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Parliamentary Questions
Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will answer the question tabled by the hon. Member for Solihull on 11 April concerning witnesses attending identification parades. [61816]
Mr. Denham: With apologies for the delay in replying to the hon. Member's question, I refer him to the answer I gave on 24 June 2002 on this issue, Official Report, column 697W.
Immigration and Nationality Directorate
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget was for IND in 1990; and what the current budget is for IND. [62200]
Mr. Denham: The budget for the Immigration and Nationality Directorate IND for 2002–03 is £1,031 million. This figure is provisional and any proposed changes will be notified to Parliament though supplementary estimates. This figure is also on a resource basis and no comparable budget figures are available for 1990. However, IND expenditure for the two financial years covering 1990, on a cash basis, was as follows:
| Actual expenditure £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1989–90 | 78.7 |
| 1990–91 | 90.9 |
A significant portion of the overall budget for 2002–03 relates to asylum support, which before 1999–2000 was assigned to the Departments of Health and Social Security not the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.
Asylum Seekers
Miss Widdecombe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum have been made in each year since 1994. [61331]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 13 June 2002]: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Year | Applications received (principal applicants only) | Applications received (including dependants)(33) |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 32,830 | 42,200 |
| 1995 | 43,965 | 55,000 |
| 1996 | 29,640 | 37,000 |
| 1997 | 32,500 | 41,500 |
| 1998 | 46,015 | 58,500 |
| 1999 | 71,160 | 91,200 |
| 2000(34) | 80,315 | 98,900 |
| 2001(34) | 71,700 | 88,300 |
(31) Figures rounded to the nearest five.
(32) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement
(33) Offices between January 1999 and March 2000.
(34) Provisional data.
Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. The next publication will be available from 30 August 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
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Advertising Campaigns
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on press and advertising campaigns in 2001–02; and what the planned expenditure is for 2002–03. [60917]
Beverley Hughes: Spend on press and advertising campaigns for 2001–02 was £14.4 million exclusive of VAT.
- Vehicle crime reduction
Police recruitment
Electoral issues
Drug misuse
Child protection on the internet.
Passport/Visa Fraud
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are to make passports and visa information better protected against fraud; what assessment has been made of the viability of biometrics; and if he will make a statement. [63066]
Beverley Hughes: The British digital passport is one of the most secure in the world. It is machine readable and complies with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standard for passports. It contains a digital photograph and a digital signature of the holder, and the personal identification page is protected by a clear plastic laminate incorporating a holographic device which further protects the portrait. The personal identification page is also protected by a series of laser perforations. The use of special paper and printing techniques provide added security. The security features in the passport document remain under continuing review in case a feature is compromised by fraudsters.
The United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) is considering the use of biometrics (fingerprints, iris, facial recognition) in passport books and cards both to further enhance security and to prevent the issue of multiple passports in the same identity. It is keeping in close touch with work being undertaken by ICAO post September 11 to develop an international standard for the use of biometrics in passports. In addition and in support of the concept of an entitlement card the UKPS has commissioned a study from the National Physical laboratory on the application of biometrics in an entitlement scheme. This study will look at iris, fingerprint and facial recognition templates and their application within large databases.
The issue of visas at diplomatic posts overseas, is the responsibility of UKvisas, a joint Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office Department. Visas are issued on specifically designed vignettes that contain various security features in a common European Union format. A revised European Union common format vignette is being designed and should be brought into use in April 2004. The new format will incorporate space for a digital photograph of the applicant. There are no plans
25 Jun 2002 : Column 844W
to use biometrics as part of the visa process but UKvisas is monitoring developments in this area including the Immigration Service trial at Heathrow.
Performance Targets
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the key targets set for his Department are for each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement. [56223]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 21 May 2002]: The Department's key targets are set out in its Public Service Agreements published in 2000, which are available on the Home Office's website.
The Department is setting targets for the next three years as part of the 2002 Spending Review process. The new targets will be published in the Treasury's White Paper in the summer.
HEALTH
Doctors (Suspensions)
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will estimate the cost to the national health service of the salaries of doctors on suspension and absent on special leave during the most recent year for which figures are available; [45728]
- (2) pursuant to his answer of 12 April 2002, Official Report, column 692W, on doctors (suspensions), what the total cost was to the NHS of the suspensions; and what the costs were in (a) doctors' and dentists' salaries, (b) payments to locum replacements and (c) legal fees. [57150]
Mr. Hutton: The Department routinely collects information quarterly in regard to the suspension of hospital medical and dental staff and reported costs incurred. This information is not broken down into salary or locum costs or legal fees. Of the 30 doctors and community dentists currently suspended for more than six months, 22 are consultants. No such information is held regarding doctors on special leave.
NHS Finance
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money is owed within the NHS; and (a) by whom and (b) to whom it is owed. [45852]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested will be placed in the Library.
Smallpox Vaccine
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if Powderject has applied for a licence for the smallpox vaccine; and if such a licence was included in the specification provided by his Department. [53951]
Mr. Hutton: The Department has bought an unlicensed smallpox vaccine. It is anticipated that the company will seek a licence at an appropriate time in the future. The company has agreed to abide by the new European Union guidelines, as set out by the European agency for the evaluation of medicinal products for the development of vaccinia based vaccines against smallpox. Currently, there are no smallpox vaccines available that are licensed.
25 Jun 2002 : Column 845W
GP Out-of-hours Co-operatives
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP out-of-hours co-operatives there are; and how many of these are connected to the NHS intranet. [54267]
Mr. Hutton: There are estimated to be about 240 general practitioner (GP) out-of-hours co-operatives in England. But they are not national health service organisations and as such the Department does not therefore collect or hold comprehensive data on them. For similar reasons GP co-operatives are not connected to the NHS intranet.
Overseas Doctors
Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to make it easier for doctors from Australia and New Zealand to practise in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [57962]
Mr. Hutton: The Department of Health is working closely with the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice, Specialist Training Authority and medical Royal Colleges to enable suitably qualified and experienced doctors from overseas wishing to enter the UK medical practice to do so as quickly as is possible.
In November 2001, we removed the funding bar that has prevented overseas doctors being funded for training in general practice. We expected to see even more applications this year as a result.
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