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Exclusion Orders
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons individuals are subject to exclusion orders. [55483]
Angela Eagle: The Secretary of State can personally direct that a person is excluded from the United Kingdom if it is deemed that their presence here is not conducive to the public good. This will usually be on the grounds of national security, public order or foreign relations with another country, although there is no restriction on that power.
Linguistic Tests
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what linguistic tests are made of those claiming asylum to verify their country of origin; and if he will make a statement. [55443]
Angela Eagle: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Waveney (Mr. Blizzard) on 30 October 2001, Official Report, column 617W.
Yarl's Wood
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) he, (b) a Minister and (c) an official from his Department will attend the select committee inquiry of the Bedfordshire county council into the Yarl's Wood fire; and if he will make a statement. [55983]
Angela Eagle: I can confirm that a senior Home Office official will attend the Bedfordshire county council inquiry.
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department's inquiry into the incident at Yarl's Wood will convene; what its terms of reference will be; whether it will be held in public; and if he will make a statement. [55978]
Angela Eagle: The inquiry being conducted by Stephen Moore into the events at Yarl's Wood convened in February 2002 and is ongoing. The terms of reference for the inquiry are to inquire into the events at Yarl's Wood removal centre on the night of 14–15 February 2002 and their causes and to make recommendations designed to minimise the risk of recurrence on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate custodial estate in relation to contracts and agreements with service providers, the operation of removal centres, building design and construction, and any other matters considered relevant.
The inquiry will take full account of the inquiries being undertaken by Bedfordshire police, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and Group 4, and will be conducted in a way which does not impede any criminal investigation. In addition, the inquiry will have available expert advice from Her Majesty's Prison Service on matters to do with the above matters.
Although not a public inquiry, observations and concerns may be expressed direct to Stephen Moore. The findings of the inquiry will, however, be published.
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Experience Corps
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the consents he has given to the Experience Corps under the terms of Paragraph 17 of the Financial Agreement. [56337]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 16 May 2002]: The number of consents given under Paragraph 17 in the Financial Agreement will be covered in the Experience Corps Company's annual report, which it is obliged to produce and publish no later than 30 September of each financial year.
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new volunteers were recruited by the Experience Corps in the year to 31 March. [56339]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 16 May 2002]: The Experience Corps Company is obliged to produce and publish an annual report, which includes audited accounts, no later than 30 September of each financial year.
The report will give a description of the past year's activities assessed against the objectives and targets in Annexe 2 of the Financial Agreement and the annual business plan along with any other supporting material to substantiate the assessment.
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the Experience Corp's annual business plan for 2001–02. [56341]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 16 May 2002]: The Experience Corps business plan for 2001–02 will be discussed and commented against in its annual report.
The Experience Corps Company is obliged to produce and publish an annual report, which includes audited accounts, no later than 30 September of each financial year.
A copy of the report will be placed in the Library on publication.
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent animators were recruited by the Experience Corps by 31 March. [56338]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 16 May 2002]: The Experience Corps Company is obliged to produce and publish an annual report, which includes audited accounts, no later than 30 September of each financial year.
The report will give a description of the past year's activities assessed against the objectives and targets in Annexe 2 of the Financial Agreement and the annual business plan along with any other supporting material to substantiate the assessment.
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he intends to publish the statement of actual expenditure incurred by the Experience Corps. [56340]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 16 May 2002]: Any statement of expenditure, whether for a company or charity, only becomes a matter of public record once it has been audited.
20 May 2002 : Column 80W
The Experience Corps Company is obliged to produce and publish an annual report, which includes audited accounts, no later than 30 September of each financial year.
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department agreed with the Experience Corps its annual business plan for 2002–03; and if he will place a copy in the Library. [56342]
Angela Eagle [holding answer 16 May 2002]: The annual business plan for 2002–03 was agreed with the Home Office in March 2002.
The Experience Corps business plan for 2002–03 will be discussed and commented against in its annual report. The Experience Corps Company is obliged to produce and publish an annual report, which includes audited accounts, no later than 30 September of each financial year.
A copy of the report will be placed in the Library on publication.
Hepatitis C
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence he collates as to the incidence of Hepatitis C and treatment programmes for that condition within the prison population. [56334]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 16 May 2002]: Among health care data regularly submitted by Prison Service establishments to the Prison Health Policy Unit are the number of new cases of Hepatitis C diagnosed each month and the number of prisoners known to be suffering from Hepatitis C at the end of each month. The Prison Health Policy Unit has recently entered into a new contract with the Prison Health Laboratory Service for a communicable disease data collection and monitoring service.
Information about the number of prisoners receiving treatment for hepatitis C is not collated centrally. However, unless their time in custody is so short as to make it impractical, prisoners who are diagnosed with Hepatitis C are referred to national health service specialists for further assessment and treatment, as clinically appropriate.
Women Prisoners
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women with young children were serving a prison sentence in England and Wales and had their child with them on 1 May. [56297]
Beverley Hughes: The Prison Service provides accommodation for babies to remain with their mothers in four prisons: Askham Grange, Holloway, New Hall and Styal. There are 68 places in total and occupancy figures are collected each Monday. On 29 April 2002, 60 of these places were in use.
Departmental Staff (Scotland)
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of (a) Civil Service, (b) executive agencies and (c) non- departmental public body jobs under the remit of his Department are located in Scotland; and how many of each have been relocated to Scotland since May 1997. [56301]
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Angela Eagle: Home Office staff figures in each region and nation of the United Kingdom are published in "Civil Services Statistics" year on year and placed in the Library.
As at 14 May 2002 the numbers and percentage of Home Office staff in Scotland are set out in the table:
| Area | Staff in Scotland | All | Proportion(20) |
|---|---|---|---|
| (a) Core Home Office | 144 | 18,542 | 0.77 |
| (b) Executive Agencies(21) | 281 | 3,138 | 8.9 |
| (c) NDPBs(22) | 46 | 243 | 18.9 |
(20) Percentage
(21) United Kingdom Passport and Criminal Agency
(22) Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority; Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel
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