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Immigration and Asylum Bill
Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the cost of additional staff for the Support Agency described in point 368 of the Explanatory Notes to the Immigration and Asylum Bill was included in point 359; and what the estimated staff costs for the Support Agency are. [97139]
Mrs. Roche: The question refers to paragraphs in the Explanatory Notes, published on 9 February 1999. A further set of Explanatory Notes were published on 18 June 1999 to accompany the introduction of the Immigration and Asylum Bill into the House of Lords.
Paragraph 368 of the Explanatory Memorandum suggested that the Asylum Seekers Support Agency would require between 100-200 additional staff. Since then, further work has been done to identify the appropriate size of the body to administer the new support arrangements. We have also taken account of revised forecasts for
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applications for asylum. Our latest estimates are that the new body to administer the support arrangements will need 512 full-time equivalent staff.
The costs of the staff were not included in the support costs listed in paragraph 359 of the Explanatory Memorandum. It is now expected that the staff costs will be of the order of £11.5 million per year.
Lorna Fitzsimons:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the estimates in point 359 of the Explanatory Notes to the Immigration and Asylum Bill were determined; and what assumptions were made underlying those calculations. [97138]
Mrs. Roche:
The question refers to a paragraph in the Explanatory Notes which were published on 9 February. A further set of Explanatory Notes were published on 18 June when the Immigration and Asylum Bill was introduced into the House of Lords.
A budget of £350 million for 1999-2000, £300 million for 2000-01, and £250 million for 2001-02 was provisionally allocated for asylum support costs in the Comprehensive Spending Review in July 1998. These figures were determined from the Asylum Costs model which calculates support costs on the basis of a number of assumptions including the number of asylum applications. Details of this model including its assumptions were set out in the document "Asylum Seeker Support--estimates of public expenditure" which was published on 22 March.
Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were arrested in connection with activities related to each State Visit in the last three years. [97263]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Within the Metropolitan Police Area, no-one was arrested in connection with activities related to the State Visits by the President of Israel (February 1997), the President of Brazil (December 1997), the Emperor of Japan (May 1998), the President of Germany (December 1998), or the President of Hungary (June 1999), and 15 people were arrested in connection with activities related to last month's State Visit by the President of China. Of these, five were released by the arresting officer without any further proceedings. Information for other police force areas is not collected centrally.
Mrs. Ellman:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who was appointed to investigate recent allegations of bullying in relation to nursing staff at HMP Liverpool and on whose authority; who set the terms of reference for the inquiry; what guidance was given on the conduct of the inquiry and the compilation of the report; and to whom he intends the report will be made available in its entirety. [97281]
Mr. Boateng:
The area manager for Merseyside and Manchester appointed Mr. R. S. McColm, then deputy governor grade at Manchester prison and now deputy governor at Wymott prison, and a trained senior investigating officer, to conduct the investigation. The area manager did so on his own authority, but he had discussed the matter with the operational director and the
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then Director General. The area manager set the terms of reference for the inquiry. The terms of reference directed Mr. McColm to conduct the investigation in accordance with Prison Service Instruction to governors 37/1994, a copy of which is available in the Library, and to take account of the Prison Service guidance on "Combating harassment and discrimination".
On the question of disclosure, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I have her on 27 October 1999, Official Report, column 878. However, my hon. Friend has also asked to meet me to discuss the matter and I shall arrange to do so shortly.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to begin the national implementation of the framework for final warning schemes, reparation orders, action plan order, child safety orders, parenting orders, and youth offending teams; and if he will make a statement on the piloting of these schemes. [97307]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Pilots of the final warning scheme, reparation order, action plan order, child safety order, parenting order and youth offending teams under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 began in 10 areas in September 1998 and will run for 18 months. Subject to the experience of the pilots, the Government expect to implement nationally the provisions in the 1998 Act for youth offending teams in April 2000 and for the final warning scheme and new court orders in 2000-01. The pilots are being evaluated by a team led by Sheffield University. The Government expect to receive an interim report on the progress of the pilots shortly and this will be published in due course.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the local authorities which have used (a) local child curfew schemes, (b) anti-social behaviour orders and (c) court-ordered secure demands. [97306]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Applying to establish a local child curfew scheme is optional for local authorities, to be considered in the light of the wider crime and disorder reduction strategy developed under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and of the outcome of local consultation. No applications have yet been received.
Information on the number of anti-social behaviour orders made is not held centrally, but we are aware of seven orders made since 1 April 1999. Two were applied for by Liverpool City Council, one by North Somerset District Council and one by the London Borough of Camden. In addition, two were applied for by Derbyshire Constabulary and one by West Mercia Police.
Remands direct to local authority secure accommodation are made by the courts without an application from a local authority. Information on the use of court-ordered secure remands since 1 June 1999 is being collected from local authorities. I will write to my right hon. Friend as soon as it has been assembled.
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Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the European Commission to publish a draft directive on racism and xenophobia. [97286]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
This matter is due to be discussed by the College of Commissioners on 10 November. However, I understand that there is a full agenda and it is possible that this item may not be reached, in which case it will be deferred to their next meeting on 16 November.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the number of asylum seekers who are currently (a) supported by local authorities and (b) in receipt of social security benefits. [97584]
Mrs. Roche:
The latest information estimates that in August 1999, local authorities in London were supporting approximately 52,000 asylum seekers, including dependants. Figures for asylum seekers not supported by London boroughs are not available at present.
The latest information from the Department of Social Security (DSS) shows the estimated number of asylum seekers/other urgent case payment cases currently in receipt of Income Support or Jobseeker's allowance as at May 1999, is 47,000 (excluding dependants).
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the state of millennium compliance in (a) the Passport Agency and (b) the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [97287]
Mrs. Roche:
All business critical systems within the United Kingdom Passport Agency have been prepared for millennium compliance. No risks of material disruption to the infrastructure process as a result of millennium date change have been identified.
The three business critical systems within the Immigration and Nationality Directorate have been prepared for millennium compliance. Business continuity plans have been prepared and tested in event of failure of the systems or supporting infrastructure.
Mr. Greenway:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he had made, at the time of his announcement of 16,000 police recruits on 30 September, of the number of officers who would leave the service over the next three years. [97234]
Mr. Charles Clarke
[holding answer 4 November 1999]: It is not possible to make such a projection. This is because of the uncertainty surrounding the number of officers who take early retirement on medical grounds or who leave the service before normal retirement age for other reasons. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given
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by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Wilkinson) on 29 October 1999, Official Report, column 1023.
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