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Chechens (Asylum)
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum have been received from people from Chechnya, and how many Chechens have arrived in the UK, since the start of hostilities in Chechnya. [104906]
Mrs. Roche: Information on people from Chechnya is not separately identified from Russian nationals and therefore the information requested is not available.
Mike Tyson
Mr. Hope:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons it has been decided to allow Mike Tyson to enter the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [105673]
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Mr. Straw:
Mike Tyson arrived in the United Kingdom on Sunday 16 January and was given leave to enter until 30 January, for the purposes of the scheduled contest on 29 January. He was admitted under an instruction to immigration officers which I announced on 13 January and which was made under schedule 2 of the Immigration Act 1971. Given the high profile nature of this case and the complex issues that it raised, I took the view that it would have been invidious for an individual immigration officer to have to weigh the competing considerations involved.
I was advised that the relevant Immigration Rule, which has been in place in this form since 1994, provides that normally persons with convictions for offences which in this country attract a maximum sentence of 12 months or more imprisonment are to be refused leave to enter, but leaves a discretion to allow entry if there are strong compassionate circumstances or the case is otherwise exceptional. I considered representations sent by Mr. Frank Warren against the background of this advice and concluded that there were no strong compassionate circumstances but there were other exceptional circumstances in this case which justified granting leave to enter to Mr. Tyson.
I took account, in particular, of evidence presented to me in these representations of the effects on small providers of ancillary services, some of whom could have been facing bankruptcy because they have invested heavily in the contest and who are innocent third parties. I also took account of the effect on business in the Manchester area and the inconvenience and disappointment of the many thousand members of the public who have purchased tickets for the fight in good faith, if entry had been refused and the contest cancelled at this notice.
Further, I was not satisfied that in practice this Immigration Rule has had consistent outcomes in the past; and took that into account in determining whether this case was exceptional. Persons seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom are not routinely asked whether they have relevant previous convictions on the landing card or otherwise (though they would be so asked if from countries requiring a pre-entry visa).
I have, therefore, asked for a full review to be carried out of the Rules and practice relating to admission of persons with previous convictions. I will report the outcome of this review to Parliament when it is completed.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the cost to (a) businesses and (b) the economy of the movement of police-escorted wide loads between 7am and 7pm. [105021]
Mr. Boateng:
No such estimates have been made.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many journeys have been made in each of the last five years by police-escorted wide loads. [105020]
Mr. Boateng:
The information requested is not available centrally.
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Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will require police-escorted wide loads to travel during the night. [105019]
Mr. Boateng:
The timing of abnormal load movements is an operational matter for the chief officers of police of the forces concerned. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has issued guidance to forces which allow night time movement of abnormal loads on motorways and linking dual carriageways. This is subject to individual chief officers of police being satisfied with the road safety of such movements. ACPO policy is to allow and facilitate the movement of abnormal loads on motorways at all times.
Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the latest crime figures for Lancashire. [104154]
Mr. Boateng:
The latest figures, covering the 12 months to September 1999, will be published tomorrow.
Mr. Jenkins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of illegal immigrants who arrived in the UK concealed in lorries in 1999. [104186]
Mrs. Roche:
During the period January to November 1999, the Immigration Service dealt with 14,612 cases of illegal entrants. This figure comprises all those who have concealed themselves in vehicles (including lorries) or who have otherwise avoided the control. Separate figures for those concealed in lorries are not available.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports he has received about police forces in EU member states which have installed black boxes in (a) police and (b) other emergency vehicles. [104844]
Mr. Boateng:
We understand that the police service in Berlin uses black boxes, but are not aware of any European Union member state other than the United Kingdom in which other emergency vehicles have black boxes.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces have installed black boxes in police vehicles. [104845]
Mr. Boateng:
No forces have installed black boxes in police vehicles that are currently in operational use. The Metropolitan police force intends installing black box recording devices in immediate response and armed response vehicles this year.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the recommendations of the Association of Chief Police Officers' report of September 1998 on police pursuit driving have been implemented; and if he will make a statement. [104846]
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Mr. Boateng:
I understand that most forces have adopted the majority of the 33 recommendations in the Association of Chief Police Officers report "Police Pursuit Driver Training". The recommendations which had to be taken forward on a national basis are well advanced. National standardised police pursuit driver training courses will be available by early summer 2000.
Mr. Randall:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the (a) maximum and (b) minimum number of (i) police officers and (ii) civilian employees on duty in each of the police stations in the Hillingdon Division of the Metropolitan Police Service on (1) 31 December 1999 and (2) 1 January 2000. [105183]
Mr. Boateng:
The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis has provided the following information about staff deployed in Hillingdon Division:
144 police officers were on duty for the 24-hour period starting 0600. Of these, the following numbers of constables were dedicated to patrolling their specific station areas, with the remainder performing pan-divisional duties:
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 18 August 1999, acknowledged on 26 August 1999 (reference 16888 /99), regarding allegations relating to experimental psychological research. [105154]
Mr. Boateng:
I am extremely sorry for the delay in dealing with the hon. Gentleman's letter which, having been received, was mislaid within my Department. He kindly sent a duplicate earlier this month. The matters raised by his constituent are now being dealt with by the Secretary of State for Health, who will reply to him directly in the very near future.
Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department will make inquiries regarding the delay in the hon. Member for Walsall, North
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being informed by the Police Complaints Authority about a case concerning a constituent (ref. (D) 1999 100345). [104813]
Mr. Boateng:
I understand that the Police Complaints Authority received the report of the police investigation of this case on 26 November last year, later than the authority originally envisaged. The Authority expects to review the case within the next two weeks and will then write to the complainant with its conclusions, copying the letter to my hon. Friend.
(1) 31 December 1999
Ruislip: 17
Uxbridge: 13
West Drayton: 14
Hayes: 22
109 police officers were on duty for the 24-hour period starting 0600. Of these, the following numbers of constables were dedicated to patrolling their specific station areas, with the remainder performing pan-divisional duties:
(2) 1 January 2000
Ruislip: 20
Uxbridge: 16
West Drayton: 17
Hayes: 23
On both dates, 13 civilians were deployed, all at Uxbridge police station.
The numbers of staff on duty on each date were above the normal minimum strengths for response policing.
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