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Corporate Manslaughter
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to bring forward legislation on corporate manslaughter. [60799]
Mr. Hilary Benn: The Government are committed to introducing legislation to increase corporate liability for manslaughter, and will do so when Parliamentary time allows.
Passports
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures are in place to replace a lost or stolen passport in the event of an emergency; what circumstances would be considered an emergency; and what discretion can be applied by the Passport Office. [59706]
Beverley Hughes: On personal application being made at one of its seven passport offices, in an emergency the United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) can replace a lost or stolen passport on the same day, or early the following day. The circumstances considered by the UKPS to be an emergency are:
—Compassionate grounds—where the applicant is travelling abroad because of the death or serious illness of a family member or friend; or for hospital treatment; and where travel has been arranged for the seriously ill, and their carers by charitable organisations.
—Urgent business travel which can be confirmed by a supporting company letter.
—Where the passport has been stolen within the last week and travel has already been booked and paid for. In such cases evidence such as a crime reference report or reference number is sought.
In all these circumstances the United Kingdom Passport Service will require time to complete the necessary identity and eligibility checks to confirm the issue of a replacement passport. If it is not possible in such circumstances to complete all these checks, a passport restricted to 12 months validity may be granted.
The same day (premium) service now available from UKPS public counters is not normally available for applications to replace lost, stolen, damaged or unavailable passports, as access to the original issue file and possible further identity checks may be required. The emergency exceptions to the normal policy are
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therefore tightly drawn to ensure consistency of practice, and to maintain the integrity of the British Passport.
Anti-terrorism Measures
Mr. Mike O'Brien: To ask the Secretary for the Home Department what reforms of the organisations dealing with anti-terrorist intelligence and investigation he plans in order to deal with the terrorist threat. [58357]
Mr. Blunkett: I keep the threat from terrorism under constant review, through my chairmanship of the Ministerial committee on terrorism, and receive regular briefings from the Security Service and the police. If organisational changes are required I will make them. Following the budget statement on 17 April 2002, I announced additional resources for countering terrorism which will allow the enhancement of existing preventative work.
Charity Registration
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals his Department plans to bring forward exemptions to compulsory registration of charities following the expiry of the Charity Act Regulations on voluntary registration in September. [60624]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 11 June 2002]: The position of charities excepted from registration with the Charity Commission is currently under consideration with a view to an announcement on future arrangements being made before the Summer Recess.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been settled in (a) each region of England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) Greater London by the National Asylum Support Service in each quarter since it came into operation. [57849]
Beverley Hughes: The information is not available in the form requested. Only those asylum seekers requesting that accommodation be provided as part of an application for support are liable to be dispersed. Other supported asylum seekers receiving subsistence only may choose to live in a particular area whilst their application for asylum is considered.
The table shows the number of asylum seekers including dependants, supported in National Asylum Support Service (NASS) accommodation or receiving subsistence only support in each region as at the end of each quarter since December 2000.
1 Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10, * indicates a number between one and four.
Figures may not sum due to rounding.
2 Figures exclude cases where the asylum seekers support has been ceased.
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Information on the number of asylum seekers supported in each region by NASS is published quarterly. The next publication will cover the period up to March 2002, and will be available from 31 May 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Child Abuse
Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the Government have taken to review the procedures followed and personnel employed in complex child abuse investigations, and in particular to issue guidance to agencies on record-keeping and information-sharing in such cases. [62521]
Mr. John Denham: Inter-agency guidance on the strategic management of complex child abuse investigations is published today in response to Recommendation 22 of XLost in Care", the Report of the Tribunal of Inquiry into the abuse of children in care in the former county council areas of Gwynedd and Clwyd since 1974.
This new guidance builds on the key principles for investigating organised or multiple abuse set out in the Government's child protection guidance XWorking Together to Safeguard Children", published in 1999. It has been developed by an inter-agency working group, chaired by the Association of Chief Police Officers, which drew together the experience of a number of police forces, local authorities and voluntary organisations which have been closely involved in undertaking complex child abuse investigations.
The guidance is aimed primarily at the police and social services. It focuses on the specific issues highlighted in Recommendation 22 of access to records and information-sharing, and it also provides practical advice on key inter-agency issues such as setting up and closing an investigation, victim and witness support and media handling. The guidance also addresses concerns raised by those who have questioned the investigative methods used in inquiries, including the methods used to contact potential witnesses and the treatment of alleged offenders.
Copies of the guidance have been placed in the Library.
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WORK AND PENSIONS
Benefits
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are in receipt of (a) disability living allowance, (b) council tax benefit, (c) housing benefit, (d) incapacity benefit, (e) income support and (f) invalid care allowance in (i) the Edinburgh West constituency, (ii) Scotland and (iii) the UK; and what percentage these figures represent of the estimated numbers of the people who are eligible for the benefit in these respective areas. [60266]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information on the numbers of benefit recipients is in the tables.
| Benefit | Great Britain | Scotland | Edinburgh West Parliamentary Constituency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disability Living Allowance | 2,298,000 | 256,500 | 2,400 |
| Incapacity Benefit | 1,503,800 | 189,900 | 1,700 |
| Income Support | 3,940,700 | 418,000 | 3,000 |
| Invalid Care Allowance | 376,215 | 37,095 | 415 |
Notes:
1. Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit and Income Support figures are rounded to the nearest hundred and are subject to a degree of sampling variation.
2. Invalid Care Allowance figures are rounded to the nearest five.
3. Social security matters in Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Source:
Disability Living Allowance 5 per cent. sample—30 November 2001.
Incapacity Benefit 5 per cent. sample—30 November 2001.
Income Support Quarterly 5 per cent. Statistical Enquiry—February 2002.
Invalid Care Allowance 100 per cent. count—31 December 2001.
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