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Entry Clearance

Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationals of (a) Albania, (b) Algeria, (c) Angola, (d) Armenia, (e) Azerbaijan, (f) Bahrain, (g) Bangladesh, (h) Belarus, (i) Bulgaria, (j) Cambodia, (k) Cameroon, (l) China, (m) Columbia, (n) the Dominican Republic, (o) Ecuador, (p) Egypt, (q) Fiji, (r) the Gambia, (s) Ethiopia, (t) Georgia, (u) Ghana, (v) Guyana, (w) India, (x) Indonesia, (y) Iran, (z) Ivory Coast, (aa) Jordan, (bb) Kenya, (cc) Kuwait, (dd) Lebanon, (ee) Liberia, (ff) Libya, (gg) Macedonia, (hh) Madagascar, (ii) Mongolia, (jj) Morocco, (kk) Mozambique, (ll) Nepal, (mm) Pakistan, (nn) Peru, (oo) the Philippines, (pp) Romania, (qq) Russia, (rr) Saudi Arabia, (ss) Senegal, (tt) Sri Lanka, (uu) the Sudan, (vv) Syria, (ww) Taiwan, (xx) Tanzania, (yy) Thailand, (zz) Tunisia, (aaa) Turkey, (bbb) Yugoslavia, (ccc) Ukraine, (ddd) Vietnam and (eee) Yemen applied for entry clearance to come to the United Kingdom for temporary purposes, including visitor and student applications in 2000; how many visas were issued for temporary purposes; how many recipients of these visas returned to their country of nationality before the visas expired; and how many applied (a) to remain permanently in the United Kingdom or (b) for political asylum. [155025]

Mrs. Roche: The available information is given in the table.

Entry clearance data for 2000 are not yet available. No data are available on the numbers of persons who return to their country of nationality before their leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom expires. Information is not available on the number of holders of visas for temporary purposes who apply for asylum or for settlement. The information on grants of settlement includes persons who entered the United Kingdom with an entry clearance

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leading to settlement; and the data on asylum applications and those who entered by clandestine means include persons who held no entry clearance.

Grants of settlement and applications for asylum 2000(15)

NationalityGrants of settlement(16),(17)Applications(18) for asylum
Albania1101,470
Algeria9801,535
Angola240765
Armenia2085
Azerbaijan5070
Bahrain205
Bangladesh3,660725
Belarus60555
Bulgaria29085
Cambodia105
Cameroon140335
China1,6403,840
Colombia630475
Dominican Republic60--
Ecuador100425
Egypt47060
Ethiopia2,700390
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia(19)2,4205,695
Fiji20*
Gambia23040
Georgia40220
Ghana3,010255
Guyana1905
India7,7701,850
Indonesia20045
Iran1,7905,170
Ivory Coast200420
Jordan25015
Kenya940430
Kuwait5015
Lebanon970270
Liberia23050
Libya340150
Macedonia5055
Madagascar(20)--*
Mongolia1070
Morocco58025
Mozambique105
Nepal140605
Pakistan10,8002,825
Peru16010
Philippines1,85025
Romania3102,065
Russia(21)1,180980
Saudi Arabia5015
Senegal3010
Sri Lanka6,9106,035
Sudan1,470390
Syria220130
Taiwan18010
Tanzania38050
Thailand91015
Tunisia12015
Turkey4,8503,925
Ukraine380725
Vietnam120180
Yemen280180

(15) 1999 data are provisional

(16) Excluding persons given indefinite leave to enter

(17) All settlement data are rounded to three significant figures or to the nearest 10 if less than 1,000

(18) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 with * = 1 or 2, and exclude dependants

(19) Includes holders of passports of the former Yugoslavia

(20) Negligible (ie five or fewer)

(21) Includes holders of Soviet Union passports


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Departmental Policies

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Caernarfon constituency, the effects on Caernarfon of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997; [154943]

Mr. Charles Clarke: My hon. Friend asked questions regarding the four constituencies of Caernarfon, Meirionnydd Nant Conwy, Ynys Mon and Ceredigion. 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 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 Home Office Annual Report is available in the Library. Information on recorded crime and policing is also published. "Recorded Crime England and Wales, 12 months to September 2000" and "Police Service Strength England and Wales, 30 September 2000" can be found in the Library. The recorded crime statistics include information on recorded crime by Basic Command Unit and Crime and Disorder partnerships.

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 are some examples relating to the Caernarfon, Meirionnydd Nant Conwy, Ynys Mon and Ceredigion constituencies or the immediate locality:

Neighbourhood Warden Schemes

Gwynedd county council has received £35,000 to provide one warden for the Maes Barcer estate, in the Caernarfon area, which has a higher than average incidence of crime and disorder. The bid relates very much to the council's overall housing strategy for improving the housing stock.

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)

Conwy county borough council was awarded £65,000 for the Conwy Mobile Unit, which is a portable system consisting of four cameras to monitor crime and disorder 'hotspots' throughout Conwy.

Gwynedd council was awarded £96,000 for the Bangor--Phase 2--Measgeirchen, a scheme that will provide eight cameras to cover the only access road to the estate and the main public, community and shopping facilities.

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Ceredigion county council was awarded approximately £206,000 for the Lampeter CCTV scheme, which will provide coverage for the Lampeter Town Centre, including three car parking areas, parts of the University campus and residential areas.

Youth Offending

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is currently funding a Bail Support Scheme and three Intervention Schemes through the development fund in North and Mid Wales. A bail supervision scheme, Bail Information, Supervision and Support, is being run in Conwy, Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Gwynedd and Ynys Mon. The YJB is contributing approximately £200,000 to the scheme.

North Wales Drug, Alcohol and Substance Abuse Treatment for Young People is being run in the six local authorities in the North of Wales (including Wrexham), by the North Wales health authority with the YJB contributing approximately £42,000.

Mid Wales Restorative Justice Challenge Project is a joint effort by Powys/Ceredigion involving Mid Wales Youth Offending Team (YOT). It is targeting young offenders at all stages of the criminal justice process from Final Warnings to Action Plans, Reparation Orders and Supervision. The project envisages use of victim offender mediation and direct and indirect reparation as appropriate. It has been awarded a grant from the YJB of approximately £184,000.

Mid Wales Cognitive Behaviour Programme targets high/medium risk repeat offenders. It is implementing 12 one and a half hour sessions designed to match young offenders learning style. There is CD Rom material and additional sessions for people with high criminogenic factors. A YJB grant has been awarded of approximately £84,000.

The Central North Wales YOT is engaging in multi-agency responses to youth crime including: a Bail Supervision Scheme to target and reduce the number of young people at risk of re-offending while on bail; a community reparation scheme with 11 agencies supporting community reparation work resulting in 60 per cent. of reparation work being community based and reducing delays within the court process by producing 98 per cent. of court reports within the agreed time scales. The YOT has also developed a protocol with appropriate agencies with the aim of involving parents in the youth justice process. A trained worker is in place to develop the opportunities for victims of crime to become involved in indirect reparation.

More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Caernarfon, Meirionnydd Nant Conwy, Ynys Mon and Ceredigion 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.

Information on the Home Office and its policies is also published on its website www.homeoffice.gov.uk.

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