700 2,580 6,150 4,190 6,730 10,860 4,075 4,050 6,155 8,785 Total granted in own right or on a discretionary basis11 12,145 16,435 31,665 40,380 30,935 36,020 39,065 45,615 70,105 41,670 36,745 Spouses and dependants Husbands: settled on arrival 15 10 15 25 55 45 85 785 560 445 325 settled on removal of time limit 11,240 13,620 15,370 15,730 17,780 16,640 19,210 11,860 15,195 18,105 17,750 Of which: on basis of marriage12 10,700 13,010 14,565 14,460 16,850 15,470 17,275 7,985 8,540 15,185 13,495 at same time as wife 540 610 805 1,270 930 1,170 1,935 3,875 6,660 2,915 4,250 Total husbands 11,260 13,635 15,385 15,755 17,835 16,685 19,295 12,645 15,760 18,550 18,070 Wives: settled on arrival 150 125 150 165 240 190 275 2,450 2,080 1,300 795 settled on removal of time limit 20,250 22,165 24,800 30,750 30,745 30,535 37,480 22,780 28,130 33,170 28,330 of which: on basis of marriage12 16,160 18,390 19,945 24,100 26,590 24,930 30,560 12,520 15,205 26,365 22,405 at same time as husband 4,090 3,775 4,855 6,655 4,155 5,605 6,920 10,260 12,925 6,805 5,925 Total wives 20,400 22,290 24,950 30,920 30,985 30,725 37,750 25,230 30,210 34,470 29,125 Children: settled on arrival 1,535 1,430 1,710 1,520 1,730 1,505 1,590 7,485 5,385 5,105 4,390 settled on removal of time limit: 9,985 10,850 17,725 27,485 18,400 19,725 25,800 33,330 40,060 20,560 25,830 Of which: with parent accepted on basis of marriage 1,395 1,615 2,005 3,580 3,830 3,420 4,560 1,925 2,125 3,315 2,990 other 8,590 9,235 15,720 23,900 14,570 16,305 21,245 31,405 37,935 17,245 22,840 Total children 11,520 12,280 19,435 29,005 20,130 21,235 27,395 40,815 45,445 25,665 30,220 Parents and grandparents joining children or grandchildren: settled on arrival 295 285 265 265 295 215 90 100 260 405 355 settled on removal of time limit: 885 1,050 815 2,175 1,465 1,530 3,020 1,885 1,185 1,060 645 Other and unspecified dependants13 1,870 3,510 4,380 7,150 6,600 6,940 6,360 8,405 11,520 8,050 5,785 Total spouses and dependants 46,230 53,045 66,225 85,265 77,305 77,335 93,910 89,080 104,380 88,205 84,200 Claim to right of abode upheld and other grants 350 310 230 295 170 120 130 75 70 135 25 Category unknown14 — — — — — 2,490 6,175 4,440 4,565 4,440 3,880 Total 58,725 69,790 97,115 125,945 108,410 115,965 139,280 139,210 179,120 134,445 124,855 1 Swiss nationals are excluded from 1 June 2002—see Explanatory Notes and Definitions, paragraph 10. 2 Data from 2003 also exclude dependants of EEA and Swiss nationals in confirmed relationships granted permanent residence—see Explanatory Notes and Definitions, paragraph 12. 3 Includes a small number of EEA nationals. 4 Includes nationals of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia before 1 May 2004, but excludes them from this date. 5 Excludes Bulgaria and Romania. 6 In 2006, the qualifying period for settlement in all employment-related categories changed from four to five years. See Changes Affecting Statistics of Immigration Control, paragraph 2 (xv). 7 Includes ministers of religion, writers and artists. 8 Includes persons granted settlement under measures aimed at reducing the pre-July backlog as announced in the White Paper in July 1998. 9 Included In “other asylum-related grants” from April 2007. 10 Data for 2007 include persons granted indefinite leave outside the immigration rules under measures aimed at clearing the backlog of outstanding unresolved cases. See Changes Affecting Statistics of Immigration Control, paragraph 2 (xvl). 11 Includes Commonwealth citizens ordinarily resident on 1 January 1973 and for five years. 12 Includes civil and unmarried partners. 13 Data from 27 July 1998 to 2002 include husbands, wives and children of port asylum seekers given indefinite leave to enter. 14 See Explanatory Notes and Definitions, paragraphs 3 and 4. 15 Indicates brace.
Members: Correspondence
(2) when she will answer the Question tabled on 28 February 2008 by the hon. Member for Rossendale and Darwen on the case of Aso Mohammed Ibrahim; and what the reasons are for the time taken to provide a reply.
[holding answer 1 May 2008]: A response was sent to my hon. Friend on 8 September 2008.
Offences Against Children
The recorded crime statistics are based on legal definitions and the available statistics for sexual offences where the victim can be identified as a child are given in the following tables. We are only able to identify the sex of the victim for offences of rape.
Offence 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 Sexual assault on a male child under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a Rape of a female child under 16 n/a n/a n/a n/a Rape of a female child under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a Rape of a male child under 16 n/a n/a n/a n/a Rape of a male child under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a Sexual assault on a female child under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 153 181 155 169 Sexual activity involving a child under 13 n/a n/a n/a n/a Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 1,135 1,270 1,237 1,328 Sexual activity involving a child under 16 n/a n/a n/a n/a Abuse of children through prostitution and pornography n/a n/a n/a n/a Gross indecency with a child 1,293 1,365 1,336 1,654 n/a = not available 1 The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
Offence 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 Sexual assault on a male child under 13 n/a n/a 1,227 1,394 1,237 1,118 Rape of a female child under 16 n/a n/a 3,014 3,153 2,853 2,418 Rape of a female child under 13 n/a n/a 970 1,388 1,524 1,472 Rape of a male child under 16 n/a n/a 322 292 261 235 Rape of a male child under 13 n/a n/a 297 364 458 427 Sexual assault on a female child under 13 n/a n/a 4,391 4,647 4,245 3,976 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 13 183 212 n/a n/a n/a n/a Sexual activity involving a child under 13 n/a n/a 1,510 1,950 1,936 1,836 Unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl under 163 1,515 1,911 436 138 67 33 Sexual activity involving a child under 16 n/a n/a 2,546 3,283 3,208 3,100 Abuse of children through prostitution and pornography n/a n/a 99 124 101 110 Gross indecency with a child3 1,917 1,987 398 120 64 150 n/a = not available 1 The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 2 The Sexual Offences Act 2003 introduced in May 2004 altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences. 3 A small number of offences continue to be recorded relating to offences repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003; while these may continue to be legitimately recorded for offences committed prior to May 2004 it is also possible that some may have been recorded in these old categories in error, so recent changes based on small numbers should be interpreted with caution.
Offenders: Deportation
Case law and existing policy means that the UK Border Agency are only able to give consideration as to whether a foreign national who has committed a crime within the United Kingdom should be subject to deportation action until 12 months before the end of an individual’s sentence, except when their sentence length is shorter. As such the information requested is not available as it is not possible to provide an indication as to the eventual outcome of the case for a foreign prisoner who is currently serving their sentence.
The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Committee with the most robust and accurate information available. Copies of her letters are available in the Library of the House.
Having exceeded the Prime Minister's target of 4,000 deportations or removals of foreign prisoners in 2007, the Agency has now been set an even tougher target and aims to remove or deport more than 5,000 foreign prisoners in 2008. In the first six months of this year, the Agency had deported or removed nearly 2,500 which is a record performance, 22 per cent. higher than for the same period in 2007 and nearly 140 per cent. higher than in 2006.
Offensive Weapons: Arrests
The information requested is not available.
The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery.
From these centrally reported data we are not able to identify knife possession offences from within the main offence groups.
Personal Records
This information cannot be provided because details of individuals unable to leave the UK owing to missing documents are not held centrally
Police: Licensed Premises
[holding answer 27 October 2008]: A licensed premises which is open ‘late’ is not necessarily a problem premises. If a licensed premises is found to be breaching one of the four licensing objectives, then it may be reviewed (following application by a responsible authority such as the police, or an interested party such as a local resident) and conditions may be applied to solve the problem. The premises may also have its licensable activities curtailed if this is deemed necessary e.g. a reduction in hours for the sale of alcohol or, in more serious cases, suspension or revocation of the licence.
However, the Government introduced Alcohol Disorder Zones (ADZs) in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, and the powers were commenced in June 2008. ADZs provide police and local authorities with a measure of last resort for tackling high levels of alcohol related nuisance or disorder in parts of town and city centres where all other voluntary and statutory approaches have been exhausted.
ADZs are designed to allow police and local authorities to agree and implement an action plan with licensees in a designated area, subject to consultation, to tackle alcohol related crime and disorder linked to the misuse of alcohol in the public space. If the action plan is not implemented, charges can be levied for specified enforcement activity by statutory agencies including the police.
Serious Organised Crime Agency: Drug Seizures
The data below relate to individual seizures of Class A, B and C drugs, cutting agents and drugs precursor chemicals. If two different commodities are seized at the same time, that counts as two seizures.
SOCA has no powers itself to seize drugs outside the UK, therefore interdictions overseas involve SOCA providing key intelligence and/or operational support to others, not undertaking the physical act itself. At home, SOCA works collaboratively with UK police forces, HMRC and the UK Border Agency. Decisions on the interdiction phases of such joint operational activity are made according to local or operational imperatives, including protecting the use of sensitive intelligence sources.
UK Abroad/at sea 2007-08 186 360 2008-091 91 198 1 To 30 September 2008
Serious Organised Crime Agency: Finance
In 2008-09, the Home Office near-cash allocation to SOCA is £404.5 million and the near-cash spend on general administration, as opposed to operational services, is £25.5 million (6.3 per cent.).
Serious Organised Crime Agency: Manpower
The number of full-time equivalent staff employed by SOCA at 30 September 2008 was 3,976.
For 2008-09 the SOCA Board has determined that SOCA should aim to apportion about 43 per cent. of its effort to tackling drug trafficking. As of 30 September 2008 the year to date figure exceeded 46 per cent. In addition, other activities undertaken by SOCA, such as work to tackle criminal finances and support given to partners, are helping to tackle this trade.
Shoplifting
Police are required to record allegations of crime in accordance with the National Crime Recording Standard and Home Office Counting Rules. These are both public documents available at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/countrules.html
Shoplifting is specifically covered under Classification 46 of the Home Office Counting Rules where it states that theft of any property within a shop whether or not it is for sale should be recorded as theft from a shop. Further advice on what constitutes a shop unit, legal definition of theft and appropriate examples are also included.
Speed Limits: Cameras
The current Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) policy states that automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) data should only be retained for as long as there is an operational need to do so.
In general, ANPR data is retained for the first 90 days after collection, for viewing by authorised persons for post-crime interrogation and investigation. This enables investigations to use the ANPR tool to identify suspects, witnesses or patterns.
Data that are more than 90-days-old may then be retained for up to two years. However, these data are partitioned from general viewing. There is a management mechanism in place which means that a senior officer (Superintendent or above) must authorise any access to data older than 90 days. This authorisation is restricted to serious crime and counter-terrorism investigations only.
ACPO is currently revising its guidance around data retention in the light of advances with regard to the National ANPR Data Centre and the increased use of analytical software tools.
UK Border Agency: Manpower
The UK Border Agency has not set staffing complements by (a) grades or (b) job descriptions. The UK Border Agency deploys its personnel according to operational need and business priorities, recruiting where necessary to ensure that there are sufficient employees to meet those needs within agreed budgets.
The UK Border Agency's forecast for active workforce for 2008-09 was 17,700 full-time equivalent workers for the former Border and Immigration Agency, to which should now be added 2,300 UK Visas and 4,700 HMRC employees. The number of full-time equivalent active workforce equivalent to the 17,700, the former Border and Immigration Agency, at the end of September 2008 was 17,510.
The amount that the UK Border Agency spent on full-time and casual staff in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. The computerised accounting system does not record the pay of casual staff as a separate item.
Financial year Pay cost (£) 2007-08 611,598,486.53 2006-07 566,301,623.78 2005-06 513,281,187.52 2004-05 470,275,994
The case resolution directorate (CRD) was set up to deal specifically with the backlog of cases. It has at present no casual staff and the number of full-time equivalent staff that have been employed there are shown in the following table. The budgeted operating costs for CRD for 2008-09 are £28.2 million.
Workforce1 30 September 2008 972.561 31 March 2008 1,013.06 1 April 2007 838.71 1 Full-time equivalent figures, excludes staff on career break, loan to other Government Departments, maternity leave, etc. Note: Figures have been taken from the central HO personnel system ADELPHI.
Work Permits
The Government have conducted detailed impact assessments on the proposals outlined in Statement of Intent on Tier 2 skilled Workers under the points based system. Tier 2 will replace the current Work Permit System on 27 November 2008.
Analysis has shown that had Tier 2 of the points based system been in place last year, around 12 per cent. fewer skilled migrants from outside Europe would have been allowed in through the equivalent work permit route.
Both the Statement of Intent and the Impact Assessment are available on the UK Border Agency website and in the Libraries of both Houses.
International Development
Airwave Service
The Department for International Development (DFID) has no plans to use Airwave handsets, and has no organisations for which we are responsible who either use or plan to use these handsets.
Departmental Conditions of Employment
Employees working in Iraq and Afghanistan are entitled to a two week break away from post for every six weeks worked.
During a posting, employees can use each breather break to either return to their home country or travel to an alternative location.
The following table provides information on the number of visits taken in each of the last three years:
Two week break in home country Two week break outside their home country 20061 45 17 2007 60 38 2008 61 34 1 Figures from Afghanistan are from March 2006
Information on previous years could be collated only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Relations
The contract was given to Munro and Forster Communications Ltd, and was for a range of marketing activities aimed at raising awareness among the UK public of the importance of trade and development for reducing poverty.
Lebanon: Asylum
The UK was represented at the donor pledging conference for the reconstruction of the Nahr el-Bared Refugee Camp on 23 June and committed $1 million. The Department for International Development (DFID) has been in contact with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), as the agency tasked with leading the response, in recent weeks to discuss the reconstruction, humanitarian situation and how far donors have responded. DFID is providing £100 million over five years from 2007 to support UNRWA’s operations in the region of which approximately £4 million is annually allocated to Lebanon. DFID also engages with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Nahr el-Bared and in Lebanon more broadly. ICRC are one of the key partners providing water to the camp.
The British embassy in Beirut attends UNRWA monthly meetings and ad hoc briefings with other EU donors, most recently in October. The ambassador is in contact with UNRWA and last had an update from the new head of its Lebanon operations on 23 October.
Rwanda: Overseas Aid
Our aid to the Republic of Rwanda is driven by a bilateral development partnership agreement (MOU). This requires the continuous commitment of the Rwandan Government to reducing poverty, honouring international obligations and respecting human rights, and strengthening financial management and accountability. These commitments are monitored closely by staff in-country and any breech could lead to suspension of our programme.
The majority of our aid in Rwanda is in the form of budget support and we monitor how this is spent in great detail. This involves close examination of both budget allocations and budget execution performance. Budget allocations are approved by budget support donors in advance of the passage of the budget law through the Cabinet and Parliament which ensures our money is spent on its intended purpose. Additional safeguards are provided by the examination of audited government accounts, and by periodic public expenditure reviews and public expenditure tracking surveys.
The impact of the resources spent is monitored annually using a broad based common performance assessment framework (CPAF) which has indicators on poverty and development, service delivery, and governance. The CPAF derives its information from surveys and management information systems, and is used by all budget support donors to monitor progress of the implementation of the Government of Rwanda's PRSP (the economic development and poverty reduction strategy (EDPRS)).
Yemen: Floods
The Yemeni Ministry of Planning and International Co-operation has estimated that 184 people lost their lives as a result of the floods in south-eastern Yemen from 23 to 25 October 2008, and that 25,000 people were displaced in Hadramaut Governorate alone. There are currently no figures available for the less-affected areas of Chaboua and Al Mahrah. Overall, however, there is little clarity on the exact numbers of those affected.
At present, there is still little clarity about the exact impact of the flooding in south-eastern Yemen on 23 to 25 October 2008, and about the gaps in humanitarian assistance already provided. Early reports suggest that immediate humanitarian needs are being met by the Government of Yemen, and UN agencies and NGOs are already active on the ground and providing emergency relief. A number of Gulf States have already made substantial contributions, including Saudi Arabia which has pledged $100 million.
A UN rapid humanitarian assessment team is due to report back on relief and recovery needs to the Government of Yemen and the international community on 6 November. At this stage, a decision may be taken on whether to launch an emergency appeal for assistance. DFID is in close contact with partners in Yemen, and stands ready to respond to this appeal if necessary. We are also monitoring other ongoing humanitarian needs in Yemen, including the impact of higher food prices and the conflict in Sa’dah earlier this year.
Yemen: Politics and Government
Following the floods in eastern Yemen from 23 to 25 October 2008, the Department for International Development (DFID) stands ready to provide assistance in response to requests from the Government of Yemen and the United Nations. DFID has not sent its own assessment team to the region, because we are able to rely on reports from UN, the World Bank and NGOs. These organisations are already active in affected areas and have good access to the region. They have sent rapid assessment teams to assess immediate and long term needs; the first of these by the UN Resident Co-ordinator will report back to the Government of Yemen and the international community on 6 November.
Unlike in Sri Lanka, DFID already has an office in country, and our staff are in close contact with the Government of Yemen, the UN and other organisations involved in the relief process.
Decisions to deploy DFID humanitarian assessment teams are made on a case-by-case basis, but we take into account the nature and scale of humanitarian needs, the personal security of the DFID team, and the activities of other international organisations on the ground.
Communities and Local Government
Building Regulations: Water
The analysis of the responses to the Part G consultation is now complete. I am to ensure that the report on the consultation setting out the responses will be published later this month.
Community Relations: Gloucester
Gloucester city council will receive £100,000 in funding in 2010-11 through their area based grant.
Council Housing: Rents
Rent restructuring has been in place since 2002. Prior to its introduction there was no standard method of setting rents in England, leading to very different rents being charged between neighbouring local authorities and between local authorities and housing associations in the same local area, with no clear justification.
Although we are encouraging social landlords to adopt the reforms, individual housing associations and local authorities remain responsible for rent setting. They can set whatever rents they consider reasonable in discussion with their tenants.
Rent restructuring is intended to make rent setting fair and transparent, it aims to keep rents affordable, well below those in the private sector, and at similar levels for similar properties.
Rents and rent-setting policy is one of the items being looked at as part of our Review of Council Housing Finance. We do not intend to revisit rent policy before this review is complete.
Departmental Conditions of Employment
All staff in Communities and Local Government can choose to work flexibly, should they so wish. We are committed to flexible working and our flexible working policy sets out a presumption in favour of flexible working patterns—the onus is on the line management to demonstrate where part-time or home working is not appropriate.
The Department does not at present hold data on the specific details of flexible working such as job sharing and home working. We are, however, putting systems in place at present, to record this data electronically.
Housing Starts
We have announced our intention to change the revenue and capital rules which apply to new council homes in order to remove financial disincentives to new build by local authorities. On 2 September we announced that we will invite all stock-owning local authorities to compete for grant on the same terms as those with special purpose vehicles, in addition to those who have ALMOs or have set up Special Purpose Vehicles for this purpose.
We have also introduced other measures to make it easier for councils to build and acquire new homes. Section 313 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008 provides that councils can keep the full rental income from new council homes (including newly built and newly acquired properties).
We expect to consult shortly on the use of section 313 power and the capital receipts regulations which aim to enable councils to benefit in full from rental income or sales receipts from properties that have been built or acquired since this planned change to these rules.
The Government do not publish forecasts for house-building.
Housing: Construction
The following table shows the number of new build dwellings completed by local authorities in each year since 1997.
Number of dwellings 1997 290 1998 250 1999 50 2000 100 2001 170 2002 170 2003 180 2004 140 2005 180 2006 290 2007 350 2008 200 Source: New build completions from P2 monthly and quarterly returns submitted by local authorities. The local authority level figures are as reported and do not include estimates for missing returns.
Housing: Low Incomes
(2) how many people are on waiting lists for social housing in North Devon constituency.
Information on the number of social dwellings owned by registered social landlords (RSLs) and local authorities are published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 115 and Table 116 respectively at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/140879.xls
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/140882.xls
Information is not available at constituency level, but North Devon falls within North Devon local authority area. All social dwellings in North Devon are owned by RSLs, though the local authority reported two dwellings in 2004-05 and one dwelling in 2005-06 in their Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA) annual return. The number on number of social dwellings owned by registered social landlords from 2002 to 2006 is given in the following table.
Number of self-contained units/bedspaces 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 North Devon 3,655 4,192 4,174 4,219 4,213 Source: Housing Corporation via the annual Regulatory and Statistical Return (RSR)(as found in CLG live table 115)
Information about social housing waiting lists is collected in respect of households rather than individuals. Where local authorities and registered social landlords operate a common register, households registered with the RSL will be included in the data. However, registered social landlords are independent bodies and can keep their own waiting lists. Information on the number of households on local authorities' waiting lists broken down by Government office region and local authority for 1997 to 2007 is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600 at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/144458.xls.
Copies of this table have been deposited in the Library of the House.
At 1 April 2007, the number of households on the local authority housing waiting list in North Devon was 4,340.
Local authorities in England report the number of households on their housing waiting list as at 1 April in their annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns.
The size of the waiting list is not an indicator of absolute need; it is only useful as a broad indicator of housing demand in an area. Not everyone on the waiting list is necessarily in urgent housing need. The waiting list includes those who consider social housing as their preferred or one of a number of housing options, and those who decide to get onto the waiting list ladder before they need or want to move house.