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Road Accidents
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions were successfully brought against drivers who caused road traffic accidents while at work in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [107658]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested is not available as the circumstances of the offence and the employment status of the offender are not collected centrally.
Chelmsford Prison
Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide funds for the provision of accommodation at Chelmsford Prison to enable a full search of visitors suspected of possessing drugs. [107726]
Mr. Boateng: Visitors to Chelmsford prison are subject to a "pat-down" search and must pass through an X-ray portal. A passive drug detection dog is deployed. Visitors may not take property into the visits area and lockers are provided for bags and other possessions. Any items to be handed in to prisoners are X-rayed.
There are no plans to provide facilities for strip- searching of visitors at Chelmsford. Capital funding for the Prison Service is limited and other projects linked to
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the provision of places and the maintenance of security have priority.
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers and refugees are residing in the Eastbourne area. [107600]
Mrs. Roche:
This information is not available. Central Government do not keep records of the number of asylum seekers residing in a particular location.
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average length of time taken to determine asylum applications from asylum seekers who submitted their applications in 1991. [107294]
Mrs. Roche:
It is estimated that the average length of time taken to reach an initial decision on an asylum application lodged in 1991 was 25 months.
Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many decisions have been made to date as a result of the measures announced in the White Paper, "Fairer Faster and Firmer", on asylum applications made (a) between 1 July 1993 and 31 December 1995 and (b) before 1 July 1993; and how many of these resulted in (i) a grant of asylum, (ii) exceptional leave to remain and (iii) refusal. [107109]
Mrs. Roche:
The requested information is given in the table.
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| Decisions on applications made between July 1993 and 31 December 1995 | Decisions on applications made prior to July 1993 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum | Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave to remain | Refused asylum and ELR after full consideration | Refused on non-compliance grounds (6) | Granted exceptional leave with immediate settlement | Refused on non-compliance grounds under backlog criteria (6) | |
| January | -- | -- | -- | -- | 420 | -- |
| February | -- | 5 | -- | -- | 525 | -- |
| March | 20 | 360 | * | * | 535 | 5 |
| April | 145 | 285 | 5 | -- | 575 | -- |
| May | 435 | 225 | -- | 20 | 490 | -- |
| June | 175 | 275 | -- | 60 | 755 | -- |
| July | 45 | 445 | * | 80 | 790 | -- |
| August | 45 | 635 | 5 | 225 | 700 | 30 |
| September | 35 | 365 | * | 190 | 510 | 215 |
| October | 45 | 540 | -- | 100 | 205 | 140 |
| November | 35 | 680 | * | 75 | * | -- |
| December | 45 | 840 | * | 65 | 30 | -- |
(4) Figures rounded to the nearest 5, with '*' = 1 or 2
(5) Excluding dependants
(6) Paragraph 340 of Immigration Rules. For failure to provide evidence to support the asylum claim within a reasonable period, including failure to respond to invitation to interview to establish identity.
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Immigration Appeals
Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has, in the light of the judgment in the case of R. v. Secretary of State for the Home Department ex-Parte Ali, to review his policy of refusing to accept recommendations by immigration appellate authority adjudicators when an appeal is dismissed. [107433]
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Mrs. Roche:
It is not our policy to refuse to accept recommendations made by adjudicators in dismissed or withdrawn appeals. We will act on such recommendations where the written determination discloses clear exceptional compassionate circumstances which have not previously been considered and which would merit an exercise of discretion outside the Immigration Rules. We have no plans to review this policy following the judgment in the case of R. v. Secretary of State for the Home Department ex-Parte Ali.
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Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if it is his intention to allow prosecution and defence to make oral representations in open court during an appeal against magistrates decision on mode of trial under his proposal to restrict the right to elect trial by jury; [108102]
(3) further to his answer of 27 January 2000, Official Report, column 250W, on Crown Court appeals, what his estimate is of the number of defendants who would appeal to the Crown Court against magistrates decisions as to mode of trial each year under his proposals; and what assumptions underlie that estimate. [108151]
Mr. Straw:
The Government believe that most of these appeals could be determined very quickly on the basis of the papers by a single judge. However, they intend to give the judge the power to permit oral representations to be made to him by both the prosecution and defence if he considers it necessary in the interests of justice to do so. It is estimated that a paper based appeal to the Crown Court would cost £90 and an oral appeal would cost an additional £182. It is assumed that 3,900 or 25 per cent. of defendants would appeal.
Mr. Mudie:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how his Department will monitor the (a) number, (b) cost and (c) effectiveness of the anti-social behaviour orders. [107352]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
We are in the process of setting up arrangements for the courts to monitor the number of anti-social behaviour orders granted in their area and to provide us with a quarterly return. We are committed to reviewing the effectiveness of the provision once it has been in force for two years. I will ensure that this research also looks into cost issues.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the operation of the Schengen Agreement. [107503]
Mrs. Roche:
The Schengen acquis has now been incorporated into European Union structures in accordance with the Schengen Protocol to the Treaty of Amsterdam. The acquis continues to operate as between signatory states. The United Kingdom submitted a formal application to participate in parts of the Schengen acquis on 20 May 1999, which is still under consideration.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the enforcement of the Government's policy on seizure and pursuit of criminal assets. [106589]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
This Government are determined to ensure that criminals do not keep their ill-gotten gains. The third report of the Home Office Working Group on
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Confiscation--published in November 1989--proposed a range of measures to tighten up the enforcement of criminal confiscation orders. Since the Working Group reported, the Government have been considering more widely whether some confiscation and forfeiture functions, including the enforcement of confiscation orders, might be operated more effectively by a national confiscation agency. In the autumn, the Prime Minister asked my right hon. Friend the Member for Makerfield, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office (Mr. McCartney), to act as sponsor Minister for a project in the Cabinet Office's Performance and Innovation Unit to consider the role that following the money trail and seizing criminal assets can play in the fight against crime and how to maximise the effective use of these tools. The Performance and Innovation Unit is expected to report in the spring and a White Paper proposing comprehensive action against financial crime to issue shortly thereafter.
(2) what estimate he has made of the cost of an appeal to the Crown Court against magistrates decision as to mode of trial, under his proposals to restrict the right to trial by jury; [108100]
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