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Refugees
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many refugees have entered the United Kingdom since 1 January; and if he will make a statement. [83910]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Between 1 January and 31 March 1999, 5,905 applications for asylum were made by persons arriving at ports in the United Kingdom. In addition to this, 8,035 applications were received from persons already within the United Kingdom making a total of 13,945 applications for asylum received in the first three months of 1999.
Asylum Support System
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of staff to be employed in the administrative machinery for the proposed Home Office asylum support system. [83955]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Consultants, KPMG, have recommended that the Asylum Support Directorate should have 298 staff in 2000-01 and 323 staff in 2001-02. We are still considering this recommendation.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Coleman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been undertaken by his Department into the levels of support that will need to be available to dispersed asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement. [84040]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The proposed levels of support we have announced are the result of detailed discussions with other Government Departments, the local authority associations, individual local authorities and the voluntary sector. No formal academic research has been undertaken.
Mr. Coleman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what transitional arrangements he will put in place under the Immigration and Asylum Bill to
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deal with existing asylum seekers who are waiting for their applications to be processed; and if he will make a statement. [84037]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The Local Government Association and the Association of London Government are jointly developing new arrangements for supporting asylum seekers which mirror the support system which is due to come into operation on 1 April 2000 and which will, therefore, ease the transition to the new system. It is proposed that the Immigration and Asylum Bill will give statutory backing to these transitional arrangements with effect from Royal Assent.
Mr. Coleman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from (a) refugee organisations and (b) other agencies since the assessment of the level of cash support available to asylum seekers proposed under the Immigration and Asylum Bill; and if he will make a statement. [84039]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
A number of refugee organisations and other agencies have commented on the proposed cash allowances for asylum seekers. We are now considering these comments.
Mr. Coleman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures he plans to introduce to allow asylum seekers of school age to claim free school meals; and if he will make a statement. [84036]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
If they are of compulsory school age, the children of asylum seekers who are being supported by the Home Office will, if eligible, be entitled to free school meals.
Mr. Norman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the procedures are for informing applicants of exceptional delays in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [84270]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The recent disruption to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's (IND) caseworking operation has meant that some applications are taking longer to process than would normally be the case. A number of measures have been taken to alert applicants. Letters, warning of possible delays, together with an explanatory leaflet, are now enclosed with all application forms. Leaflets have also been distributed widely among representatives, user groups and agencies in order to publicise the changes in IND as widely as possible.
Mr. Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are employed in HM Inspectorate of Constabulary. [84268]
Mr. Boateng:
As of 12 May 1999, 84 persons were employed at Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary.
The total number of current staff is as follows:
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Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons Mr. Tom Neil of Hillbrook Road, Totnes (a) has not received confirmation of his visa status in the United Kingdom and (b) has been informed that, should he leave the United Kingdom at any time, his application would be cancelled. [83900]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Mr. Neil was granted an extension of stay in the United Kingdom and his passport returned to him on 12 May. I am sorry that this had been delayed. Under Paragraph 34 of House of Commons paper 395, Mr. Neil's application would have been treated as withdrawn had he requested the return of his passport before his application had been dealt with.
Mr. Ronnie Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what was the average annual cost of employing a schoolteacher in 1998-99 in (a) Northumberland and (b) Slough. [83543]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The average cost of employing a schoolteacher in a Local Education Authority depends on the average salary levels of those teachers currently employed within that Authority.
1 Chief Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary
5 Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary
2 Assistant Her Majesty's Inspector's (Police)
2 Assistant Her Majesty's Inspector's (Non Police)
4 Seconded Civilians
32 Home Office employees
6 Staff contracted to Home Office.
Additionally, there are currently seven vacancies in the group "Home Office employees" with these staff, there would be a total establishment of 91.
| Slough | Northumberland | |
|---|---|---|
| Average salary(1) | 23,800 | 24,000 |
| Employer costs(2) | 3,500 | 3,500 |
| Total cost | 27,300 | 27,500 |
(1) Average salaries at local education authority level are likely to vary for a number of reasons, including the grade structures required by the mix of school sizes, teachers average length of service and payment of recruitment and retention points. The estimate takes account of the staged pay award in 1998-99, 2.0 per cent. in April with the full 3.8 per cent. paid in December.
(2) Includes 7.6 per cent. National Insurance contributions and 7.2 per cent. pension costs.
Note:
All figures are rounded to the nearest hundred pounds.
CSE/GCSE Examinations
Sir Geoffrey JohnsonSmith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils were entered for CSE/GCSE examination papers, in 1997-98; how many sat for only one subject paper and failed to pass it; and at what cost. [83281]
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Ms Estelle Morris:
The number of pupils in schools in England entered for CSE/GCSE examination papers in 1997-98 was 659,300. Of these 9,300 sat for only one subject paper and failed to pass it, with an estimated examination fee cost of £150,000.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many classes for five to seven-year-olds in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire had over 30 pupils in each year from 1992 to date; and if he will make a statement. [83962]
Ms Estelle Morris:
The available information is shown in the following table.
| January each year | Shropshire (3) | Shropshire (4) | Telford and Wrekin | Constituency of Shrewsbury and Atcham |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 111 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1997 | 109 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1998 | 100 | -- | -- | -- |
| 1999 | -- | 34 | 17 | 9 |
(3) Before Local Government re-organisation of April 1998
(4) After Local Government re-organisation of April 1998
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