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Mr. Baker: The immigration service estimates that it will spend some £13.725 million on detaining persons
Column 285
under Immigration Act powers, including escorting and related costs, this year. Some of that cost will be recovered from carriers.Asylum Seekers
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a breakdown of the number of asylum seekers currently detained under Immigration Act powers by (a) nationality, (b) gender, (c) length of detention, (d) place of detention and (e) immigration status at the time of
application. [32071]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: As at 3 July 1995, a total of 690 persons who had at some stage sought asylum were detained. This figure includes people awaiting the setting of directions for removal following refusal of the application, as well as those whose applications were under consideration or subject to appeal. Of this figure, 199 had been in detention less than one month, 109 between one and two months, 255 between two and six months, 113 between six and 12 months, and 14 had been detained for longer than 12 months.
Information on the gender, immigration status, nationality and location of those detained as at 3 July 1995, is provided in tables 1 to 3.
Table 1: Number of people detained on 3 July 1995 who has
sought asylum, by immigration status and gender
Immigration status |Male |Female |Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Port case |320 |37 |357
Illegal entrant case |273 |7 |280
Deportation case |49 |4 |53
Total |642 |48 |690
Table 2: Number of people detained
on 3 July 1995
who had sought asylum, by
nationality
|Number
------------------------------------
Albania |10
Algeria |75
Angola |6
Bangladesh |14
Bulgaria |4
Cameroon |1
China |77
Colombia |5
Cyprus |3
Czech Republic |4
Dominica |1
Equador |1
Egypt |2
Ethiopia |2
Gambia |5
Georgia |1
Ghana |59
Guinea-Bissau |1
India |94
Iran |8
Iraq |1
Ivory Coast |3
Jamaica |7
Jordan |1
Kenya |5
Lebanon |3
Library |6
Liberia |5
Mauritius |1
Morocco |6
Nepal |1
Niger |1
Nigeria |123
Pakistan |24
Peru |1
Poland |3
Romania |23
Russia |8
Rwanda |1
Sierra Leone |2
Somalia |3
South Africa |3
Sri Lanka |23
Sudan |1
Tanzania |8
Togo |1
Tunisia |1
Turkey |19
Uganda |5
Former Yugoslavia |12
Zaire |11
Zambia |1
Nationality not known |4
Total |690
Table 3: Number of persons detained who have claimed asylum
as at 3 July 1995, by place of detention.
Place of detention |Number detained
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prisons/YOIs
HMP Rochester |104
HMP Haslar |97
HMP Winson Green |45
HMP Greenock |26
HMP Wormwood Scrubs |9
HMP Bristol |5
HMP Belmarsh |3
HMP Brixton |3
HMYOI Brinsford |2
HMYOI Feltham |2
HMP Holloway |2
Other HM Prisons<1> |25
Total |323
Other places of detention
Campsfield House |151
Harmondsworth |90
Gatwick Detention Centre |41
Dover Harbour Board |18
Queens Building |17
Newhaven |12
Stansted |8
Manchester Airport Detention Suite |2
Police Cells |28
Total |367
Grand total |690
<1> May also include HM prisons already listed.
Mr. Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measurable benefit has been achieved by the increased use of Immigration Act powers of detention in asylum cases since 1993; at what financial cost; and if he will make a statement. [32052]
Mr. Baker: It is not possible to identify separately the cost of detaining asylum seekers as no distinction is made between these cases and others where a person is detained under Immigration Act powers. However, the overall cost of running the immigration detention estate, including escorting and related costs, was: 1993 94 financial year--£7.46 million; and
1994 95 financial year--£11.35 million.
Column 287
These figures reflect the greater number of places available in the immigration detention estate since the opening in November 1993 of Campsfield House.The use of detention is an important factor in ensuring effective immigration control and its cost is offset by reclaiming money from carriers in appropriate cases.
Mr. Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 12 June, Official Report, column 382, what was the period in working days between receipt of the appeal and promulgation of the determination of the appeal in (a) without foundation cases and (b) substantive cases in the first quarter of 1995; and if he will provide the corresponding figures for each quarter of 1994. [32068]
Mr. Baker: The information requested is shown in the table:
Average time taken<1> (in working days) to determine
appeals
against refusal of asylum, by type of refusal,
January 1994 to
March 1995
|Without
|foundation |Substantive
|appeals |appeals
-----------------------------------------------------
1994
January-March |34 days |54 days
April-June |42 days |58 days
July-September |40 days |80 days
October-December |45 days |92 days
1995
January-March |40 days |116 days
<1> The time period referred to is the number of
working days between the date the appeal is sent to
the Independent Appellate Authority and the date of
its determination. It does not include the time
taken by the Home Office to process and despatch the
appeal to the IAA.
Forged Immigration Documents
Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to make greater use of computer technology to aid the detection of forged immigration
documents. [32207]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: Computerisation of the warnings index for arriving passengers has permitted machine readable passports to be checked against lists of stolen documents by swiping them through a reader. All ports of entry are supplied with forgery detection equipment, but the principal methods of detection still rely on light sources--ultra violet and infra red--and microscopes rather than computer technology.
The Immigration Service uses computer technology in a variety of ways in the development of sophisticated document examination techniques. In co- operation with five other countries, the United Kingdom is involved in the introduction of an image retrieval system providing a comprehensive database of the world's travel documents on optical disk. The service also uses photophone technology to transmit high-definition, stored images of travel documents along telephone lines.
Prisons (Drug Counsellors)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many specialist drug counsellors are working in prisons in England and Wales. [31701]
Column 288
Mr. Michael Forsyth: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Butler to Mr. Tom Cox, dated 5 July 1995: The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question about how many specialist drug counsellors are working in prisons in England and Wales.
The Prison Service does not keep central records of the number of specialist drug counsellors working in prisons. A survey of 130 prisons conducted during December 1994 showed that 102 prisons provided specialist individual counselling for prisoners with drug misuse problems.
Individual counselling services are provided by community drug agencies, probation officers, prison psychologists and prison officers with counselling qualifications or experience.
This year the Prison Service is expanding the number and type of treatment programmes available to drug misusers. These include therapeutic communities; 3-month treatment programmes; detoxification units; intensive counselling and education services; and community-linked throughcare programmes. The first phase is being implemented in thirteen establishments with a further twelve by April 1996. The majority of these programmes will be provided by outside drug agencies under contract to the Prison Service. This initiative will increase the level of specialist drug counsellors working in prisons and will provide live training opportunities for prison staff.
In addition, all establishments are reviewing their local drug strategies with the aim of improving the coordination of local services for drug misusers.
Family Law
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals have been made, or studies sanctioned, by the Council of Ministers of the European Community concerning a convention on family law, including issues relative to custody of children following divorce. [31595]
Mr. John M. Taylor: I have been asked to reply.
In June 1994 the Council of Ministers instructed a working group of experts to prepare a draft convention on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters. In June 1995, the Council considered a progress report on this exercise and agreed that work on it should continue under the Spanish presidency and that the working group should continue to look into the possibilities of the convention covering custody orders made ancillary to divorce proceedings.
Drugs Prevention Teams
Mrs. Jane Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total level of public funding available in real terms to each drug prevention team in Merseyside since the inception of the drugs prevention initiative in 1990; and what will be the total level of public funds available for the new Merseyside drug prevention team for each of the next four years. [31541]
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 3 July 1995]: The total level of public funding available to each drugs prevention team in Merseyside since the inception of the drugs prevention initiative in 1990 was as follows:
Column 289
|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93|1993-94|1994-95
|£ |£ |£ |£ |£
----------------------------------------------------------
Liverpool |46,500 |188,000|196,009|193,908|206,627
Wirral |- |86,770 |185,974|186,597|200,436
The Liverpool team began on 10 December 1990, and the Wirral team began on 30 September 1991.
The total level of funding available to the new Merseyside drugs prevention team will not be known until its programme of work has been settled later this year.
Mrs. Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of estimated savings in each category of running costs that can be realised by merging the Wirral and Liverpool drugs prevention teams. [31578]
Mr. Forsyth [holding answer 3 July 1995]: The objective in merging the Liverpool and Wirral drugs prevention teams was to make the benefits of the drugs prevention initiative available to many more people, not to make savings in running costs. Independent reviews of the initiative had recommended that the former teams be replaced by larger teams covering wider areas, to increase the opportunities for wider-reaching drugs prevention projects. The new Merseyside team covers all five boroughs of the county.
The comparative running cost figures are:
|Liverpool and Wirral
|teams (combined) |Merseyside team
|1994-95 |1995-96
|£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Staff costs |153,537 |151,228
Accommodation |24,389 |32,500
Other running costs |59,225 |39,805
Grants |149,871 |<1>-
<1> The level of funding available for grants will not be known until the team's
programme of work is settled later this year.
Mrs. Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the total level of savings that will be achieved in each of the next four years by merging the Wirral and Liverpool drugs prevention teams. [31579]
Mr. Forsyth [holding answer 3 July 1995]: The level of funding which the new Merseyside drugs prevention team will have available for making grants will not be decided until its programme of work is settled later this year. It is not therefore possible to estimate at this stage the extent to which there may be savings as a result of merging the Wirral and Liverpool drugs prevention teams.
Kani Yilmaz
Mr. Austin-Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter of 10 April from the hon. Member for Woolwich in respect of Kani Yilmaz; and if he will make a statement on the issues raised. [24924]
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 18 may 1995]: I have written to the hon. Member today.
Column 290
SOCIAL SECURITY
Housing Benefit
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if his departmental assistance with loans for home improvements are deemed to be housing costs in respect of paragraphs 5(4) and 5(5) of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations 1987. [31864] (2) what representations he has had in regard to difficulties experienced by home owners whose mortgage interest payments are being met by his Department, who have had to temporarily move to alternative accommodation while extensive renovation work is being carried out and who are deemed ineligible for housing benefit. [31907]
Mr. Roger Evans: Home improvement loans which attract assistance from this Department are not considered to be housing costs for the purpose of determining entitlement to housing benefit. I have received no representations about home owners in these circumstances.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of parliamentary questions, which would have been answered directly by him or his Ministers prior to the establishment of executive agencies, are now referred to the chief executive of such an agency. [28490]
Mr. Hague: The information is in the table.
|Percentage
|Number of |replied to by
Session |questions |agencies
--------------------------------------------------------
1992-93<1> |3,305 |10.86
1993-94<1> |2,365 |14.08
1994-95<1,2> |2,046 |9.77
Notes:
<1> These figures have been provided using the POLIS
database. It is not possible to guarantee that this is
a truly comprehensive figure.
<2> Up to Monday 26 June 1995.
Family Credit
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what increase in family credit payments is expected in the first year of the jobseeker's allowance as a result of the allowance encouraging self-employment. [31661]
Mr. Roger Evans: The information is not available.
Consultants
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all consultants who have been retained by his Department in the past three years to advise on any aspect of (a) the reduction in state protection for mortgage interest payments and the encouragement of a private insurance market for mortgage protection, (b) the introduction of incapacity benefit or (c) the introduction of the jobseeker's allowance. [32051]
Column 291
Mr. Roger Evans: The Department of Social Security has retained the services of the following consultants to advise on the issues raised by the hon. Member:
Issue |Company |Number of
|consultants
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) The reduction in state | No consultants retained|nil
protection mortgage
interest payments and the
encouragement of a
private insurance
market for mortgage
protection.
(b) The introduction of | Andersen Consulting |88 25
incapacity benefit |CSS Trident
(c) The introduction of the | Coopers and Lybrand |1
jobseeker's allowance
|PA Consulting Group |2
|Andersen Consulting |5
|Computer People |55
|Cray Systems |5
|ICL |3
|NESCO |72
|SEMA Group |15
|Taskforce |3
Mr. Tim Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when he intends to publish further details of his plans to improve incentives to work for people in lower-paid employment; and if he will make a statement. [33088]
Mr. Roger Evans: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security has today published a consultation paper, "Piloting change in Social Security--Helping people into work". This sets out the Government's proposals to test out in eight pilot areas a new in-work benefit. The benefit is designed to make work more rewarding for those with limited earnings power, by enhancing their earnings. It is called earnings top-up.
It will be directed towards people without dependent children and will complement family credit, which already helps some 600,000 lower paid workers with children.
The proposed earnings top-up will increase the rewards of work by an average of about £23 a week for a couple without dependent children and about £19 for a single person of 25 or over. The Government propose to test the effectiveness of two different rates in the pilot areas. The maximum level of help could be up to £54 a week.
The proposals mark the first occasion in the UK in which a social security benefit will be tested out on a pilot basis. The extension of in-work benefits to all people on low incomes would be a major step. There is no experience from any other country on which to draw. So it is right to establish its effectiveness by testing it on a local basis before deciding whether or not to develop a national scheme. Such a decision would only be taken if the pilot scheme proves its worth.
The pilot scheme will cost about £75 million over three years, before taking account of behavioural effects. Parliamentary approval for expenditure on the scheme will depend on the Appropriations Act via an appropriate reference in the departmental estimates. Introduction of a new benefit on a local and temporary basis does not require express statutory authority. The scheme will be
Column 292
subject to detailed rules governing conditions of entitlement, claiming and other matters normally covered in regulations. These will be set out in a publicly available document and Parliament will be given an opportunity to discuss its principle and details. If it is decided to proceed from a temporary pilot to a permanent national scheme, the Government will introduce the necessary primary legislation.The Government believe that there is a case for extending in-work benefits in this way, but it is not yet proven. People with limited skills and experience may have earning power not much above the level of their out-of- work benefit entitlement. As a result, the net reward for, and incentive to, work is not great.
To forbid employers to pay less than a minimum level of pay would merely mean that anyone unable because of their limited skills, aptitudes and experience to contribute more in value than that minimum would no longer be able to find employment. The ideal solution is, of course, to increase people's earning power by improving their skills, educational attainments and experience. All the Government's education and training reforms are geared to that objective. But most valuable skills and experience are obtained at work. Social security can, therefore, help by making it more rewarding to work, thereby enabling people to get on the first rungs of the ladder of employment, climbing further as they acquire experience and skills.
The consultation document sets out the criteria on which we propose to define and select the eight pilot areas in which earnings top-up will be paid, together with four control areas. It includes a shortlist of 28 areas from whcih the final selection is likely to be made, subject ot the outcome of the consultation. Since the decision on whether or not to proceed to national implementation will be governed by the outcome of the pilot, we attached great importance to getting the pilot areas right and establishing a robust framework for evaluation.
Our present plans are to pay earnings top-up in the pilot areas in the same way as other social security benefits. But we propose also to discuss with employers the feasibility of paying the top-up alongside the wage package, in order to make clearer to recipients the increased gain form working. Depending on the outcome of the discussions, the pilot scheme may be enhanced to test out how this might work in practice. Participation by employers in such a scheme would be voluntary.
The decision to pilot a new benefit locally before deciding whether to introduce it nationally represents a radical departure for social security policy. It will increase the openness and effectiveness of policy making. It is also a major step in seeking solutions to the problems of unemployment, work incentives and the dispersion of earnings power affecting the least skilled. These are problems which every developed country faces. The UK is already a pioneer in its successful use of in-work benefits such as family credit to improve work incentives. We now aim to explore whether to go further.
Social Fund
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the estimated cost to local government of refusal of social fund applications on housing revenue accounts. [32227]
Column 293
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the running costs of the social fund as a proportion of annual net payments for each of the last three years. [32228]
Mr. Evans: Social fund administration costs are met separately from expenditure from the regulated and discretionary fund. In 1992 93, the social fund cost £208 million to administer and £270 million in 1993 94. Details of the administration costs for 1994 95 are not yet available and will be published in the next departmental report. The ratio of social fund administration costs to net payments from the discretionary and regulated fund was 0.98 in 1992 93 and 1.18 in 1993 94. It is more valid to relate administrative expenditure and gross expenditure, including recoveries, and on the basis the ratio was 0.35 in 1992 93 and 0.41 in 1993 94.
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the total net cost of the social fund for each of the last three years and the total cost of the single payment system for the last three years of its operation. [32229]
Mr. Evans: The total net cost of the regulated and discretionary social fund was £212 million in 1992 93; £229 million in 1993 94 and £217 million in 1994 95.
The total cost of single payments was £308 million in 1985 96; £370 million on 1986 87 and £198 million in 1987 88
The figures quoted are given in cash prices for the relevant years.
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims for assistance from the social fund at Doncaster and Mexborough benefit offices were made in the year 1994 95; how many were accepted; how many were refused; and what was the figures for the previous year. [31093]
Mr. Evans: The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Ian Magree, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available. Letter from Ian Magee to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 4 July 1995: The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about claims to the Social Fund in the Doncaster and Mexborough benefit offices for 1993 94 and 1994 95.
With the creation of the Benefits Agency in April 1991, offices were grouped into Districts. Information has therefore been supplied for the Doncaster and the Rother and Dearne Districts Mexborough Branch Office is one office within the Rother and Dearne District and figures for it cannot be given separately.
Information regarding Funeral Payment (FP) and Maternity Payment (MP) refusals is not readily available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. This is because the precise data could only be gathered by a special scan of the Social Fund Computer System. However, I have provided estimated figures for your information. Information for the Doncaster District is provided at Annex A and for Rother and Dearne at Annex B.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Column 294
Annex A: Number of applications, awards and refusals,
Doncaster district: 1993-94 and 1994-95
Application type |Applications |Awards |Refusals
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993-94
Budgeting loan |9,695 |5,809 |3,925
Community care grant |6,767 |1,511 |5,334
Crisis loan |4,948 |3,810 |964
Funeral payment |597 |404 |193
Maternity payment |1,605 |1,386 |219
1994-95
Budgeting loan |9,302 |5,828 |3,909
Community care grant |7,156 |1,784 |5,547
Crisis loan |5,404 |4,144 |1,129
Funeral payment |520 |348 |172
Maternity payment |1,594 |1,350 |244
The refusal figures for FP and MP have been approximated by deducting awards from
applications. No account has been taken of withdrawn applications.
Annex B: Number of applications, awards and refusals,
Rother and Dearne district 1993-94 and 1994-95
Application type |Applications |Awards |Refusals
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993-94
Budgeting loan |11,867 |6,847 |4,487
Community care grant |9,237 |3,167 |6,015
Crisis loan |3,969 |2,902 |959
Funeral payment |847 |595 |252
Maternity payment |2,083 |1,823 |260
1994-95
Budgeting loan |11,394 |7,378 |4,592
Community care grant |9,144 |3,153 |6,211
Crisis loan |4,012 |2,839 |1,027
Funeral payment |779 |502 |277
Maternity payment |2,121 |1,762 |359
The refusal figures for FP and MP have been approximated by deducting awards from
applications. No account has been taken of withdrawn applications.
National Insurance
Mr. Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many staff he has devoted to ensuring that employers are properly paying national insurance contributions in respect of those they employ. [31273]
(2) how many cases for recovery of (a) underpayment and (b) non-payment of national insurance contributions his staff have pursued in each of the last three complete years; how much extra revenue for the national insurance fund was recovered; in how many cases formal action through the courts was undertaken. [31274]
Mr. Arbuthnot: The administration of the national insurance scheme is a matter for Mrs. Faith Boardman, the chief executive of the Contributions Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Mrs. Faith Boardman to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 4 July 1995:
As Chief Executive of the Contributions Agency, I have responsibility for answering questions about operational matters relating to the Agency and the National Insurance (NI) scheme.
Column 295
I have been asked to reply to your questions about the numbers of staff ensuring employers are paying National Insurance contributions (NICs) and about details of recovery of underpayment and non- payment of NICs. In view of the nature of the questions I have combined the responses.Unfortunately the information is not available exactly in the form that you have requested.
One of the Agency's main aims is to ensure compliance with the law in respect of NICs. The operational area in regular face-to-face contact with employers is Field Operations, whose NI inspectors visit over 100,000 employers each year to monitor their compliance with NI law. There are currently 3,440 staff in post in Field Operations, including as at 31 March 1995 1,780 staff holding Inspectors' Warrants.
In addition to the Agency's Field Operations inspectorate force a number of our other operational sections, centrally based on Tyneside, are also concerned with correcting errors made by employers in their payment of NICs and pursuing collection of any arrears identified.
As far as the pursuit of arrears of NICs from employers is concerned, separate statistics are not kept that allow us to differentiate between cases where NICs have not been paid, rather than underpaid. Whenever inspectors survey (visit) an employer they will ensure that action is taken to correct any mistakes. In cases where earlier tax years are concerned the inspector will arrange to collect any arrears due or refer the case to Inland Revenue Audit, under liaison arrangements, for them to arrange collection.
Details of the numbers of surveys undertaken in the three years 1991/92, 1992/93 and 1993/94, together with the number where errors were discovered and the sums subsequently collected are given in the table I am attaching as Annex 1. Results for 1994/95 have not yet been finalised.
In general, self-employed people have a liability to pay Class 2 NICs unless they hold a certificate of exception from payment on the grounds of low earnings. During 1994/95 the Agency pro-actively identified 50,748 persons with an immediate requirement to pay Class 2 contributions. Similar figures for earlier years were not kept. The table in Annex 2 shows the number of cases in which a summons or writ was issued by either the Agency or the Department's Solicitor's office in each of the last three years. Figures are also given for the number of cases where summonses were issued by the Scottish Office on behalf of the Agency.
The table in Annex 3 shows the number of cases authorised for criminal prosecution in each of the last three years. Records have not been kept of the number of these cases which finally resulted in a Court Hearing. Not all cases in which criminal prosecution was authorised relate to non- payment or underpayment of NICs; some will have resulted from other offences against the NI Acts, and separate figures are not kept.
I regret that I have been unable to answer the precise questions that you have raised, but I hope that my reply proves helpful. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.
Results of contributions agency surveys
|Number |Amount of
|Number of |where errors|NIC's
Year |surveys |found |collected by
|CA |IR<1>
|£ million |£ million
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991-92 |106,422 |48,546 |5.00 |6.31
1992-93 |118,038 |467,899 |8.78 |10.61
1993-94 |131,634 |656,145 |15.69 |11.30
<1> Under Liaison arrangements some arrers of national Insurance
contributions identified on survey are collected by Inland Revenue.
Annex 2: Number of Civil Proceedings Cases
<1>Number of
Summons/Writs
Issued
Year |CRS |Solicitors|Scotland
-------------------------------------------------------
1992-93 |36,929 |3,451 |1,780
1993-94 |58,409 |2,467 |2,256
1994-95 |71,368 |1,213 |2,172
<1> The figure for Solicitor's Office includes cases
where formal action was commenced on Insolvency or
Bankruptcy procedures.
Annex 3: Criminal proceedings cases
Year |Number of cases
|authorised
------------------------------------------------
1992-93 |81
1993-94 |53
1994-95 |13
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Graham Riddick: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many asylum seekers there were in May in each year since 1988; how many of those who applied in each such month have been granted asylum in the United Kingdom; how many are still in the United Kingdom; and what was the annual cost to his Department of asylum seekers in each of the years specified. [32070]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested is given in the table. Figures for years prior to 1992 are not available.
It is not known how many of those granted either asylum or exceptional leave have remained in the United Kingdom.
Decisions<1> on applications<1> for asylum in the United Kingdom,
excluding dependants, submitted in May of each year from 1992 to
1995
|May |May |May |May
|1992 |1993 |1994 |1995
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Asylum applications<2> |1,370 |1,865 |2,650 |3,450
Decisions<2> on those |605 |920 |835 |nya
applications
Recognised as a refugee |40 |35 |20 |nya
and granted asylum
Not recognised as a |285 |160 |150 |nya
refugee but granted
exceptional leave to
remain<3>
Total refused<4> |280 |720 |665 |nya
Applications withdrawn |105 |80 |60 |nya
Applications undecided |660 |865 |1,755 |nya
Average cost per case |- |£175 |£185 |<6>£165
for year quoted<5>
<1> Provisional figures rounded to the nearest 5 with `..' = not
available and `nya' = not yet available.
<2> Figures exclude information on applications made overseas.
<3> Usually granted for a year in the first instance, subject
then to further review.
<4> Including refusals on third country grounds and refusals
under paragraph 340 of Immigration Rules.
<5> Cost of asylum determination staff per initial asylum
decision.
<6> Average for January to May 1995.
Milk
Mr. Sykes: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, to what use money paid by British farmers in fines for overproduction of milk is put. [31667]
Mr. Jack: Money collected in the form of a levy on over-quota milk is used to stabilise the market in milk and milk products and to help offset the costs of storing and disposing of surplus milk within the European Union.
Mr. Sykes: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received regarding the standards of calibration in milk tests for British farmers. [31669]
Mr. Jack: A number of representations have been received linking calibration standards to the outcome of butterfat test results. There are, however, a large number of factors which can cause variations in butterfat test results, of which calibration is only one.
Mr. Sykes: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the effect on British farmers of current practices in the testing of milk in relation to farmers in other EEC countries and their methods of testing milk. [31671]
Mr. Jack: The EEC Commission's chemical experts' group in milk and milk products has issued a questionnaire to all member states covering the calibration of instruments, inter-laboratory comparisons within member states and inter-laboratory comparisons between member states. Returns are being considered and I would not wish to pre-empt the Commission's findings.
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