To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to his answer of 20 January 2005, Official Report, column 247, on bottled water,

(1) what proportion of glass from bottles containing drinking water which is on sale in parliamentary canteens or provided by House of Commons Departments for hon. Members' use was (a) recycled and (b) sent for disposal in landfill sites in the most recent year for which figures are available; [214172]

(2) what the estimated cost has been to Departments of the House in providing bottles of water in each year since 1997. [214173]

All water bottles disposed of from the Refreshment Department's restaurants, bars and banqueting rooms in the Palace of Westminster are recycled, as are the bottles purchased from the Refreshment Department by the Serjeant at Arms Department for use in Westminster Hall, Committee and other meeting rooms in the Palace. Glass water bottles sold in the self-service cafeterias are not currently recycled, as most of these are bought by customers for consumption elsewhere, and there are no recycling facilities for empty bottles in the other buildings on the Parliamentary Estate; the re-cycling of glass bottles from these areas is being actively pursued. The Refreshment Department estimates that approximately 50 per cent. of its total purchases of water bottles are recycled. None are sent for disposal in landfill sites.

The House of Commons Refreshment Department purchased bottled water to the following values in each year since 2000–01:

⁽¹⁾ Year to date

Note:

No figures are available for previous years.

The House of Commons Refreshment Department sells bottled water through its dining rooms, cafeterias and bars. The estimated gross profit on these sales over the past 12 months is around £57,000.

The Serjeant at Arms Department purchases its bottled water through the House of Commons Refreshment Department; its costs are therefore included within those given in the table for the Refreshment Department. Of these totals, purchases of bottled water by the Serjeant at Arms Department are estimated at the following values in each year since 2001–02:

⁽²⁾ Year to date.

Note:

No figures are available for previous years.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the Deputy Prime Minister in respect of the budget settlement for each responsible authority and the ability of each to fulfil its legal duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. [214232]

The Cabinet Office and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have regular discussions on a range of issues, including the distribution of civil protection funding for local authorities.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the ability of the Council of the Isles of Scilly of the ability to fulfil its (a) legal duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and (b) other emergency service responsibilities. [214233]

The Government assessed civil protection funding for local authorities collectively as part of Spending Review 2004, and agreed a level of funding with the Local Government Association to reflect the aggregate civil protection responsibilities across all local authorities. The Government's contribution to local authorities' civil protection work will be paid for via the mainstream Revenue Support Grant from 2005–06. This funding is not ring-fenced, and it is a matter for individual local authorities to determine how they use the overall formula grant allocation to achieve the outcomes required by legislation.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what discussions he has had with the council of the Isles of Scilly in respect of its ability to fulfil its legal duties to meet the requirements of (a) the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and (b) other civil emergency responsibilities. [214257]

Throughout the development of the Civil Contingencies Act and supporting regulations and guidance, the Government have maintained a close dialogue with local authorities. In respect of some matters, most notably funding, the Government have sought the views of authorities through the Local Government Association. More generally, the Government have sought the views of individual local authorities through three public consultations.

In addition, the Government Office of the South West regularly discusses civil protection matters with local authorities across the region, including the Council of the Isles of Scilly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many contracts were awarded by (a) the Department and (b) agencies for which the Department is responsible to small and medium-sized enterprises in each year since 2001–02; and what the total value of those contracts was in each year. [207010]

From information held centrally and for the financial year 2001–02, the Department placed 13,647 contracts and purchase orders worth £105 million with companies employing less than 249 employees; in 2002–03 the figures were 7,788 and £59 million respectively; and in 2003–04 the figures were 7,008 and £54 million respectively.

Information on Defra's agencies and NDPBs is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many contracts in her Department have been granted to (a) EDS, (b) Fujitsu and (c) EDS and Fujitsu jointly in each of the last two years; whether they were open to competition; for what they were granted; for how much, and over what period of time; and if she will make a statement. [211612]

From information held centrally, I am not aware of any contracts let by the Department to EDS or Fujitsu over the last two years other than assignments under the overall Fujitsu Software Maintenance Services Contract. Information on Defra's Executive Agencies and Non Departmental Public Bodies is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on (a) indoor bought plants, (b) indoor hired plants, (c) outdoor bought plants and (d) outdoor hired plants in each year since 1997. [205620]

Purchases of plants are not separately identified. There has been a trend towards the provision of artificial plants to save ongoing maintenance costs. In the Department's offices there are now only two locations where live plants remain with maintenance charges of £2,566 per annum.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Kingston upon Hull, North constituency, the effects on Kingston upon Hull, North of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [211810]

Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. A summary of some our achievements to date can be found at http://defra/corporate/achievements. htm. I am confident that the Kingston upon Hull, North constituency will have benefited from these.

Through our national strategy for waste, we are committed to delivering a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 2003–04, and 25 per cent. by 2005–06. To help local authorities achieve their own targets Defra's Waste Minimisation Fund was set up in 2002. As a result of successful bids for money from this fund by Kingston upon Hull City Council, the residents of the city should over the next few years reap the benefits, with a total of almost £2.4 million being awarded to the city council for the period 2003–04 and 2005–06 for projects to expand kerbside recycling schemes across the city covering a total of 110,000 households, including those in the Kingston upon Hull, North constituency.

River water quality has improved along the River Hull over the last seven years. In 1997, none of the river's length within the city council area was considered to be of fair or better chemical quality, while by 2003 70 per cent. was measured as being of fair chemical quality. Over this same period the biological quality of the river has been of fair quality or better throughout. These improvements reflect Defra's policy to improve river water quality, which is one of the headline indicator's of sustainable development and to raise compliance with the EC Water Framework Directive.

With grant support from Defra the Environment Agency has undertaken maintenance and improvement of flood defences around most of the Humber estuary, including those in front of Hull, while also managing the River Hull defences along with the city council, and riparian owners. Since the mid 1990s, and as a result of this Defra funding the Agency has invested approximately £25 million on improvements to the Hull defences on the estuary, and approximately £5 million on works on the River Hull.

Defra provides comprehensive statistical information. The following web address will take my hon. Friend directly to the service:

http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default.asp

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many e-mails were deleted by (a) her Department and (b) agencies for which her Department is responsible in (i) January 2004 and (ii) December 2004. [208682]

The Department only keeps backup tapes for its e-mail servers for six weeks, therefore the information requested in part (i) is not available.

There are currently over 13,000 mailboxes on around 90 servers, each of which would need to be restored and individually interrogated to gather this information, therefore due to the disproportionate cost it would involve, it has not been possible to comply with part (ii) of the request.

Guidance issued from the head of the home civil service to all Departments in July 2004 provided a clear cross-departmental approach to the handling of e-mail correspondence, and a copy is available in the Library of the House.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it an offence for vehicle users to cause damage to other vehicles or road users by throwing litter, with particular reference to cigarette ends. [213339]

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill which has completed its committee stage in the House on 1 February 2005, confirms the definition of litter as including the dropping of cigarette ends as well as chewing gum. This will specifically enable enforcement officers to issue fixed penalty notices to road users who throw cigarette ends from their vehicles. The Bill does not contain a specific clause aimed at vehicle users who cause damage to other vehicles or road used, by throwing litter.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce the EU system for sheep tagging; and what discussions she has had with the National Farmers Union on this matter. [211892]

We are working towards implementation of EU Regulation 21/2004 on the identification of sheep and goats by 9 July 2005. The regulation provides for double tagging of breeding sheep and goats, but allows member states to continue operating their national systems where these are approved by the Commission. We have applied to the Commission for approval of our National System and are currently awaiting their response.

My officials regularly speak to representatives of the NFU about implementation of the regulations and consulted them during the proposal stage. We have also ensured that they have been fully consulted on our application to the Commission to continue with our National System.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the adequacy of measures to control TB in badgers in Gloucestershire; what further steps she is planning to take; and if she will make a statement. [211624]

We are carrying out a badger culling trial in areas of the south west and west of England, including Gloucestershire, to assess whether culling badgers will help to control bovine TB in cattle.

The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) which oversees the trial, has undertaken to notify Ministers, without delay, of any significant findings emerging from the data gathered. We will consider any evidence provided by the ISG, as well as evidence emerging from other research, and use this to inform future policy on wildlife controls.

A limited Road Traffic Accident (RTA) survey is also being conducted in seven counties in England, including Gloucestershire, as part of a validation study. The objective is to determine if RTA data can provide an accurate indication of TB in badgers.

Work has begun on requirements for a field trial for a badger vaccine although further work is needed on methods of vaccination, monitoring the effectiveness of the vaccine and the effect of exposure of non-target species. In addition, work is focusing on improved diagnosis of TB in badgers, transmission routes between and within species, and understanding the epidemiology and risk factors for the disease.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many adoptions were completed by each social services department in each of the last five years for children aged (a) nought to three, (b) four to 10 and (c) over 10 years. [210234]

The information requested is only available for the period 1999 to 2003, and has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 17 January 2005, Official Report, columns 809–10W, on autism, if she will list the practical proposals for strengthening teacher training in special educational needs and disability issues referred to; what the timescale for their implementation is; and if she will make a statement. [213365]

Working with the Teacher Training Agency, we are carrying forward a range of proposals designed to improve the special educational needs skills and confidence of trainee, newly qualified, and established teachers. The initiatives being discussed with interested parties include:

Developing resources, and exemplars of best practice, for training providers to use when assessing trainee teachers against the SEN elements of the Initial Teacher Training (ITT), Qualified Teacher Status and Induction Standards.

Establishing pilots of specialist SEN programmes within ITT.

Creating opportunities for trainee and newly qualified teachers to benefit from extended placement at special schools.

Establishing a network of experienced SEN tutors to facilitate better access to, and sharing of, specialist SEN expertise.

Creating opportunities for established teachers to undertake further post-graduate specialist SEN qualifications.

It is envisaged that the proposals will be implemented over the period 2005–2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were (a) taken into care and (b) placed for adoption in each of the last 10 years, broken down by age. [212053]

The following table shows the number of children who started to be looked after during the year ending 31 March by age on starting.

Children who started to be looked after during the year ending 31 March by age on starting, 1994 to 2003—England -- Number^(3)(4)(5)

⁽³⁾ Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements.

⁽⁴⁾ Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after in each year has been counted.

⁽⁵⁾ Figures over 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 100. All other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Source:

Children Looked After by Local Authorities, Year Ending 31 March 2003

The following table shows the number of children placed for adoption at some point in the year ending 31 March by age on placement starting.

Children looked after placed for adoption at some point in the year ending 31 March by age on placement starting, 1994 to 20031,2,3,4,5—England -- Number

⁽⁶⁾ Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements.

⁽⁷⁾ Children looked after placed for adoption more than once in a year have only been counted once.

⁽⁸⁾ Children looked after placed for adoption where the placement spans several years have been counted once in each year.

⁽⁹⁾ Age at start of placement.

⁽¹⁰⁾ Figures over 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 100. Figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced by "—". All other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Source:

SSDA903 return

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills

(1) how much money per head has been provided for (a) nursery and (b) pre-school education in England in each of the last seven years; [207253]

(2) how much money per head has been provided for (a) nursery and (b) pre-school education within the North Somerset local education authority in each of the last seven years. [207254]

There have been underlying changes to the provision for and the funding of under fives which mean it is not meaningful to give per pupil funding over time. These include the abolition of flat rate nursery vouchers and changes from a nursery formula based on the number of eligible pupils in an area, to a formula based on the number of nursery places made available in an area. Additionally, authorities have been increasing provision to meet the commitment to universal nursery education for all three and four-year-olds and in recent years LEAs have been funded for extra pupils to allow them to reach universal provision.

However, the following figures show the education expenditure by both central and local government for under fives in real terms. These figures do not include expenditure on child care nor on Sure Start:

Details of the annual expenditure just by "central" Government since 1997 on nursery education but including Sure Start and child care, are published in Table 2.2 of the annual Department for Education and Skills' Departmental Report, as follows. Services for young children and families have been increasingly integrated with nursery education and Sure Start since 2003–04 and the following table reflects this:

£ million

Note:

The scale of spending identified in 1997–98 was due to a major injection of Nursery Education Grant funding to support the establishment of substantial free provision in the private and voluntary sectors.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list children's centres which are (a) open and (b) planned for the Islington North constituency; what the total cost of each is estimated to be; and what the funding source for each is. [210711]

There will be five children's centres in my hon. Friend's constituency by March 2006 and three of these have opened already. The authority is working with its partners on how resources will be allocated to these children's centres. Each centre will be developed by adding services to an existing setting, using children's centre funding alongside funding for other related or relevant programmes. Children's centre funding allocated to Islington is a total of £4,182,898 to fund the development of the 10 children's centres planned in the local authority by March 2006. It is for the local authority to determine how to allocate these resources. The following table sets out our understanding of the local authority's current planning in respect of the children's centres in Islington North (these are broad estimates and are subject to change).

We will be writing to authorities in early February with details about the second phase of children's centre planning, including funding allocations. These new resources will enable authorities to sustain existing centres and start planning further centres to open between 2006–08. This will help towards meeting our target of 3,500 children centres by 2010—so every family has easy access to high quality integrated services in their community.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many expulsions and exclusions of (a) children in foster care, (b) adopted children and (c) children in children's homes there were in the last period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [212138]

The table shows the number of children looked after at 30 September 2003 who had been looked after for at least 12 months, and the number and percentage of permanent exclusions from school. It is not possible to disaggregate this information by placement type. Information on the exclusion of adopted children is not collected centrally.

Number of children looked after at 30 September 2003 who had been looked after for at least 12 months, and number of permanent exclusions—England

⁽¹¹⁾ Expressed as a percentage of the total number of children looked after at 30 September who had been looked after for at least 12 months.

⁽¹²⁾ If a child was permanently excluded more than once in the previous school year, each occasion has been counted.

Source:

DfES

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many days' care was provided by foster carers in each year between 2000 and 2004. [212052]

The number of days of care provided by foster placements in the year ending 31 March from 2000 to 2003 is shown. These are the latest available data. Detailed figures for 2003–04 are expected to be published in March 2005.

Source:

Children Looked After by Local Authorities, year ending 31 March 2003

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will ensure that the Learning and Skills Council is informed of its overall level of funding in sufficient time for it to be able to inform further education colleges of their budgets for the next financial year; and if she will make a statement. [211579]

The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) received its Grant Letter for 2005–06 from the then Secretary of State on 15 November 2004. This was some three weeks earlier than in previous years.

The Government are continuing to invest significantly in further education. The investment we are making means that our commitment to increase FE funding rates by 5 per cent. and to fund growth in provision for young people is secured.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what length of contract was originally agreed with John Harwood as Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council; whether he resigned early from the post; and what the terms of his departure from the organisation were. [214070]

This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have asked Chris Banks the Council's Chairman to write to the hon. Gentleman with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the severance terms of the former Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council. [214167]

The former Chief Executive of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) left the Learning and Skills Council on 30 September 2003 after three years in post. The severance terms took account of the remaining term of the original contract. Details are recorded in the LSC's Annual report for 2003–04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of looked-after children who entered university or further education in each year between 1997 and 2004. [212081]

The following table shows the number of 19-year-old former care leavers in education on their 19th birthday. The information included in this table was not collected prior to the year 2001–02.

Former care leavers at age 19 who were looked after on 1 April 1999,1 April 2000 and 1 April 2001 aged 16 (in their 17th year) in education—England^(13)(14)(15)

⁽¹³⁾ Figures are taken from the OC3 return.

⁽¹⁴⁾ Figures exclude former care leavers who were looked after on 1 April aged 16 who were looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements.

⁽¹⁵⁾ Figures over 1,000 have been rounded to the nearest 100. All other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

⁽¹⁶⁾ Includes those in higher education and those in education other than higher education.

Source:

Children Looked After in England (including adoptions and care leavers) 2003–04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of looked-after children who achieved five or more high grade passes (A-C) in each year between 1997 and 2004. [212083]

The following table shows the number of children in school year 11 who were looked after for at least 12 months for the years ending September 2000 to 2003 and who obtained five GCSEs (or equivalent) at grade A* to C. Information was not collected centrally for the years between 1997 and 1999.

Source:

DfES

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made of the number of looked-after children who suffer from drug or alcohol related problems. [212085]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her most recent estimate is of the number of looked-after children who have become homeless after leaving care. [212087]

The latest available data, published on 17 November 2004 (http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000533/index.shtml), relates to those care leavers who were aged 19 in the year ending 31 March 2004. There were 5,100 care leavers in that period. Councils were in touch with 4,400 of these and only 320 of them were living in bed and breakfast or emergency accommodation. It is not possible to comment on the housing arrangements of those young people that were not in touch with their council.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children lived in low income households in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04. [211585]

I have been asked to reply.

Poverty is about more than low income, it also impacts on the way people live—their health, housing and the quality of their environment. The sixth annual "Opportunity for all" report (Cm 6239) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and presents information on the indicators used to measure progress against this strategy.

Data on the number of children in Great Britain living in low income households are published in the Department for Work and Pensions' Households Below Average Income series. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting absolute and relative trends in low income.

According to the latest data, in 2002/03 2.6 million children in the United Kingdom were living in households below 60 per cent. median income on the Before Housing Costs measure, and 3.6 million children were living in low income on the After Housing Costs measure. Data for 2003/04 are not available until spring 2005, when they will be published as part of Households Below Average Income publication.

In December 2003, we published "Measuring child poverty" which outlines the Government's new measure of child poverty which will be used from 2004/05.

All publications listed are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) announced and (b) unannounced inspections of private children's homes have taken place in each of the last five years. [210360]

holding answer 24 January 2005

Information on the number of announced and unannounced inspections that have taken place of all children's homes, including private homes, from 1 April 2002 to 19 January 2005 is shown in the following table. We do not hold information specifically relating to the inspection of private children's homes.

Note:

1 April 2004 to 19 January 2005 only

Information is not available prior to 1 April 2002, the date when the National Care Standards Commission was created.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills why Protection of Children Act (PoCA) and Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoVA) referrals are not automatically cross-checked; and if he will require the automatic cross-checking of PoVA and PoCA lists. [213296]

There is provision for cross referral between the two schemes. Where an individual is added to one of the lists, they will also be considered for inclusion on the other list, if the misconduct means that they may be unsuitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. This means that, where appropriate, some individuals are included on both lists, therefore removing the need for cross-checking.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether Learning and Skills Council funding is available for the Security Industry Association's training programmes. [213881]

holding answer 3 February 2005

Decisions by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) about the training courses they fund are a matter for the council and individual learning providers. I understand the LSC does fund the British Security Industry Association's programmes through a number of further education providers in England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost is per pupil of compiling a statement of special education needs by a local education authority. [213175]

holding answer 1 February 2005

The Department does not collect this data. However, the Audit Commission report "Statutory assessment and statements of SEN: in need of review?", published in spring 2002, estimated the cost to be £2,500. This estimate was based on a sample of data from fieldwork sites.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what average number of hours of intervention a pre-school child with special educational needs receives; and if she will make a statement. [213363]

Information on the number of hours of intervention received by pre-school children with special educational needs is not collected centrally. Early years services are determined locally to meet the needs of individual children. This would include any specific intervention to address particular needs.

The Government's strategy to improve services for children with special educational needs "Removing Barriers to Achievement", published in February 2004, includes proposals to improve support to families who have pre-school children with special needs and disabilities. We are, for example, supporting a range of initiatives through our Early Support Programme designed to improve the support offered to disabled children aged under three and their families.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils with special needs attended each secondary school in Buckinghamshire in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003. [200729]

holding answer 30 November 2004

The requested information has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding streams are available to (a) maintained special schools, (b) non-maintained special schools operated by the not-for-profit sector and (c) non-maintained special schools operated by the commercial sector. [214412]

Funding for maintained special schools is provided through local authorities. The majority of local authority funding is provided by government with the rest from council tax. It is for local authorities to determine how best to distribute government funding between and within services. Funding for schools, including special schools, is distributed by application of a funding formula, which calculates the budget share for each school. It is for each authority to devise and revise its own school funding formula taking into account local needs and circumstances. In general terms the funding per pupil for maintained special schools is higher than that for pupils in maintained mainstream reflecting the greater needs of those pupils. Access to funding for capital projects is also provided through local authorities.

The prime source of funding for non-maintained special schools operated by charities or charitable trusts on a not-for-profit basis and approved under Section 342(1) of the Education Act 1996 is through fees paid by local authorities placing children in schools. However, approximately £8 million of funding is made available to the sector from the Department. This funding is paid direct to schools by the Department and includes capital and revenue funding. Capital funding covers Devolved Formula Capital, Electronic Learning Credits and an Annual Capital Round that is usually run on a competitive bidding round for projects that meet specific criteria set by the Department. Revenue funding includes access to Schools Standard Grant, Standards Fund, Teacher Threshold and Laptops for Teachers.

No government funding is provided directly to non-maintained special schools operating in the commercial sector. The primary source of funding for these schools is through the charging of fees for pupils placed at the school. Almost all pupils are placed by local authorities who are responsible for any fees.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students admitted to (a) Staffordshire University and (b) the University of Keele were (i) overseas non-EU, (ii) EU and (iii) UK students in each year between 1997 and 2004; and what percentage of the total number of such students each of these figures represent. [212297]

The available information is given in the following table.

Number and percentage of full time undergraduate students by domicile at the University of Keele and Staffordshire University

Note:

Numbers are on a snapshot basis as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest 5.

Source:

Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate she has made about the number of girls aged under 18 years in (a) children's homes and (b) foster care who became pregnant in each year between 1997 and 2004. [212084]

This information is not held centrally.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department

(1) what percentage of antisocial behaviour orders served in 2004 had been breached by 31 December 2004; [211749]

(2) what percentage of applications for antisocial behaviour orders have been turned down; [211750]

(3) what percentage of antisocial behaviour orders have been served to people with a diagnosed mental illness. [211751]

Information on the number of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBO) issued in 2004 that were breached by 31 December 2004 will be available in the autumn of 2005.

ASBOs are heard on application in the civil and county courts. Data on numbers applied for, granted and refused are collected centrally. Of the 2,035 applications notified to the Home Office up to 30 June 2004 (latest available), 2 per cent. (42) were refused. The Crown Prosecution Service may also make an application for an ASBO to be imposed in a criminal case. My Department does not collect data on such applications.

Information is not collected centrally about the characteristics of persons issued with an ASBO.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals are still resident in the UK more than six months after all appeals against their removal have been exhausted; and if he will make a statement. [211598]

Information on the number of individuals who are still resident in the UK more than six months after all appeals against their removal have been exhausted is not available. In part this is because some individuals leave the country without notifying the Immigration Service.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the asylum registration card issued by his Department establishes a right of abode in the UK. [212101]

No. The application registration card provides an acknowledgement of a claim for asylum in the United Kingdom and certifies the holder's status as an asylum seeker. The card neither confers nor implies a right of abode within the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's responsibilities to asylum seekers under the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights. [212261]

As a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the United Kingdom must not remove any asylum applicant if to do so would expose them to a well founded fear of persecution. We are proud of the United Kingdom's record in providing a safe haven for refugees, many of whom are fleeing in fear of their lives from the most desperate human cruelty. Like all other developed countries, we will continue to meet our obligations under the Refugee Convention which is part of a legal and ethical framework that enshrines basic principles of human decency.

The European Convention on Human Rights imposes various obligations on States in their treatment of everyone within their jurisdiction, which includes asylum seekers. ECHR case law also prohibits the return of anyone to a place where they would face a real risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2005 Official Report, column 276W, on the Belmarsh detainees, whether subsistence costs for "G" are paid from Government funds. [210168]

It would not be appropriate for me to discuss details of any benefits or other support payments made by the Government to an individual.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many householders have been prosecuted for alleged offences arising out of the burglary of their homes in each of the last 10 years; and how many have been convicted. [211723]

It is not possible to identify those persons prosecuted for offences arising out of the burglary of their homes, as circumstances surrounding an offence are not centrally collected on the Home Office Court Proceedings database. However the DPP would look for clear evidence of very excessive force before considering a prosecution.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been allocated for CCTV cameras in Coventry, South since 1997. [210797]

Since 1997, the Home Office has allocated £717,742 to Coventry to ensure full coverage of the system across the town under the Closed Circuit Television Initiative, which formed part of the Crime Reduction Programme (CRP).

Since the completion of the Crime Reduction Programme in 2002, crime reduction funding has been allocated directly to the local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership through the Building Safer Communities fund and to Basic Command Unit (BCU) Commanders through the BCU fund. These funding streams finance a variety of interventions, including CCTV, to tackle local crime priorities. The method of allocating funding across the area is the responsibility of Coventry city council and West Midlands police.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will send a further reply to the hon. Member for Walsall, North's letter of 9 November 2004, ref. P393908, setting out the latest position. [213512]

holding answer 3 February 2005

I shall send a further reply to my hon. Friend's letter of 9 November 2004 as soon as the results of our further inquiries are known.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of (a) anti-social behaviour and (b) alcohol-related crime there have been in (i) the Derbyshire constabulary and (ii) the western area of the Derbyshire constabulary in each of the last seven years. [211910]

Anti-social Behaviour is not a crime type and as such there is no definition from which the number of incidents could be reliably calculated, particularly going back seven years which pre-dates the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Alcohol related crime is the same, many crimes occur as a result of alcohol but again as it is not a crime category in itself we could not reliably measure it.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to require volunteers to pay for checks with the Criminal Records Bureau. [213333]

holding answer 1 February 2005

There are no plans to require volunteers to pay for checks with the Criminal Records Bureau.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of (a) fixed penalties and (b) fines imposed by the courts in England and Wales were collected in full in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04. [201435]

Available information (by calendar year) for England and Wales on the percentage of motoring fixed penalties paid are given in the table. Information for 2003 will be available in the spring of 2005.

Motoring offences -- Percentage

⁽¹⁷⁾ Estimates.

The latest provisional data shows that, up to 31 August 2004, 28,743 penalty notices for disorder have been issued by police forces in England and Wales of which 12,978, or 45 per cent., were paid in full within the 21 day payment period. If the penalty is not paid or a court hearing requested within this time then a fine is registered against the individual. The evaluation of data from the pilots of penalty notices for disorder showed that payment of fines added to the penalties paid on time resulted in an overall payment rate of 70 per cent.

Information from the Department for Constitutional Affairs shows that the payment rate for financial penalties was 59 per cent. in 2001–02, 55 per cent. in 2002–03, 74 per cent. in 2003–04 and 79 per cent. in 2004–05 (August to October).

However, as a result of revisions in the method of calculating the payment rate, direct year-on-year comparisons cannot be made and although recent changes to the way data are collected from Magistrates' Court Committees allows confiscation orders to be excluded, it is still not possible for fines, costs and compensation to be identified separately, so the figures relate to financial penalties in general, as opposed to fines in isolation.

The Department for Constitutional Affairs' Enforcement Programme is delivering a wide programme of change aimed at improving the enforcement and administration of financial penalties. The national payment rate is currently (Q3 2004–05) at 80 per cent., up 9 per cent. on the same period last year, and performance is on trajectory to meet the 78 per cent. national target at the end of the year. The ongoing work of the Programme includes improving the intelligence available to enforcement teams through a variety of information-sharing measures, national implementation of the new legislative framework for enforcement provided by the Courts Act and taking the opportunity offered by the launch of HMCS to introduce more effective and efficient ways of working. The Programme has also devised and supported a series of nationally co-ordinated fine enforcement blitzes, with the most recent—'Operation Payback 2' in November 2004—resulting in a positive impact on the payment rate of £1.7 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices have been issued in each authority for nuisance behaviour in each year since their introduction. [210731]

6,043 penalty notices for disorder were issued in the 12 months from August 2002 when the scheme was piloted in four police force areas. 57,472 (a provisional figure) have been issued in the period January to December 2004. Details by police force area are shown in the table.

Number of penalty notices for disorder given for all offences during 2002, 2003 and 2004—England and Wales

⁽¹⁸⁾ August 2002 to August 2003.

⁽¹⁹⁾ Provisional.

⁽²⁰⁾ Part of force only involved in pilot.

⁽²¹⁾ Commenced issuing penalty notices from 1 November 2004.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long, on average, it took to process an application by an international student for leave to remain in the last period for which figures are available. [213281]

Since the introduction of charges on 1 August 2003, we have been completing approximately 70 per cent. of postal applications within three weeks of receiving them in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND).

We may not be able to complete applications within three weeks of receipt if they need further documents, inquiries or an interview, or if they are complex. We should normally deal with these within 13 weeks at most. A very small minority which are particularly complex or sensitive may take a little longer.

Those international students who use the Student Batch Scheme through their Student Advisors have their applications decided within three weeks or earlier. The percentage of Batch Scheme cases decided at the Initial Consideration Stage is much higher than average—approximately 90 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department expects to raise in each of the next three years from levying charges on students applying for leave to remain. [213282]

In the past non-asylum immigration services were provided free of charge to applicants, at considerable cost to the UK taxpayer.

The Government believe it is appropriate to expect those who benefit from the provision of immigration services to meet the cost of providing those services. In 2003–04, this saved the UK taxpayer £70 million.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of processing a visa extension application made by an international student studying at a UK university; how the cost was assessed; and on what data he based his calculation of the cost. [213284]

On 1 August 2003 the Home Office introduced charges for leave to remain applications, including those from international students. Fees were calculated to recover the full administrative costs (including staffing and overhead costs) of processing applications to the point of conveying a decision.

We have recently consulted stakeholders on proposals to extend the principle of cost recovery charging, to include the costs of providing an appeal function and the costs of delivering enforcement activity. The consultation closed on 8 December 2004. The outcome of the consultation and the final fee levels will be announced in February 2005.

The fee ranges have been calculated using the full cost recovery formula approved by HM Treasury. A full explanation of how the costs are calculated will be laid before Parliament when the Fees Regulations are amended.

The fee ranges have been calculated using the full cost recovery formula approved by HM Treasury. A full explanation of how the costs are calculated will be laid before Parliament when the Fees Regulations are amended.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data he has collected on the average level of income for an international student studying at a UK university; and whether he will take account of the average level of income for international students studying in the UK when calculating the proposed level of increase to visa extension charges. [213286]

A joint project team—comprising representatives from the Department for Education and Skills, the Home Office and the British Council—has undertaken an assessment of the likely impact of increased leave to remain fees on attracting international students to the UK.

International student costs and spending has been taken into account as part of this project, the outcomes of which will be made available when the Government announces its response to the recent Home Office Consultation on "Review of Charges for Immigration Applications" in February.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact on the UK economy of the proposed increase in visa extension charges for international students. [213304]

A Regulatory Impact Assessment of the proposed increase in charges for "leave to remain applications" on the education sector and the UK economy will be published when the Government announces its response to the recent Home Office Consultation on "Review of Charges for Immigration Applications' in February.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data he collects on the quality of service international students receive while processing a visa extension. [213305]

Since the introduction of charges on 1 August 2003, we have been completing approximately 70 per cent. of postal applications within three weeks of receiving them in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND).

We may not be able to complete applications within three weeks of receipt if they need further documents, inquiries or an interview, or if they are complex. We should normally deal with these within 13 weeks at most. A very small minority which are particularly complex or sensitive may take a little longer.

Those international students who use the Student Batch Scheme through their Student Advisors have their applications decided within three weeks or earlier. The percentage of Batch Scheme cases decided at the Initial Consideration Stage is much higher than average—approximately 90 per cent.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports have been lost by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate while processing international student applications for leave to remain over the past five years. [213306]

Statistics on the number of letters issued for passports reported lost or mislaid by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) while processing international student applications for LTR over the last five years would be available only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the plans to increase visa charges on the number of international students studying in the United Kingdom. [213307]

A joint project team—comprising representatives from the Department for Education and Skills, the Home Office and the British Council—has undertake an assessment of the likely impact of increased leave to remain fees to attract more international students to the UK.

The outcomes of this work will be made available, alongside a regulatory impact assessment for the education sector, when the Government announce their response to the recent Home Office Consultation on "Review of Charges for Immigration Applications".

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department

(1) how many forged passports have been confiscated or impounded by Customs and Immigration officers in the last 12 months; [207329]

(2) how many forged passports have been confiscated or impounded in the last three years by (a) Customs and Immigration officers and (b) the police. [207484]

The fraudulent use of passports (including forged and counterfeit documents) is taken very seriously by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, HM Customs and the police. In addition to referrals from HM Customs and the police service, fraudulent travel documents are identified by the Immigration Service at ports of entry as well as during enforcement operations. There is no single central record of the total number of forged passports confiscated or impounded by Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), Her Majesty's Customs and Excise (HMCE) and the police. However the available statistics show:

Since 2001 numbers of fraudulent¹ travel documents detected at United Kingdom ports of entry are as follows:

¹ In the context of forgery statistics "Travel documents" is the all embracing term for passports, ID cards, refugee travel documents, certificates of identity, seaman's books and visas.

Figures are not available to indicate how many of these documents were detected by Customs or Immigration Officers or by the police.

In addition, since 2001 the National Document Fraud Unit has had a permanent presence in the main offices of IND in Croydon, following a pilot exercise which revealed large numbers of fraudulent travel documents being submitted in support of applications for leave to remain. Fraudulent documents detected by NDFU in Croydon from 2001 are:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what technical surveillance equipment is installed at ports of entry to the UK; and how many sniffer dogs are deployed at ports of entry. [213185]

holding answer 1 February 2005

A range of surveillance equipment is installed at UK ports of entry. This includes CCTV cameras to record both arriving and departing passengers and New Detection Technology (NDT) to detect clandestine entrants. The location of this equipment is as follows:

The Immigration Service operates cameras at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. In addition to the systems operated solely by the Immigration Service access is provided at other locations by the port operators to their local systems.

A combination of NDT, including Passive Millimetric Wave Imagers, Heart Beat Detectors, Gamma Ray Scanner and CO₂ probes are deployed at various locations including Calais, Coquelles, Dunkirk, Ostend, Zeebrugge and Vlissingen. This technology is either operated by the port authority, the carrying company or by UK immigration staff.

CO₂ probes are also deployed at various UK locations and in addition the Mobile Freight Search Team, deploying both CO ₂ probes and body detection dogs covers a variety of United Kingdom Ports. The team is intelligence led and maintains the flexibility to respond to threats at other ports.

Details of the deployment of NDT and the Mobile Freight Search Team cannot be released, as this would compromise Border Control operations.

The UK Immigration Service currently has eight body detection dogs and they are deployed at both juxtaposed locations and in the UK.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints from (a) England and Wales, (b) Essex and (c) Southend have been (i) made to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, (ii) upheld and (iii) investigated by (A) the authority, (B) another police force and (C) an independent organisation since its inception in April 2004. [208278]

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) informs me that 4,043 complaints from England and Wales and 108 complaints from Essex have been made direct to the IPCC.

As of 25 January 2005, there were 21 investigations being independently investigated by the IPCC, of which four complaints were made direct to the IPCC.

However, as it is the responsibility of individual police forces to record all complaints, and because not all complaints come through, or involve the participation of, the IPCC, the other statistics requested by my hon. Friend could be obtained only from the IPCC, police forces and police authorities at disproportionate cost.

Although there is no statutory requirement for the IPCC, Essex Police, or indeed any other organisation to collect or record the information that my hon. Friend requests, the IPCC will collect and publish complaints' statistics on an annual basis. The IPCC hopes to publish the first set of figures for the year beginning 1 April 2004, in November of this year.

Finally, I understand that the IPCC would welcome the opportunity to discuss with the hon. Gentleman direct any questions that he may have on the new complaints system and the keeping of statistics.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the response time for the Independent Police Complaints Commission to acknowledge receipt of a complaint by letter was in the latest period for which figures are available. [211065]

I am informed by the Independent Police Complaints Commission that it does not acknowledge receipt of a complaint.

In each case, it contacts the complainant for his/her consent to pass the complaint for recording to the police force concerned and, if necessary, for further information. Response time for this action varies according to the processes and is recorded only on case files. This information can be retrieved only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment. [200446]

The table, which has been placed in the Library, lists the Bills introduced by the Home Office in the sessions 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2000–2001, 2001–2002 and 2002–2003. The table indicates the extent to which provisions are not in force or only partially in force.

It is not possible to provide information for legislation passed in the last 30 years without incurring disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices for littering have been issued by Derbyshire community support officers in the last 12 months. [211911]

Community Support Officers (CSOs) have not yet been deployed by Derbyshire Constabulary. The Constabulary was allocated 43 CSO posts under the first phase of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund. I understand that those recruited for these posts will begin training shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the review of sentencing for motoring offences commenced; and when he expects the review to conclude. [211540]

The Home Secretary commissioned the Review of Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving in 2003.

The review will be followed by the publication of a public consultation paper setting out our proposals for reform of this area of the law.

The publication of the consultation paper is being treated as a top priority and we hope to publish very shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of the trafficking of (a) men, (b) women and (c) children into the UK have been investigated in each of the last five years; how many individuals were involved; how many court cases have resulted; and what the outcome was in each case. [213375]

We do not keep central statistics on trafficking cases other than in published statistics on court proceedings. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Keith Vaz) on 17 November 2004, Official Report, column 1592W. We are now starting to see convictions under the new legislation on trafficking and these will be reported in published statistics in due course.

Reflex continues to co-ordinate law enforcement activity against organised immigration crime, including people trafficking. From April 2003-March 2004 Reflex resulted in the disruption of 38 groups involved in organised immigration crime at National Intelligence Model Level 3, and this financial year Reflex has resulted in 38 disruptions of criminal networks so far.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims of human trafficking into the UK have been returned to their home countries in each of the last five years; to which countries; what support was given to the individuals concerned; and if he will make a statement. [213377]

Information on those who were removed who were victims of human trafficking in the UK, and the country to which they were removed, is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance targets have been set for individual basic command units by his Department. [209170]

holding answer 20 January 2005

There have been no performance targets for basic command units (BCU) set by central Government. Individual performance targets are a matter for the chief constable and police authority of a given force to agree. In agreeing force or BCU targets regard must be had to the policing priorities as laid out in the National Policing Plan, however these do not set specific targets.

Police forces are also expected to contribute to other local targets which are not specifically police owned. Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships, of which both police forces and police authorities are members, and Local Criminal Justice Boards will agree crime reduction targets and targets for numbers of offences brought to justice respectively.

While these are not police targets, clearly the police service will have a significant role in their delivery.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) community support officers have been employed by Staffordshire constabulary in each of the past seven years. [211708]

The following table sets out Staffordshire police strength since 1997–98.

Staffordshire police

Community Support Officers (CSOs) were introduced by the Police Reform Act 2002 and CSO's were first recruited in Staffordshire in December 2003. By December 2004 there were 27 CSOs on patrol in Staffordshire.

Funding for an additional 35 CSOs for Staffordshire is being made available under the first phase of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what records of (a) alcohol-related crime and (b) antisocial behaviour offences are kept by police forces; and if he will make a statement. [209246]

The records kept by police forces are matters for their Chief Officers, except where they relate to requests for information by the Home Office. The Home Office does not currently request regular data on either alcohol-related crime or antisocial behaviour offences.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the effect on policing in the event of the closure of the beat house in Preston Candover, Hampshire; and if he will make a statement. [210672]

The decision by Hampshire Constabulary to sell the Preston Candover Beat House was taken in line with Force policy. Management of the police estate—and allocation of resources—are matters for the Police Authority and the Chief Officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.

Preston Candover beat will continue to have a dedicated officer working full-time in the community. The constabulary are currently attempting to find an alternative beat office within the area from which the beat officer can work. A full assessment has been undertaken, and it is expected that there will be no impact on the delivery of service in the area.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been employed as special constables in Stoke-on-Trent in each of the last seven years. [213062]

The data available on special constabulary strength in the Stoke-on-Trent Basic Command Unit is for 31 March 2004, when there were 109 special constables deployed.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many day releases there have been from London prisons during the last 12 months. [210312]

In the period 1 December 2003 to 30 November 2004 there were 50,625 day releases (known officially as Release on Temporary Licence) from London prisons, as recorded on the Prison Service central IT system.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were in care as a result of their mother's imprisonment in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of these children were subsequently returned to their mother's care. [206280]

There is no automatic link between a mother's imprisonment and her child being taken into the care of the Social Services. Many female prisoners' children are cared for by the mother's partner, family or friends. In those cases, mothers will normally resume their care role on release from prison.

A child will be considered for care by Social Services only if a suitable alternative carer is not available. Whether the mother will resume care of the child on her release from prison depends upon her individual circumstances, and what is considered to be in the child's best interests by the Social Services and the courts.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prisoners shared cells in each month since 1997. [205327]

A proportion of the prison population is held in accommodation certified to be shared in uncrowded conditions. However, information about the number of prisoners held in this type of accommodation is not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

It is sometimes necessary to hold prisoners in crowded conditions, for example two prisoners in a cell certified for one. Information on the number of prisoners held in crowded conditions is available from 1 April 1998 and is set out in the table.