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Constituency Spending Limits
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to announce the constituency spending limits which would apply in the event of a general election in (a) April and (b) May of this year. [149655]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien: The limits on candidates' election expenses at parliamentary and local government elections are set down in section 76 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, with provision for periodical updating to take account of inflation. An order increasing the limits in line with inflation since March 1997 will be made shortly. The revised limits will be as follows:
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| Election | Current limit | New limit |
|---|---|---|
| Parliamentary general election in a county constituency | £4,965 plus 5.6p per elector | £5,483 plus 6.2p per elector |
| Parliamentary general election in a borough constituency | £4,965 plus 4.2p per elector | £5,483 plus 4.6p per elector |
| Local government election | £219 plus 4.3p per elector | £242 plus 4.7p per elector |
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Prisoners (Age Profile)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female prison inmates in England and Wales were aged over (i) 70, (ii) 75, (iii) 80, (iv) 85 and (v) 90 years on 1 January. [148896]
Mr. Boateng: Provisional information for 31 December 2000 about prisoners in England and Wales over the age of 70 years is given in the table. Information on the prison population is also available in successive volumes of "Prison Statistics England and Wales" (chapter one of the 1999 edition CM 4805).
| Age(29) | Males | Females |
|---|---|---|
| Over 70 | 172 | 3 |
| Over 75 | 55 | - |
| Over 80 | 13 | - |
| Over 85 | 3 | - |
(29) The category 'Over 70' includes all inmates over the age of 70 (not just 70-74), the category 'Over 75' includes all inmates over the age of 75 (not just 75-79), and so on.
Naturalisation Applications
Sir Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports have been
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issued since May 1997 to those seeking citizenship through naturalisation, within seven months of the application being submitted. [148673]
Mrs. Roche [holding answer 5 February 2001]: The information is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The Immigration and Nationality Directorate does not keep records of whether successful applicants for British citizenship go on to obtain British passports. The United Kingdom Passport Agency (UKPA) has no way of knowing when a passport applicant applied for British citizenship.
Departmental Policies
(Morecambe and Lunesdale)
Miss Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, including statistical information, the effect on the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [149127]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The Home Office is working to build a safe, just and tolerant society in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities are properly balanced, and the protection and security of the public are maintained. Detailed
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information on the impact of Home Office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in Home Office annual reports. A copy of the most recent report, Home Office annual report 1999-2000, is available in the Library.
The impact of Home Office policies and actions is not normally examined by constituency and the statistics which the Department collects, such as recorded crime, cannot be matched in the way requested although set out below are examples relating to the Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency or the immediate locality:
Under the crime reduction programme, the following amounts have been awarded to Morecambe and Lunesdale:
- reducing burglary £53,600 (Morecambe closed circuit television (CCTV) £144,000
Schemes
- reducing burglary initiative--a project under round one of the reducing burglary initiative was awarded £53,600 to tackle burglary in the Morecambe area. An application for further funding for the Morecambe area under round three has been received and is currently under consideration.
- The initiative has a lot of partnership working between the police and other agencies and is based around the following interventions:
- Alarms
- Improved Fencing in the area
- Improved Lighting
- CCTV--two schemes were awarded a total of £144,000 under the first round of the CCTV Initiative.
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The West End scheme in Morecambe, awarded £84,000 proposed four cameras to complement the existing camera covering shopping facilities and residential properties. The scheme intends to tackle vehicle crime, violent crime and burglary, in tandem with the alleygating scheme, which will force offenders onto main thoroughfares with CCTC coverage. The Cable Street scheme in Lancaster, awarded £60,000 proposed three cameras to cover the northern area of Lancaster town centre, to add to the 12-camera system also in operation. The scheme proposed to reduce fear of violent crime, reduce vehicle crime and burglary, as well as addressing the problem of anti-social behaviour.
More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Morecambe and Lunesdale to a greater or lesser extent. For example:
- 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships have been established;
- racial harassment and racially motivated crimes have been made criminal offences by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998:
the asylum backlog has been cut from 103,495 at the end of January 2000 to 66,195 by the end of December 2000; and
good progress is being made in reducing the incidence of fire deaths in England and Wales. They have dropped from 605 in 1997 to 534 in 1999.
Immigration
Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate (a) the total number of immigrants to the United Kingdom in each year since 1990 and (b) how many of those were (i) people granted asylum and (ii) other categories of immigrant. [149186]
Mrs. Roche: The information requested is given in the table.
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| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All acceptances(30) | 53,200 | 53,900 | 52,570 | 55,640 | 55,010 | 55,480 | 61,730 | 58,720 | 69,790 | 97,120 |
| Refugees and persons given exceptional leave to remain(31) | 1,130 | 990 | 1,780 | 3,990 | 3,290 | 1,600 | 4,200 | 4,830 | 6,680 | 22,500 |
| of which: | ||||||||||
| Recognised refugees(31),(32) | 930 | 750 | 1,280 | 2,850 | 2,260 | 680 | 1,120 | 2,400 | 4,270 | 22,500 |
| Persons given exceptional leave to remain(31) | 200 | 240 | 500 | 1,140 | 1,030 | 920 | 3,080 | 2,430 | 2,410 | |
| All other acceptances(30) | 52,070 | 52,910 | 50,790 | 51,650 | 51,720 | 53,880 | 57,530 | 53,890 | 63,110 | 74,620 |
(30) Includes spouses and dependants
(31) Accepted in own right (excludes spouses and dependants)
(32) Includes refugees from South East Asia and their dependants and persons granted settlement under measures aimed at reducing the pre-July 1993 backlog as announced in the White Paper in July 1998
Source:
Table 6.3 of the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 1999
Information for 2000 should be published in June 2001
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Detention and Training Orders
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detention and training orders have been made to date; and if he will make a statement. [149161]
Mr. Boateng: The detention and training order was implemented on 1 April 2000. Information provided by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales indicates that 4,560 detention and training orders were made between 1 April 2000 and 31 December 2000.
Drug Treatment and Testing Orders
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug treatment and
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testing orders have been made to date in each police force area in England and Wales; how many have been (a) discharged and (b) breached; and if he will make a statement. [149160]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Prior to 1 April 2000, drug treatment and testing orders were run on a pilot scheme in parts of three police force areas in England and Wales. Information is not available in the form requested, but data provided to the National Probation Directorate by the probation services in the pilot areas are given in the table. Since 1 October 2000, drug treatment and testing orders have been rolled-out on a national basis. No data on orders made since roll-out are yet available.
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| Police force area | Number made | Number breached |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot Data (to 31 March 2000)(33) | ||
| Gloucestershire | 100 | 63 |
| Merseyside | 68 | 29 |
| Metropolitan Police (Croydon) | 42 | 28 |
Source:
(33) National Probation Directorate (CPG)
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