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Young Offenders
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average length of time is spent by young people held in custody on remand before their case comes before court and is finalised. [2846]
Beverley Hughes: The average time juveniles spend on remand in custody is 65 days for those held in Prison Service accommodation and an estimated 114 days for those held in local authority secure units.
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juvenile offenders are currently held in (a) young offender institutions and (b) elsewhere within the Prison Estate; and if he will make a statement. [2110]
Beverley Hughes: Provisional information shows that on 31 May 2001 there were 2,365 juveniles held in young offender institutions in England and Wales. There were a further 13 juveniles held elsewhere within the prison estate.
Asylum and Immigration
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants who have held ELR status and who have applied for ILR have been refused in each of the last three years. [4746]
Angela Eagle: The available information is given in the table.
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| Year | Total refusals |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 40 |
| 1999 | 10 |
| 2000 | 30 |
(2) Excludes dependants of principal applicants and the outcome of appeals. Data rounded to the nearest 10.
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what orders have been laid under section 84(4)(d) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. [4990]
Angela Eagle: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him on 2 July 2001, Official Report, column 60W.
SI 2001 No. 1403 exempts from the regulatory scheme administered by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner certain educational institutions and public health bodies. SI 2001 No. 1393 provides temporary exemption from the scheme (until 31 January 2002) to voluntary bodies which, by 30 April 2001, formally committed themselves to apply for the Community Legal Services Quality Mark; and to employers who give immigration advice to work permit holders.
Family Visitor Visa
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of the effect of fees on the number of family visitor visa appeals. [4747]
Angela Eagle: An inter-departmental review of the operation of the family visitor appeal scheme is being conducted. One of the review team's tasks is to assess the impact of the fees, and independent research is being commissioned to investigate this. The team's report will be available early next year.
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many family visitor visa appeals have been funded by the Legal Services Commission in the last 12 months. [4593]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
The Legal Services Commission is unable to produce this information. Responsibility for recording the number of cases funded by the Legal Services Commission is devolved to suppliers under contracts. They are only required to record and report the total number of asylum cases and the total number of immigration cases. Family visitor appeals are included within the number of immigration cases and cannot be identified separately.
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if his Department will introduce a separate application form for family visitor visa applications which draws attention to the fact that any refusal will be subject to a right of appeal. [4748]
Mr. Bradshaw: I have been asked to reply.
We have no plans at present to introduce a separate application form for family visitor visa applications. However, a revised version of the existing visa application form is being prepared which includes an expanded section for visitors. This will allow applicants to
19 Jul 2001 : Column: 349W
indicate their intention to visit a family member. The accompanying information leaflet outlines the appeal right for this category of visitor.
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the numbers of successful family visitor visa appeals (a) at oral hearings and (b) via paper only. [4750]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
From October 2000 to June 2001, inclusive adjudicators at the Immigration Appellate Authorities decided:
- (a) 406 oral appeals, 279 of which were successful; and
- (b) 910 paper appeals, 323 of which were successful; with another 37 being successful on a further appeal to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal.
Drugs
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of people aged 16 to 24 years reported that they had used illegal drugs during the (a) past year and (b) past month in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001. [5226]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The British Crime Survey (BCS) provides data on the levels of self-reported drug use among a representative sample of the general population in England and Wales. The information requested is not available for the years requested.
The table provides the relevant data for 1996 and 1998. Data were not collected in 1999 since the BCS has been conducted every two years. From 2000 onwards, however, the BCS will be done every year. Data for 2000 will be published in autumn 2001. Data collection for 2001 is not yet complete.
| 1996 | 1998 | |
|---|---|---|
| Last year | 29 | 29 |
| Last month | 18 | 19 |
Sources:
BCS 1996 (weighted data)
Drug Misuse Declared in 1998: results from the British Crime Survey, Home Office Research Study 197 (http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/ rds/pdfs/hors197.pfd)
PFI/PPP
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) PFI and (b) PPP contracts have been agreed by his Department over the last five years; how many have been satisfactorily completed; and in how many has compensation been (i) paid and (ii) claimed for performance failure. [4596]
Mr. Blunkett: The Public Finance Initiative (PFI) and Public Private Partnership (PPP) contracts agreed in the last five years, based on available information, are as follows:
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| Number | |
|---|---|
| (a) Number of PFI contracts agreed in last five years | 21 |
| (b) Number of PPP contracts(3) agreed in last five years | 1 |
| (c) Number satisfactorily completed | (4)0 |
| (i) Number where compensation paid for performance failure | 11 |
| (ii) Number where compensation claimed for performance failure | 12 |
(3) Excludes PFI contracts shown above
(4) All contracts are still running
The level of compensation on one claim is still being negotiated.
Charity Commission
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the policy of the Charity Commission in respect of an application to establish a new charity which replicates the scope and remit of an existing charity. [4927]
Angela Eagle: The Charity Commission is required by section 3(2) of the Charities Act 1993 to register any organisation which is established exclusively for charitable purposes and is not exempt or excepted from registration.
Channel Tunnel (Security)
Mr. Howard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants have been apprehended at the Channel Tunnel terminal at Cheriton this year; and how many of them have applied for asylum. [5280]
Angela Eagle: Provisional figures indicate that, from 1 January 2001 to midnight on 14 July, 3,538 clandestine entrants have been detected at the Cheriton Terminal. The overwhelming majority claimed asylum in the United Kingdom. Action is in hand to implement Civil Penalties in respect of the Eurotunnel shuttles following a period of consultation. A consultation document including a draft code of practice, regulations and a Regulatory Impact Assessment was handed to Eurotunnel on 18 July. A copy of the document will be on the Home Office website at www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk from 20 July.
Mr. Howard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in completing the security arrangements at the Coquelles terminal of the Channel Tunnel. [5291]
Angela Eagle: The work on the inner security cordon around the platforms and freight allocation areas on the Coquelles site is not yet complete. The main fencing is in place but work remains to be done to complete protection on the over-bridges leading to the platforms and to secure some access points for road and rail. Eurotunnel also propose an extension to the inner cordon to protect the rail entrance route to the platforms.
Action is in hand to implement civil penalties in respect of the Eurotunnel shuttles following a period of consultation. Officials met Eurotunnel on 18 July and outlined a number of improvements that needed urgent action.
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