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Police Pensions

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate for planning purposes of net pensions fund obligations, pensions less contributions, for (a) the Metropolitan police and (b) all UK police forces in (i) 2000-01, (ii) 2001-02, (iii) 2005-06 and (iv) 2010-11; and how these obligations will be financed. [127330]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The available figures for England and Wales, provided by the Police Service Expenditure Forecasting Group, are:

£ million

	Metropolitan police	England and Wales(7)
2000-01	251	1,054
2001-02	273	1,143

(7) The England and Wales figure is inclusive of the Metropolitan police

Under the Central Local Partnership the Home Office works closely with the Forecasting Group to assess future resource demands for the following three years. The Group does not prepare longer range projections. Its assessments of future funding pressures, including pensions, are taken into account by the Government in the Spending Review process.

The Police Funding Formula takes account of police pensions expenditure. 14.5 per cent. of funding is currently allocated through a component for pensions.

The provision of revenue funding for the police forces in Scotland and Wales is the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

Assaults, Alton Railway Station

Mr. Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will call for a report from the Chief Constable of Hampshire on the attack on Dr. Burhan al-Chelabi and Detective Constable Stephen Longshaw on 30 April; and if he will make a statement. [127170]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The attack on Dr. Burhan al-Chelabi and Detective Longshaw took place at Alton Railway station in Hampshire and was investigated by the British Transport police. I understand that Dr. al-Chelabi was assaulted by Mr. Colin Smith who also subjected him to racist abuse. Detective Constable Longshaw, a serving officer with the Metropolitan Police Service, who was enjoying an outing with his family in the company of Dr. Burhan al-Chelabi and his wife, prevented Mr. Smith from attacking Dr. al-Chelabi with a sword. During the incident Mr. Smith also attacked Detective Constable Longshaw who received a cut across his nose.

Mr. Smith was arrested by Detective Constable Longshaw and subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act 1983.

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Mike Tyson

Ms Jenny Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what checks were made on personnel who have entered the UK with Mike Tyson with regard to establishing previous convictions for serious offences; [127398]

(2) who entered the UK accompanying Mike Tyson. [127476]

Mr. Straw: Mike Tyson was accompanied on his flight to the United Kingdom by his manager and two trainers.

The personnel accompanying Mike Tyson were treated in accordance with current immigration procedures. Under these, arriving passengers are not routinely questioned at ports of entry to establish whether they have criminal records. Where there is reason to believe that someone has a criminal record hitherto unknown to the Immigration Service, further examination would take place to establish whether there were grounds for refusing entry to that person.

Transsexuals

Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representation he has received about transsexual men and women being treated in law as being of the same sex as when they were born. [127645]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: Since 15 February 2000, we have received representations from 26 members of the public and one organisation. Several hon. Members have also written about this matter. In addition, following their meeting in January with the Interdepartmental Working Group on Transsexual People, representatives of six organisations representing the transsexual community (Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Gender Trust, Gender Identity Research and Education Society, Change, Liberty, and Press for Change) submitted further information.

Policing Costs (Stonehenge)

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was to (a) Wiltshire Constabulary and (b) English Heritage of police operations at Stonehenge on 20 and 21 June; if (i) public order and (ii) other offences were committed; and if he will make a statement. [127710]

Mr. Charles Clarke: The estimated cost to the Wiltshire Constabulary of police operations at Stonehenge on 20 and 21 June was £50,000. English Heritage were not charged for police costs arising from this operation. No persons were arrested for public order offences and no offences in connection with the event at Stonehenge have been reported to police. Five people were arrested on the night of 20 June at the temporary car park on suspicion of drink driving and vehicle theft. One person was subsequently charged with a drink driving offence while the other four persons were released without charge. I should like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation of the roles played by both Wiltshire Constabulary and English Heritage in ensuring that the event passed off peacefully.

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Asylum Seekers

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) Turkish and (b) Kurdish refugees have applied for asylum in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years; how many of these applications have been granted in each of those years;

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how many are still outstanding; and if he will make a statement. [127829]

Mrs. Roche: The available information is given in the table. Applications for asylum are recorded on a nationality basis, therefore, Kurdish refugees are not separately identifiable within the statistics. An applicant's ethnic origin could only be obtained by examination of individual case records.

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Asylum applications(8) received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decisions ^{2 6} on applications, 1995 to 1999, nationals of TurkeyPrincipal applicants

	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999(14)
	Applications
Total	1,820	1,495	1,445	2,015	2,850
Port	745	825	890	1,620	2,045
In country	1,075	670	555	390	805
	Decisions
Total decisions	995	1,405	1,585	1,085	(13)625
Grants of asylum	50	55	65	40	(13)15
Grants of ELR	35	20	25	30	*
Total refusals	910	1,330	1,475	1,015	(13)100
Grants of ELR under backlog criteria (17), (18)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	(13)505
Non compliance refusals under backlog criteria(17), (19)	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	(13)5
Applications pending	3,545	4,280	4,050	4,870	N/A

(8) Figures rounded to nearest 5, with (*) = 1 or 2

(9) Information is of Initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions

(10) Cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 asylum backlog.

(11) May include a small number of cases where asylum has been granted.

(12) May include a small number of cases where the applications has been refused on substantive grounds.

(13) January to May 1999 only

(14) Provisional data

Note:

n/a = Not applicable and N/A = Not available

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Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were held under immigration law in (a) Campsfield, (b) Haslar, (c) Oakington and (d) Her Majesty's prisons in each of the last 12 months. [127903]

Mrs. Roche: The information requested, on numbers of asylum applicants held under immigration law in Campsfield House, Haslar, Oakington and Her Majesty's prisons in each of the last 12 months, is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The latest available information on immigration detainees relates to 30 April 2000. On that date, a total of 1,107 persons were detained in immigration detention centres and prison establishments in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Acts powers. This figure is not recorded in such a way as to identify those who had applied for asylum at some point.

The latest reliable snapshot of detained asylum seekers related to those asylum applicants detained in immigration detention centres, prison establishments and police cells solely under Immigration Acts powers as at 30 December 1998 for port applicants and 4 January 1999 for in-country applicants. On those dates 741 such persons were recorded. Data recording problems mean that an updated figure is not currently available.

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The most recent data available for persons detained at Oakington show that up to 18 June a total of 439 principal asylum applicants and 33 dependants of asylum seekers have been detained at varying times since it opened on 20 March 2000.

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