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Asylum and Immigration
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the text of the amendment to the motion considered by the House on 2 February 2000 which was approved by Ministers but not tabled, to which he referred in his oral statement of 2 February 2000, Official Report, column 1048. [109215]
Mr. Straw: The text of the amendment to the motion approved by Ministers but not tabled, read as follows:
- "That this House approves the Government's comprehensive, integrated strategy to modernise the immigration and asylum system to make it fairer, faster and firmer; notes the increase in asylum applications in the United Kingdom and other European countries as result of the war in Kosovo and instability in other countries; welcomes the provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 which will overhaul the inadequate legislative framework created by the previous Government and replace the present chaotic asylum support arrangements which have imposed an intolerable burden on local authorities; notes with concern the conclusion of the Seventh Report of the Public Accounts Committee that the contract signed in 1996 to computerise the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was over-ambitious from the outset; welcomes the substantial additional investment that the Government is making to increase the volume and speed of asylum decisions; and supports the Government's commitment to protecting genuine refugees while dealing firmly with those who seek to evade the control".
Mrs. Roche: Home Office administrative records show only one prosecution under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, in 1999. A company was found guilty on nine counts, fined £500 on each count and ordered to pay costs.
Immigration Delays
Mr. Tony Lloyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to give formal notice to the Department of Social Security that Mrs. B (HO Ref:- B
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1009308) has been given exceptional leave to remain; why this was not done in July 1999; what were the reasons for the delay between July and late December 1999; what steps were taken following representations by the hon. Member for Manchester, Central; and what the reasons were for the further delay in taking action since December. [108600]
Mrs. Roche:
After my hon. Friend was informed on 26 July 1999 of the decision to grant exceptional leave to enter to Mrs. B and her children, their papers were prepared and sent to the port for service. However, due to an administrative error the names on their papers were incorrect so they were returned for amendment. The file was then unfortunately put into a large queue and not considered until quite recently.
Mrs. B was notified on 7 February that she and her children have now been granted exceptional leave to enter. She should show these papers to the Department of Social Security when she applies for benefits. I am sorry for the delay in dealing with her case.
Mr. Peter Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports on prisons were made by the Prisons Inspectorate in each of the past two years indicating those which mentioned the (a) use and (b) supply of illegal drugs. [107928]
Mr. Boateng:
Between 1 February 1998 and 31 January 2000, the Chief Inspector of Prisons published 76 inspection reports on Prison Service establishments. Of these, 41 were announced and 35 were unannounced. Of the 35 unannounced, five were full inspections and 30 were short. To provide the detailed information on drugs requested would entail disproportionate cost. However, it is likely that all the announced and full unannounced reports will have mentioned the use of drugs, as will some of the short unannounced reports. References to the supply of drugs would require line by line scrutiny of each report.
Mr. Peter Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any prison establishment has been closed because of illegal drugs use. [107930]
Mr. Peter Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the proportion of prisoners known to have taken illegal drugs who could only have taken the drugs while in prison. [107931]
Mr. Boateng:
In 1999, 84,911 mandatory drug tests were undertaken, and some 17,789 of those tests were positive for drugs. This figure includes results from both random and targeted tests. Provisional information indicates that, during 1999, there were 15,857 recorded offences of "unauthorised use of a controlled drug", of which 13,409 were recorded as being proven at adjudication and punished under Prison Rules.
Mr. Dismore:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 27 January 2000, Official Report, column 278W, on driving licences (a) what confirmation of details for the purposes of a driving licence application the Immigration and Nationality Department is prepared to offer those whose cases have yet to be finalised by them and (b) how long on average it took the
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Immigration and Nationality Department to issue such information of details in response to (i) a written request and (ii) a telephone request in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [108068]
Mrs. Roche:
Further to the answer I gave on 31 January 1999 to my hon. Friend, as the Immigration and Nationality Directorate is not the issuing authority of an applicant's identity document, they are not in a position to offer any confirmation of their proof of identity.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to promote the use of CCTV in car parks to increase safety and reduce theft; and if he will make a statement. [R] [108383]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
Under the Crime Reduction Programme Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) Initiative, the Government are investing £153 million over three years in public area CCTV systems in England and Wales. We have already allocated £32 million for 180 car park related schemes under the first round of the initiative.
The second round of the initiative will be launched in the spring. We will continue to encourage applications aimed at reducing theft in car parks, particularly where CCTV is being introduced as part of a package of measures to achieve Secured Car Park status.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received on reducing car theft; and if he will make a statement. [R] [108384]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
We have received 110 comments in response to the report of the Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team (VCRAT) published in September 1999 setting out measures to achieve the Government's 30 per cent. vehicle crime reduction target. All but two of the comments referred specifically to the VCRAT proposal for the compulsory fitting of electronic immobilisers to seven to 10-year-old cars and most of these were opposed to the proposal. Two comments were received on the question of compulsory carriage of driving licenses (one for and one against). In addition, two of the comments covered wider issues including the role of the courts, motor projects, the insurance industry, crime and disorder partnerships, legislative protection of marks on vehicle component parts, retention of motor salvage, motorcycle theft and the possibility of reducing the rate of Value Added Tax on vehicle security products.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police funding was spent on pensions for each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the proportion to be so spent in each of the next 10 years. [109214]
Mr. Charles Clarke:
The information available is set out in the table. Information on police pension costs as a proportion of police funding is not available beyond 2001-02.
| Year | Proportion spent on pension costs(19) |
|---|---|
| 1990-91 | 7.2 |
| 1991-92 | 7.7 |
| 1992-93 | 8.2 |
| 1993-94 | 9.2 |
| 1994-95 | 10.0 |
| 1995-96 | 10.8 |
| 1996-97 | 11.3 |
| 1997-98 | 11.9 |
| 1998-99 | 12.6 |
| 1999-2000 | 13.8 |
| 2000-01 | 14.1 |
| 2001-02 | 14.8 |
(19) Information from 1990-91 to 1998-99 taken from the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accounts Police Statistics. Information from 1999-2000 to 2001-02 taken from Government Actuary's Department Projections of pension costs as a proportion of Total Standard Spending.
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