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Refugee Allocation Project
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allocations have been made under the Refugee Allocation Project to (a) Camrex House, Sunderland and (b) the Balmoral Hotel Newcastle; what was the total cost of such allocations; and what was the average weekly cost of such allocations in each location. [93610]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Over the last 12 months, the Refugee Arrivals Project (RAP) has assisted 114 adults and eight families to secure accommodation in Camrex House, Sunderland, all of whom are in receipt of social security benefits, RAP do not assist placements in the Balmoral Hotel, Newcastle. Information on the cost of such allocations is not separately available.
27 Jul 1999 : Column: 277
Mr. Jenkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of prosecutions for road traffic offences have involved people with non-United Kingdom driving licences in each of the last five years. [93339]
Mr. Boateng:
The information requested is not available.
The statistics collected on motoring offences by the Home Office do not enable people with non-United Kingdom driving licences to be identified. Records kept by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority relate only to non-United Kingdom licence holders who are disqualified.
Mr. Kaufman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will give instructions to the police that, when called on to deal with demonstrations by supporters of hunting accompanied by dogs, they should be accompanied by police dogs. [93215]
Mr. Boateng:
No. The use of police dogs is an operational matter for chief officers of police.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional resources he will make available to (a) police authorities, (b) fire authorities and (c) local authority emergency planning offices in England and Wales for the preparation, provision and annual funding needed to meet the new tasks announced in the Government paper of 21 July, Defending Against the Threat from Biological and Chemical Weapons; and if he will make a statement. [93095]
Mr. George Howarth:
No new tasks for the police, fire or local authorities were announced in the Government paper "Defending Against the Threat from Biological and Chemical Weapons".
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures have been taken to implement in domestic law and practice the right of Russian companies to send key personnel to the United Kingdom as provided for in Articles 28 to 30 of the EC/Russian Partnership and Co-operation Agreement. [93302]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
It has not been necessary to introduce specific measures and Russian companies wishing to take advantage of these provisions are expected to apply under the existing well-established work permit procedures.
The European Community/Russian Partnership and Co-operation Agreement specifically allows the parties to continue to apply immigration and work permit controls. Under the provisions of the Agreement, key personnel are still required to obtain work permits and Russian nationals still require visas to enter the United Kingdom. The Agreement specifically provides by means of a joint declaration by the parties that the requirement of a visa does not nullify or impair its benefits.
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Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the regime of checks for Chinese nationals who wish (a) to extend their leave in the United Kingdom and (b) to obtain indefinite leave to remain. [93303]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The process by which the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) considers applications for further leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain varies by category rather than by nationality. The criteria to be applied by IND caseworkers are set out in the Immigration Rules.
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to recruit more black and minority ethnic people into the police force; and if he will make a statement. [93608]
Mr. Boateng:
I refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz), on 23 March 1999, Official Report, column 174 and to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Crausby), on 26 April 1999, Official Report, columns 17-18.
Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints have been made against the Metropolitan Police in each of the last five years; what proportion of those complaints either wholly or in part concerned accusations of police racism; and if he will make a statement. [93607]
Kate Hoey:
The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has provided the following summary of information on the total number of complaints made against the Metropolitan Police and the proportion of those complaints that were of racially discriminatory behaviour, within the last five years:
Agreement
| Total complaints (27) | Percentage police racism complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 9,658 | 2.97 |
| 1995-96 | 10,128 | 2.98 |
| 1996-97 | 9,919 | 3.11 |
| 1997-98 | 8,881 | 2.88 |
| 1998-99 | 7,087 | 3.47 |
(27) Total complaints include all allegations, not only the main allegation
Public Interest Immunity Certificates
Sir Nicholas Lyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many public interest immunity certificates or equivalent documents have been provided by Ministers or officials in his Department since 3 May 1997; and at what level each such document has been signed. [93534]
27 Jul 1999 : Column: 279
Mr. Straw:
Since 3 May 1997, I have signed 13 public interest immunity certificates. In addition, one certificate has been signed by a Minister of State at the Home Office.
These figures do not include certificates which may, exceptionally, have been issued and considered by the Court without notice of their existence being given to the other parties in the case.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what have been the costs to the Metropolitan Police, in each of the last five years, of policing demonstrations about hunting. [93471]
Kate Hoey:
The Commissioner has provided the following information on costs to the Metropolitan Police for policing demonstrations about hunting:
| Year | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1994 | 46,408 |
| 1995 | Nil |
| 1996 | 8,808 |
| 1997 | 97,786 |
| 1998 | 267,810 |
| Total | 420,812 |
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) pro-hunting and (b) anti-hunting demonstrations have been held in London since May 1997. [93472]
27 Jul 1999 : Column: 280
Kate Hoey:
The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police tells me that between 1 May 1997 and 25 July 1999 there were ten major hunt demonstrations--seven were anti-hunting and three were pro-hunting.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the fund raising activity of local hunts and their contribution to local charities. [93478]
Mr. George Howarth:
Information about fund raising activities of hunts is not held centrally.
Fiona Mactaggart:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought, in the last 12 months for which records are available, for each of the following breaches of the Immigration Acts (i) failure to report to a medical officer (section 24(1)(d) Immigration Act 1971), (ii) failure to support and accommodate without recourse to pubic funds (section 78 Social Security Act 1986, with section 106 Social Security Administration Act 1992), (iii) obtaining leave to enter by deception (section 24(1)(aa) Immigration Act 1971), (iv) obtaining leave to remain by deception (section 24(1)(aa) Immigration Act 1971), (v) assisting the entry of another person as an illegal entrant (section 25(1)(a) Immigration Act 1971) and (vi) assisting the entry of another person as an asylum claimant (section 25(1)(b) Immigration Act 1971). [93333]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Available information, taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings database for 1998, is given in the table. Information on the number of defendants who fail to support and accommodate without recourse to public funds cannot be identified separately from other similar offences.
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| Offence description | Number of defendants |
|---|---|
| Non citizen failing to comply with requirements to report to a medical officer or to submit to a test or examination required by such an officer(29) | -- |
| If by means which includes deception by him, he obtains or seeks to obtain leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom(30) | 2 |
| Knowingly concerned in making or carrying out arrangements for securing or facilitating the entry into the UK of anyone whom he knows or has reasonable cause for believing to be: | |
| an illegal entrant(31) | 177 |
| an asylum claimant(32) | 4 |
(28) All data are provisional
(29) Sec 24(1)(d)
(30) Sec 24(1)(aa) as added by Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 sec 4
(31) Sec 25(1)(a)
(32) Sec 25(1)(b) as added by Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 sec 5
27 Jul 1999 : Column: 279
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