---

Acute Medical Services

Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the 46 hospitals in England referred to in table 1 on page 16 of the recent report from the Royal College of Physicians entitled "Isolated Acute Medical Services". [70158]

Mr. Hutton: The report, "Isolated Acute Medical Services", was prepared by the Royal College of Physicians following collection of survey data. The Department did not take part in the research and does not have access to the survey data.

Carers

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many carers in London are over the age of (a) 60, (b) 70 and (c) 80 years. [69168]

Jacqui Smith: In 2000, there were an estimated 140,000 carers aged 60 and over in London, based on the general household survey conducted by the Office for National Statistics. A more detailed age breakdown is not available.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Air Weapons

Joyce Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the deliberations of the Firearms Consultative Committee on the use and ownership of air weapons. [53452]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Government are determined to tackle the misuse of air weapons and welcome the Firearms Consultative Committee's (FCC's) views on how the problem might be dealt with. A copy of their annual report was placed in the Library on 19 March. In taking forward their recommendations for better education on safe air weapons use and enforcement of the existing law, the possible use of anti-social behaviour orders will also be explored. We will also explore with the police, the practicalities and benefits of changes to the age of ownership of air weapons and registration of ownership.

Asylum Seekers

Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers he has to return asylum seekers to France who have already applied for asylum in that country. [69274]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 15 July 2002]: Section 11 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 provides for the removal of asylum claimants under standing arrangements agreed between member states. Such standing arrangements are currently provided by the Dublin Convention.

The Dublin Convention provides an agreed framework to determine which member state is responsible for consideration of asylum claims made in the European Union (EU) where applicants have travelled between

16 Jul 2002 : Column 220W

states. This includes provision for the return of an applicant to the member state where a claim for asylum has already been made.

Section 12 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 provides for the removal of asylum claimants in circumstances other than those set out in section 11, including the return to the appropriate member state of any identified individual already recognised as a refugee by that state.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total value is of the civil penalties issued under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to the (a) UK and (b) foreign-based transport industry since April 2000. [68807]

Beverley Hughes: Since 3 April 2000 when the penalty provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 were introduced, and as at 31 March 2002, a total of 1,429 penalty notices have been issued in respect of 7,516 clandestine entrants detected concealed in road vehicles arriving in the United Kingdom. The combined value of these penalties is £15,032,000.

No records are held centrally distinguishing where transport companies that have received penalties are based, and reviewing each of the 1,429 individual cases to obtain this information would involve disproportionate costs. Records are kept centrally of the nationality of drivers who have been penalised. These show that a total of £3,314,000, or approximately 22 per cent., of penalties have been imposed on United Kingdom drivers and £11,492,000, or approximately 76 per cent., on foreign nationals. The remaining approximately 1.5 per cent. of penalties were imposed in respect of clandestine entrants who arrived in unaccompanied detached trailers.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions about the possibility of a public inquiry into plans for an accommodation centre for asylum seekers near Bicester. [57967]

Beverley Hughes: None.

Correspondence

Mrs. Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Broxbourne of 12 February, 12 March, 10 April and 21 May, relating to her constituent, Mrs. Svitlana McLean of Waltham Cross. [59231]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 24 May 2002]: My noble Friend the Lord Filkin wrote to the hon. Member on 15 July 2002. I am sorry for the delay in replying.

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 22 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ashraf Khan and Zakia Jan Lehan. [68201]

Mr. Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 15 July 2002.

16 Jul 2002 : Column 221W

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 17 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. K. Mohammed Haji. [68198]

Mr. Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 15 July 2002.

Mr. Cran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a subtantive reply will be given to Mr. M. Egdell's letter of 17 April 2002, concerning asylum seekers. [68268]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 9 July 2002]: A reply to the hon. Member's letter is currently being prepared.

A substantive response will be sent as soon as possible.

Mr. Page: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will respond to the letter of the hon. Member for South-West Hertfordshire of 4 February, ref 2513/2. [66253]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 2 July 2002]: I wrote to the hon. Member on 16 July 2002. I am very sorry for the delay in replying.

Special Constables

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police about procedures designed to make it easier for special constables to enlist. [65491]

Mr. Denham: The Commissioner has regular bilateral meetings with my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary (Mr. Blunkett) in which the subject of recruitment and retention of specials has been discussed.

al-Akhbar

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the content of the newspaper al-Akhbar; and what plans he has to monitor anti-semitic propaganda. [67537]

Beverley Hughes: Allegations that articles in the al-Akhbar newspaper contain extreme anti-semitic language have been reported to the police and are being investigated.

We are very much aware of the deep anxiety extreme language causes to the Jewish community, particularly at a time when, following the terrorist atrocities in the United States and the current difficult situation in the Middle East, it is inevitably feeling vulnerable.

The investigation of behaviour or material that may incite racial hatred under Part III of the Public Order Act 1986 is an operational matter for the police. However, the increase in the maximum penalty for incitement to racial hatred from two to seven years' imprisonment, a change we made as part of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, is a clear indication of the seriousness with which we view this offence. I would continue to encourage anyone to report to the police any material they believe breaches the incitement to racial hatred laws.

16 Jul 2002 : Column 222W

The police and Jewish bodies continue to work closely to safeguard Jewish people and property. We are in close touch with the Community Security Trust of the British Board of Deputies, which provides up-to-date details of anti-Semitic activity in the UK, such as assaults and criminal damage.

Cannabis

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effects on community safety and overall policing of the Lambeth cannabis relaxation pilot project; and if he will make a statement. [66737]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth [holding answer 4 July 2002]: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary (Mr. Blunkett) has noted carefully the emerging findings of the ongoing evaluation of the Lambeth cannabis policing pilot, whose aim is to provide police officers with more time to concentrate on more serious offences in relation to Class A drugs and other core policing business—in particular, robbery, gun crime and burglary.

He has noted that from July 2001 to May 2002 there was a 10 per cent. increase in arrests for Class A drug trafficking offences in comparison with the 12 month period July 2000 to June 2001; that, according to a Police Foundation/MORI poll, 83 per cent. of Lambeth residents supported the cannabis scheme and 74 per cent. believed the scheme would result in more police time being redeployed to tackle serious crime; and that this is what has happened. 1,350 hours of police time, the equivalent of 1.8 officers, were saved in the first six months of the pilot.

My right hon. Friend has also taken note of a survey of headteachers in Lambeth, conducted by the Metropolitan Police, which revealed that the policing of cannabis pilot operating in that borough has revealed no adverse impact in terms of increased prevalence (levels of use) problems or problems such as truancy.

He recognizes that continued community confidence in the scheme and community safety depend upon police officers continuing to spend more time dealing effectively with serious crime in the borough. In particular, he expects the police to respond swiftly and effectively to any attempt to defy the law by those dealing in drugs.

---