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Domestic Violence
Mr. Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 on domestic violence. [72769]
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Mr. Boateng:
Tackling domestic violence requires partnership working between agencies in the public, private and voluntary sectors. The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 has reinforced the statutory framework under which such partnership working can take place. We have always made it clear that we expect the local crime and disorder partnerships set up under the Act to identify the level of domestic violence in their area and to develop and implement strategies for reducing it.
The first crime and disorder audits and strategies should be in place by 1 April 1999 and are currently being drawn up. It is too early to draw from them any general
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conclusions, but a number of audits--including Croydon's--have already identified domestic violence as a priority.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment (a) have been deported upon release in each of the last five years and (b) will be deported on release; and to which countries in each case. [72930]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I regret that the precise information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
| Removed or departed voluntarily 1 , 4 | |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 320 |
| 1995 | 340 |
| 1996 | 370 |
| 1997 | 360 |
| 1998(17) | 320 |
(13) Includes persons departing voluntarily following initiation of deportation action against them.
(14) Under section 3(6) of the Immigration Act 1971.
(15) Under section 3(5)(b) of the Immigration Act 1971.
(16) Data are rounded.
(17) 1998 data are provisional and relate to 1 January to 30 November only.
Drugs Misuse
Ms Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list the occasions on which gammahydroxybutyrate has been referred to the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs; and what representations have been made on its use; [72902]
- (2) what criteria are applied in determining whether the degree of abuse of a drug and the social consequences arising from its misuse are sufficient to warrant (a) the banning of the drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and (b) other Government action. [72903]
Mr. George Howarth: Representations have periodically been made since 1994 for the control under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 of gammahydroxybutyrate. In total, eight Parliamentary Questions have been answered in this House and nine letters from Members.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which is established under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 to advise the Government on drug misuse issues, has considered the misuse of gammahydroxybutyrate on three occasions--in May 1994 shortly after the drug first appeared as a drug of misuse in this country; in November 1996; and in May 1998.
Section 1 of the 1971 Act provides that the Council has a duty to keep under review drugs which are being or appear likely to be misused and of which the misuse is
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having to appear capable of having harmful effects sufficient to constitute a social problem; and to give to Ministers advice on measures (whether or not involving alteration of the law) to be taken for preventing the misuse of such drugs or dealing with social problems connected with their misuse.
When reviewing the misuse of a substance and deciding what measures should in its opinion be taken, the matters which the Council take into account include the substance's pharmacology; availability (including any existing controls on the substance); prevalence of misuse; effects on health; abuse liability; dependence potential; and therapeutic usefulness.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters have been sent to Community nationals in the United Kingdom advising them that they are no longer considered to be exercising treaty rights and should therefore leave the United Kingdom since 1 February 1998. [72865]
Kate Hoey:
Between 1 February and 31 August 1998, 9 Residence Permits or Documents were revoked.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU nationals are estimated to have been exercising treaty rights in the United Kingdom during the period 1 February 1998 to date. [72871]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The information available relates to the number of nationals of other European Union countries who were usually resident in the United Kingdom in autumn 1998. There were some 870,000 such persons, of whom 450,000 were citizens of the Irish Republic.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the average time for consideration of applications for residence documents or evidence of residence made by third country family members of EU nationals exercising treaty rights in the United Kingdom during the period 1 February 1998 to date; [72870]
Kate Hoey:
The information sought is not recorded in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for (a) residence permits and (b) leave to remain as the spouse of an EEA national exercising treaty rights, were refused on the basis that the marriage was one of convenience over the period 1 February 1998 to date. [72875]
Kate Hoey:
From 1 February to 31 August 1998, 216 applications for residence documents on the basis of marriage to an European Economic Area (EEA) national were refused. The reasons for refusal are not separately categorised. The granting of leave to remain relates to applications made under the Immigration Rules and does not apply to requests for residence documents by the spouses of EEA nationals exercising treaty rights.
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Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the length in time of residence documents or endorsements given to third country national spouses of EC nationals exercising treaty rights who have been granted indefinite leave to remain. [72855]
Kate Hoey:
Where a European Economic Area (EEA) national has been granted indefinite leave to remain, the third country national spouse may apply either for leave to remain under the Immigration Rules on the basis of marriage to a person present or settled in the United Kingdom or for a residence document in accordance with European Community law. In the former case, the applicant, if successful, would be granted 12 months' leave to remain in the first instance; in the latter case, the third country national spouse may apply for a residence document which, if issued, would have the same validity as any extant residence permit issued to the EEA spouse. If the EEA spouse no longer holds a valid residence permit, one would be issued with five years' validity as the basis for the issue of a residence document of the same validity to the third country national.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU nationals were refused entry to the United Kingdom on the grounds of (a) public policy, (b) public security and (c) public health during the period 1 February 1998 to date. [72866]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The available information relates to European Union nationals who were refused leave to enter because their exclusion from the United Kingdom was deemed conducive to the public good or because they were medically undesirable. A provisional total of 46 persons in the first of those categories were removed between February and December 1998. During the same period, no European Union nationals were recorded as having been refused and removed on health grounds.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measure has been implemented in the United Kingdom to give effect to the decision of the European Court of Justice in the case of Vander Elst [1994] ECR 1-3803 to the effect that third country national employees of service providers based in another member state are entitled by Community law to exercise on behalf of their employers the right to provide services in the United Kingdom. [72873]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Effect is given to implementing this judgment through instructions that third country national employees of service providers established in another member state are not required to obtain work permits when they are sent to provide services in the United Kingdom.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for residence permits were made by EU nationals exercising treaty rights in the United Kingdom in the period 1 February 1998 to date. [72861]
Kate Hoey:
From 1 February to 31 August 1998, 1,424 applications for residence permits were received.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for residence documents and endorsements by third country national spouses of Community nationals exercising treaty rights
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were refused entry on the basis that he considered the marriage to be one of convenience during the period 1 February 1998 to date. [72872]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
I regret the information requested is not available in the form requested.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for residence documents by third country national family members of EU nationals exercising treaty rights were made in the period 1 February 1998 to date. [72877]
Kate Hoey:
From 1 February to 31 August 1998, 2,608 applications for residence documents by third country national family members of European Union nationals exercising treaty rights were received.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for residence documents by EU nationals exercising treaty rights in the United Kingdom were granted in the period 1 February 1998 to date. [72857]
Kate Hoey:
Between 1 February and 31 August 1998 (the latest date for which figures are available), 894 residence permits were issued to European Union nationals exercising Treaty rights.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residence documents and evidence of residence were granted to third country national family members of EU nationals exercising treaty rights in the United Kingdom during the period 1 February 1998 to date. [72864]
Kate Hoey:
From 1 February to 31 August 1998, 1,596 residence documents were issued to third country national family members (spouses and other family members) of European Union nationals.
(2) what was the average time for consideration of applications for residence documents for EU nationals exercising treaty rights in the United Kingdom during the period 1 February 1998 to date. [72869]
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