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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Asylum Appeals
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the average waiting time in (a) 1998 and (b) 1999 for (i) a hearing and (ii) a decision in respect of appeals against asylum decisions. [104043]
Jane Kennedy:
The Immigration Appellate Authority has been unable to monitor the average waiting time for a decision in respect of appeals against asylum decisions. The following table details the average waiting times for a hearing.
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| Category of hearing | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|
| Certified | 11 | 5 |
| Substantive | 26 | 6 |
| Detained | 4 | 4 |
Note:
Average waiting time shown in weeks
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many asylum seekers are currently awaiting the (a) hearing and (b) outcome of a hearing of an appeal against an initial refusal of their claim for asylum. [104046]
Jane Kennedy: The Immigration Appellate Authority does not hold separate statistics for these two categories. There were a total of 4,327 asylum appeals outstanding before adjudicators as at 31 December 1999.
There are in addition, 2,245 asylum appeals outstanding before the Tribunal as at 31 December.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many appeals against initial asylum decisions were heard in (a) 1998 and (b) 1999. [104044]
Jane Kennedy:
The number of asylum appeals determined by adjudicators in (a) 1998 was 25,322 and in (b) 1999 was 19,461.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the average time taken from first hearing to verdict in contested cases triable either way which were tried in the magistrates' court, for each of the last five years where data is available. [104233R]
Jane Kennedy:
Information on the time taken in magistrates courts proceedings is collected by the Lord Chancellor's Department's Time Intervals Survey. The survey collects data on indictable (including triable either way) cases completed in a sample week of each February, June and October. During 2000 the frequency of the survey will increase to four times a year. The survey records the date of the first listing but does not record the date of the first hearing.
The average time taken from first listing to verdict for defendants in contested triable either way cases which were tried in magistrates courts was 113 days in February 1999 and 104 days in June 1999.
These figures use information collected for the first time in 1999 following an enhancement to the survey. Equivalent figures for previous years are not available.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what has been the average time taken from first hearing to transfer in contested cases triable either way, except those prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office, which were transferred to the Crown court in each of the last five years where data are available; [104234R]
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Jane Kennedy:
The information requested is not available. Cases involving notices of transfer to the Crown court under section 53 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 cannot be separately identified in the data collected on time taken in court proceedings.
Mr. McNamara:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what additional training the judiciary in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Scotland have been given since the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into United Kingdom domestic legislation. [103610]
Mr. Lock:
(a) The Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland has held five lectures on several European Convention on Human Rights topics since February 1998. In mid-January 2000 there will be a further Human Rights Act lecture, followed in late January, February and March by three case study events covering civil law, family law and criminal law respectively. In addition, the Board is presently considering possible topics for inclusion in a series of Human Rights Act lectures and has secured the agreement of Judge Nicolas Bratza, the British judge at the European Court of Human Rights, to deliver the Board's 2000 Annual Address.
(b) This is a matter for the Scottish Executive.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list those primary and secondary schools and further education colleges in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire which have given students access to the Internet since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [102460]
Mr. Wills:
There are no centrally held statistics of school connection to the Internet by MP's constituency area. Figures are available for schools in England and are shown in the following table:
(2) what has been the average time taken from first hearing to verdict in contested cases triable either way, except those prosecuted by the Serious Fraud Office, which were transferred to the Crown court, in each of the last five years where data are available. [104235R]
| Year | Primary | Secondary |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 5 | 47 |
| 1998 | 17 | 83 |
| 1999 | 62 | 93 |
All colleges of further education have internet connections.
Information provided by Shropshire Local Education Authority indicates that all secondary schools currently have access to the Internet and that the 100 primary schools remaining are due to be connected to the Internet by the end of March 2000.
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Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the (a) mean and (b) median time taken for the approval of those Sure Start applications that have been approved. [103026]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 16 December 1999]: Of the 15 local Sure Start programmes approved to date, the mean time taken to approve them from receipt of final delivery plans was eight weeks. The median time was also eight weeks. This included time spent consulting relevant departments centrally and regionally and seeking further information from some local programmes.
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Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are the start point data on (a) low birth weight and (b) hospital admissions as a result of serious injury, for each approved Sure Start application. [103006]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 16 December 1999]: The following table shows the start point data for (a) low birth weight babies and (b) hospital admissions as a result of serious injury, gastro-enteritis or a respiratory infection, for the 15 Sure Start programmes approved to date.
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| 16 Sure Start programmes announced at 15 December 1999 | Start-point data on low birth weight babies less than 2,500g (unless stated) | Admissions to hospital as an emergency during their first year of life with gastro-enteritis, a respiratory infection or a severe injury |
|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 11% | (3)-- |
| Blackpool | 8 babies | (3)-- |
| Bristol | 7.28% | (3)-- |
| Copeland | 6.5% | (3)-- |
| Derby | 62 babies | Gastro-enteritis 7, Respiratory infection 19, Severe injury 8 (including one death) |
| Hastings | 6% | Aged 0-4 years: Gastro-enteritis 23, Respiratory infection 40, Injury (including poisoning) 20 |
| Leicester | 2.6% (less than 1,500 g) | (3)-- |
| Manchester | 9% | (3)-- |
| Mansfield | 12 babies | (3)-- |
| North Tyneside | 17.8% | 131 admissions to hospital (excluding asthma), 84 for accidental injury and a further 72 seen at A&E for minor ailments |
| Oldham | 8.2% | (3)-- |
| Oxford | 10 babies | (3)-- |
| Sheffield | (3)-- | (3)-- |
| Sunderland | 4.48% | Respiratory infection 36, (diagnosis codes J00-J99), Gastro-enteritis 3 (diagnosis codes A084 & A09), Severe injury 0 (diagnosis codes S00-T98 plus a stay of 2 plus days) |
| Thurrock | (3)-- | (3)-- |
(3) Will be collected by April 2000
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Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of the 60 Sure Start areas correspond to (a) electoral wards and (b) local authority areas. [103005]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 16 December 1999]: Sure Start areas are very much smaller than local authority areas. The majority of Sure Start areas do not correspond to electoral wards, though some do, with others covering a number of wards. We are in the process of mapping the Sure Start areas in a Geographical Information System which will permit a precise answer to this question.
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Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how each of the 14 indices is weighted when calculating the index of deprivation used in assessing need for Sure Start areas. [103002]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 16 December 1999]: The Index of Local Deprivation contains 12 indicators, to which two further indicators, low birth weight babies and births to teenage mothers, were added specifically for the purpose of identifying Sure Start districts. All 14 indicators are afforded equal weight in calculating the overall index.
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Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of the population of England is covered by the 60 Sure Start areas announced to date. [102199]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 13 December 1999]: It is estimated that 1.8 per cent. of the population of England is covered by the 60 Sure Start areas announced to date.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of the population of England will be covered by Sure Start areas by March 2002. [102198]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 13 December 1999]: There will be 250 local Sure Start programmes in place by March 2002. Assuming these are of similar size to the 60 trailblazers, it is estimated that 7.5 per cent. of the population of England will be covered by Sure Start areas by March 2002.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the size of each grant awarded to each Sure Start area. [102200]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 13 December 1999]: The total amount of grant currently allocated for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 is £66,205,685. I have placed a breakdown by programme in the Library.
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