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Visitor Processing
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost of installing and operating a system of recording the entry and departure of visitors to the United Kingdom. [89829]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We estimate that the additional staffing costs at ports would be about £10 million per annum in order to support a system of recording the entry and departure of all visitors. There would also be further significant cost implications for enhancement of the present record systems.
Miss Sokcevic
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the travel documents for Miss Sokcevic (Immigration Reference No. S797486) will be produced. [89862]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The document was issued on Friday 2 July.
Prisons (Mothers and Children)
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the report of the review of principles, policies, and procedures relating to mothers and babies/children in prison will be published. [90056]
Mr. Straw: The Prison Service report of the review of principles, policies and procedures on mothers and babies/ children in prison is published today and copies have been placed in the Library. There are 62 recommendations. The report concludes that the overriding principle guiding the provision of, and allocation of places in, mother and baby units should be in the best interests of the child. The Director General of the Prison Service accepts and welcomes the report and that conclusion specifically. A full action plan, setting out how it proposes to proceed on each of the recommendations will be published soon. A copy of that action plan will be placed in the Library.
EU Corruption
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 11 June 1999, Official Report, column 435, concerning the European Union Convention concerning corruption involving its officials, what parliamentary consideration it received. [88678]
Kate Hoey: The draft Convention and an Explanatory Note were sent to the House of Commons Select Committee on European Legislation, the House of Lords Select Committee on European Legislation and the Home Affairs Committee on 8 May 1996. The House of Lords Select Committee cleared the draft Convention from scrutiny on 6 June 1996. The House of Commons Select Committee did not have a formal role in the scrutiny of proposals falling under the Third Pillar (Justice and Home Affairs) until 17 November 1998.
Asylum Seekers (Benefits)
Mr. Brooke:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department is taking to ensure
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that persons who have applied in time for renewal of exceptional leave to remain are not denied benefits due to delays in processing their applications. [90239]
Mr. Straw:
Responsibility for deciding who is eligible to receive benefits is a matter for the Department of Social Security and the Benefits Agency. An official in the Integrated Casework Directorate wrote to the Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency on 27 April to clarify the immigration status of such applicants. In immigration law, provided a person with leave to remain applies for an extension before that leave expires, that person may remain lawfully in the United Kingdom after expiry of that leave until the application is decided, and of course beyond that date if the application is granted. The Chief Executive was advised that provided persons seeking benefits produced evidence to Benefits Agency staff that they had submitted an application for extension of leave before it had expired, then Benefits Agency staff could assume that they were here lawfully.
It was suggested that the Chief Executive might wish to circulate this information widely among Benefits Agency staff, as the Immigration and Nationality Directorate were aware that some applicants were being refused benefits although they had submitted an application for an extension before expiry of their permitted leave.
The delay in dealing with some applications owing to the reorganisation of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate is regretted. However, the situation is improving and output from the Integrated Casework Directorate has now recovered to about 80 per cent. of the level achieved during last year.
Mrs. Browning:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of instruction material provided to (a) polling clerks and (b) returning officers for the European Elections on 10 June. [89972]
Mr. George Howarth:
The cost of the training programme for electoral staff for the European Parliamentary elections was £4 million. Much of the material produced for returning officers and presiding officers was common to both so it is not possible to cost these elements separately.
In addition, the Home Office produced a guidance manual for returning officers. The production and distribution costs were approximately £3,500.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consultations his Department carried out with organisations representing blind and visually- impaired people before publishing and distributing literature on the new proportional representation system for the 1999 European elections; [89748]
(3) what steps his Department took to ensure that blind and visually impaired people were aware that his Department's leaflet explaining the new proportional representation system for the 1999 European elections was available in Braille and audio-cassette. [89750]
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Mr. George Howarth:
The Government's explanatory leaflet was produced using 14-point type which is the Royal National Institute for the Blind's (RNIB) minimum recommended size to make the text accessible to visually impaired people. The text of the leaflet was also included on teletext where it is normally possible to enlarge the text size.
It is made clear in the leaflet that it was available in Braille and audio-cassette forms. In addition, advertisements about the leaflet were taken in seven RNIB publications. A press notice about the leaflet was sent to 40 disability oriented publications.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the subject and date of each written briefing prepared by his Special Advisers for all Labour Members since May 1997 and the total number and total cost to date of these. [89985]
Mr. Straw:
Special Advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the Model Contract for Special Advisers. Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Model Contract sets out the role and duties of Special Advisers. As well as research for Ministers and reviewing papers, contributing to policy planning within the Department and preparing policy papers, speechwriting and liaison with outside interest groups, their role explicitly includes liaising with the party and helping to brief party Members of Parliament. Records are not held of when such briefings are given. Similar arrangements have applied under successive Governments.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 8 June 1999, Official Report, column 9, concerning the agenda items and related documents to be discussed at the additional European Council to be held in Tampere, Finland, in October, to consider the European Judicial Area, what criteria were used to determine which documents are inappropriate for publication; and what committees of either House of Parliament will be able to consider those published prior to that council meeting. [88690]
Kate Hoey:
The draft Convention and an Explanatory Note were sent to the House of Commons Select Committee on European Legislation, the House of Lords Select Committee on European Legislation and the Home Affairs Committee on 1 June 1995. The House of Lords Select Committee cleared it from scrutiny on 13 June 1995.
Prior to ratification of the Convention, the instrument of ratification is drafted, signed by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, sealed, bound and deposited with the Secretary General of the Council of the European Union.
Dr. Vis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the daily allowance of fresh fruit and vegetables is for babies in Styal Prison. [89345]
6 Jul 1999 : Column: 487
Mr. George Howarth:
There is no specific allowance. Mothers in the mother and baby unit at Styal select and order ingredients for their children's meals from a list of available items and prepare them individually to suit the particular child. Fresh fruit and vegetables are always available.
Mr. Woolas:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the cost of increasing police force strength by 6,000 officers. [89360]
Mr. Boateng:
The estimated annual cost of 6,000 additional constables would be around £150 million.
(2) for what reason his Department's leaflet explaining the new proportional representation system for the 1999 European elections was not available in large print; [89749]
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