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Jury Trial
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to change the rights of defendants to elect a jury trial. [42894]
Mr. Keith Bradley: The removal of the defendant's rights to elect jury trial in either-way cases was one of the recommendations made by Lord Justice Auld in his Review of the Criminal Courts, and the matter remains under consideration, along with the rest of the Auld report.
Domestic Violence
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce a national register of injunctions in cases of domestic violence. [43542]
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Beverley Hughes: The ministerial group on domestic violence is considering this idea in consultation with practitioners. The Government's conclusions will be announced as soon as possible.
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken by his Department to improve domestic violence services for perpetrators and their partners; and if he will make a statement on the progress of the Probation Service domestic violence Pathfinder scheme. [42664]
Beverley Hughes: Two Pathfinder initiatives on domestic violence are under way. One is to pilot the Duluth Non-violent Men programme. The other is a major piece of research to identify the criminogenic needs of domestic violence perpetrators, in order to establish an evidence based way of addressing this type of offending.
The research into the pilot phase of the Duluth programme is due to finish in October 2002, and a report on it will be available over the winter of 2002–03. The research project is due to be completed in August 2002.
The National Probation Service is committed to completing the Pathfinders and to using the knowledge gained to review services to domestic violence perpetrators, in order to maximise reductions in abusive behaviour and develop services to enhance victim safety.
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the results of the Duluth domestic violence Pathfinder evaluation to be published. [42659]
Beverley Hughes: The pilots are due to finish in September 2002 and interim evaluations will be available approximately three months after that. Longer term evaluations linking the programme to reconvictions will follow subsequently, but it is not possible at this stage to say when they will be available.
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances the Duluth domestic violence Pathfinder will be rolled out before the results of the evaluation are known. [42663]
Beverley Hughes: The Duluth programme will not be rolled out nationally unless it can be demonstrated that it meets the criteria for accreditation laid down by the Joint Prison/Probation Accreditation Panel.
Drug-related Crime (Bristol)
Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further schemes the social exclusion unit is planning for Bristol, with specific reference to policies which might help combat drug- related crime. [40128]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 13 March 2002]: There are a number of programmes in place in Bristol to tackle drug-related crime and anti-social behaviour.
The Home Office fund a number of initiatives, some of which include:
- an Arrest Referral Scheme based at Trinity Road police station, specialising in providing for crack cocaine treatment;
- an 'Off the Street' initiative, working to disrupt the drug/sex market; and
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- Avon and Somerset Constabulary's Operation Atrium, working to disrupt the supply system of importation of crack cocaine.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary (Mr. Blunkett) has also announced a policing priority area in Bristol which will help police tackle drug-related crime.
Overstayers
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who applied under the regularisation scheme for overstayers have had their cases (a) decided, (b) granted, (c) refused and (d) not yet considered; and what the target date for completing consideration of applications is. [42960]
Angela Eagle: A total of 17,120 applications were received by the closing date. In response to a ministerial commitment caseworking staff have been asked to consider applications in a phased way. Resources have been invested during the current financial year to sift all applications in order to speedily identify all those cases where leave to remain can be granted under existing policy concessions. Indications are that this target will be met, and so far approximately 1,200 cases have been granted indefinite leave to remain.
During the next financial year (2002–03) more caseworkers and resources will be devoted to substantive consideration of the remaining cases. The target date for the consideration of all cases is April 2003.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are being held in Prison Service accommodation. [43038]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 14 March 2002]: The latest available information on the number of persons detained under Immigration Act powers relates to 29 December 2001. The total number of asylum seekers detained in prison establishments as at that date is given in the table.
| Place of detention | Asylum seekers detained as at 29 December 2001(19),(20) |
|---|---|
| Dedicated Immigration Service wings(21) | 295 |
| Other prison establishments(22) | 170 |
| Total persons detained in prison establishments(22) | 465 |
(19) Figures rounded to the nearest five.
(20) Persons detained under Immigration Act powers who are recorded as having claimed asylum at some stage.
(21) Persons detained at the dedicated Immigration Service wings at Haslar, Lindholme and Rochester.
(22) Includes 125 persons detained under dual immigration and other powers.
The temporary use of spaces in a number of local prisons ended in mid-January 2002, as did the use of the accommodation at Her Majesty's Prison Rochester. In addition, the dedicated detention facilities at Her Majesty's Prison Haslar and Her Majesty's Prison Lindholme were redesignated formally as immigration removal centres on 8 February 2002, thus requiring them to operate under detention centre rules rather than prison rules. These changes will not be reflected fully in the statistics until the information on Immigration Act detainees as at 30 March
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2002 is published on 31 May 2002 on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Following the incident at Yarl's Wood removal centre on 14–15 February 2002 a number of detainees held at that centre and others have been transferred to prison accommodation. This is consistent with our policy on the use of prison accommodation for detainees who pose particular control and security risks.
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he has changed his policy on his commitment not to house asylum seekers in prisons; and if he will make a statement; [43031]
- (2) if asylum seekers who have not had an initial decision on their case are being held in Prison Service accommodation. [43030]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 14 March 2002]: Our policy on the detention of asylum seekers in prison remains as set out in our White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven—Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain". We made it clear that, although the routine use of prison accommodation for immigration detainees had ended, there would remain a need to hold small numbers of individuals, including asylum seekers, in prison for reasons of security. This would, for example, include individuals transferred to prison accommodation following the incident at Yarl's Wood removal centre on 14–15 February 2002. Such individuals would be identified on the basis of the security risk they are assessed to pose rather than on the progress of any asylum or other claim they may have made. As such, individuals who are assessed to pose a security risk and who have yet to receive a decision on their asylum application may be held in prison accommodation.
Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if asylum seekers with dependent children will be eligible for subsistence benefits for them and their children if they choose to live with family or friends in the UK under his immigration and asylum proposals. [40681]
Angela Eagle: The White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven—Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain" (Chapter 4 Paragraph 53) makes it clear that for the future, the case for abolishing the subsistence only option will be looked at and a power to allow this will be taken in forthcoming legislation. As yet we have not set any timetable for ending the subsistence only support option.
Paragraph 4.33 of the White Paper makes it clear that asylum seekers who refuse the offer of a place in one of the accommodation centres being trialled will not be offered any alternative forms of support. There is no reason why these proposals should lead to greater destitution among asylum seekers. We will be offering both accommodation and subsistence support to those who need it.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) of 13 February 2002, Official Report, column 461W, on asylum seeker accommodation centres, when the final
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criteria for selection of the four accommodation centres will be decided; who will draw up the final criteria; and how this information will be announced. [42747]
Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) on 11 March 2002, Official Report, column 718W.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) of 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 160W, on asylum seeker accommodation centres, what education facilities will be made available to asylum seekers; and what role (a) local schools, (b) colleges and (c) other education institutions will be expected to take in the provision of education. [42727]
Angela Eagle: The trial accommodation centres will offer education facilities. We are working with key stakeholders to establish the range of facilities that will be available to children on-site and what if any role local schools, colleges and other educational institutions will be expected to take.
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are detained; and of these how many are (a) awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim and (b) awaiting an appeal. [42947]
Angela Eagle: The latest available information on the number of persons detained under Immigration Act powers relates to 29 December 2001. As at that date, 1,410 persons (to the nearest five) were being detained who had sought asylum at some stage.
I regret that the requested information on how many of these persons were awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim and how many were awaiting an appeal on 29 December 2001, is not available and could be obtained only by examining individual case files at disproportionate cost.
Information on Immigration Act detainees as at 30 March 2002 will be published on 31 May 2002 on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will serve an asylum seeker's appeal dismissal when it is served personally on the other parties and the appellant's representative, if he has one, under the rules that came into force on 7 January. [42907]
Angela Eagle: An official of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) serves the appeal determination, either in person, by post or by facsimile. If the asylum seeker's representative is present at the time of personal service, they will receive simultaneous notification from the official serving the determination on their client. If the representative is not present, it is usual practice for an IND official to provide notification, normally by facsimile, within 24 hours.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been dispersed to areas in Scotland in the last 12 months, broken down by local authority; and what percentage of these have had their asylum applications approved. [42737]
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Angela Eagle: The only cluster area to which the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) disperses asylum seekers in Scotland is Glasgow.
As at the end of December 2001, 4,750 asylum seekers (including dependants) were being supported in NASS accommodation in Glasgow. The cumulative number dispersed to Glasgow over the last 12 months is not currently available.
This information broken down by local authority is not currently available.
NASS does not currently hold statistics on the asylum status of supported asylum seekers.
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