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Forfeiture Orders
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many orders for forfeiture were made under section 25(6) of the Immigration Act 1971 in each of the last five years. [78669]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Information taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database is given in the table.
| Year | Offenders |
|---|---|
| 1993 | (38)-- |
| 1994 | -- |
| 1995 | 1 |
| 1996 | 3 |
| 1997 | 14 |
(38) not available
Work Permits
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long he expects the concession to employees requiring work permits for prospective employers in respect of work permit delays to continue. [78703]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: For as long as it is needed. We will keep its operation under review.
Asylum Seekers (Slovakia)
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of asylum claims from Slovakian nationals were certified in the last year for which figures are available. [78656]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Of 335 initial decisions made in applications for asylum by nationals of the Slovak Republic in 1998, 27 per cent. were certified.
Asylum Seekers (Eurostar)
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has made to the French Government about the arrival in the UK of asylum seekers on Eurostar. [78704]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien:
My right hon. Friend is in close contact with his French counterpart, M Chevenement, about this matter. At their last meeting in Paris on 11 March, they discussed a range of options to deal with the problem, including imposing charges under the carriers' liability arrangements.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals have claimed asylum at (a) Waterloo Station and (b) elsewhere after arriving in the UK on a Eurostar service since 1 January. [78705]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
535 asylum applications, excluding dependants, were made at Waterloo in January and February 1999. I regret that information on how many asylum applications were made elsewhere after arriving in the United Kingdom on a Eurostar service is not available.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints he received regarding the loss of passports of foreign nationals by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in (a) the last three months and (b) 1998. [78649]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Complaints received by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate are not recorded centrally on the basis of subject matter. Information kept centrally is in respect of the number of compensation claims dealt with as a result of maladministration.
In 1998, 62 claims for compensation were dealt with, the majority of which arose because of lost documents. During 1999, 19 claims for compensation have so far been dealt with. A number of claims received in 1998 and this year remain to be determined.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the number of persons seeking to obtain entry to the UK through the use of forged visas or entry clearance documents; and how many such forgeries were detected, in the last year for which figures are available. [78638]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
During 1998, there were 6,338 recorded forgery detections at ports: these include the attempted use of forged or counterfeit documents, the use of fraudulently obtained documents and instances of attempted impersonation. There were 362 cases involving the use of a forged or counterfeit visa. We have not attempted any assessment of the number of forged visas which are not detected.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce the stamping of visas to indicate when they have been used. [78689]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
None. The stamping of visas would slow down the immigration control process. One of the aims of the planned reforms set out in the Immigration and Asylum Bill is to develop a flexible and streamlined system of immigration control to enable bona fide travellers to pass through more quickly. We have
29 Mar 1999 : Column: 553
made provision in the Bill for measures to be introduced to achieve these aims and, in particular, to provide for the issue of a visa or other entry clearance to have the effect of also granting leave to enter. In taking these flexibility measures forward, we will be looking at greater simplification of visa processes and how these and our operations in general might be improved by technological developments in immigration control.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the incidence of (a) racial and religiously motivated attacks and (b) other criminal offences committed against asylum seekers. [78600]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Information on racist incidents is collected centrally, but asylum seekers are not separately identifiable in the statistics.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much is owed in penalties arising out of carrier's liability incurred by airlines more than (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) 12 months and (d) two years after the penalty was incurred. [78609]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
As at 24 March 1999, the amounts owed by airlines were as follows:
These amounts include £1.8 million which is the subject of legally binding agreements, and £1.1 million is covered by outstanding writ action.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons with an entry visa or other form of entry clearance were refused leave to enter on arrival in the United Kingdom in the last five years for which figures are available. [78641]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Information is available only on entry clearance holders refused leave to enter and removed at the 13 largest ports. The figures for 1995-98 are as follows:
(a) more than three months: £6,620,480
(b) more than six months: £4,658,480
(c) more than twelve months: £3,772,480
(d) more than two years: £3,058,480.
| Year of removal | Number |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 530 |
| 1996 | 640 |
| 1997 | 740 |
| 1998 | 720 |
Immigration Detainees (Bail Applications)
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for bail by persons held in detention for immigration reasons under (a) the Immigration Act 1971 and (b) any other provision
29 Mar 1999 : Column: 554
were made to (i) an adjudicator and (ii) the Immigration Appeal Tribunal; and how many such applications were granted in each year for the last five years. [78670]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Sir Norman Fowler:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the number of police officers employed in (a) the National Crime Squad and (b) the National Criminal Intelligence Service as at 30 September 1998; if he will list the number of police officers employed at 30 September 1997 on a basis which permits a comparison with (a) and (b) above; and if he will make a statement. [79196]
Mr. Boateng:
The information requested is set out in the table:
| National Crime Squad | National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 September 1997 | 1,325 | (39)253 |
| 30 September 1998 | 1,344 | 238 |
(39) Information on the number of police officers in NCIS for 30 September 1997 has been provided by the Director General
The funding of the National Crime Squad and the National Criminal Intelligence Service will increase by 13.8 per cent. and 8.8 per cent. respectively in 1999-2000.
Sir Norman Fowler: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce the strength of police forces in England and Wales as recorded in March 1999; and if he will make a statement. [79195]
Mr. Boateng: This information will be collected in accordance with normal procedures. Once all the returns have been received from police forces and validated, the statistics will be placed in the Library. I expect this information to be available in early June, on the basis of last year's timetable.
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