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Work Permits

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether Work Permits (UK) has approved permit applications on the grounds of shortage occupations criteria when the specific skills possessed have been described as IT skills; [71545]

(2) what steps are being taken to ensure that work permits applied for under shortage occupations criteria are only granted in circumstances where the skill required is classified as a shortage occupation skill; [71541]

(3) how many work permit applications have been (a) granted and (b) refused by Work Permits (UK) on the grounds of shortage occupations criteria in each month since June 2001; [71542]

(4) what process of investigation is undertaken by Work Permits (UK) into work permit applications that are submitted on the grounds of shortage occupations criteria; [71544]

(5) how many documented cases his Department has received from the Professional Contractors Group relating to employers in the technology sector importing labour from abroad in an effort to reduce employment costs; and what steps are being taken by his Department to ensure that the work permit system is not abused in this way. [71543]

Beverley Hughes: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave him on 15 July 2002, Official Report, columns 107W.

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Informal Warnings

Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to what extent informal warnings are used against people under suspicion of committing an offence. [71209]

Hilary Benn: This information is not collected.

Life Sentences

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women are serving a life sentence in prisons in England and Wales. [70278]

Hilary Benn: On 31 May 2002 (the latest available data) there were 5,128 people serving life sentences in prisons in England and Wales. Of these 4,965 were male, and 163 were female.

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women in prisons in England and Wales are serving a life sentence for sexual offences. [70279]

Hilary Benn: Data show that on the 31 May 2002 (the latest available data) there were 539 people serving life sentences in prisons in England and Wales for sexual offences. All of these were male.

Police Vice Units

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police authorities in the United Kingdom have a vice unit. [70284]

Mr. Denham: There are four police forces in England and Wales who have dedicated vice units: Metropolitan, Nottinghamshire and West Midlands police forces and Hampshire constabulary. In the remaining forces issues such as prostitution and pornography are investigated in a variety of ways most often at the level of basic command units (BCU) who would have discretion to form vice units locally. To contact all the BCUs in England and Wales to find out if they have a vice unit would incur disproportionate cost.

Female Prisoners

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women serving a prison sentence

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have their children with them in prison; and how many children are living with their mother in prisons in England and Wales. [70277]

Hilary Benn: There are currently four units for women serving a custodial sentence to have their children with them while in prison. The prisons are Askham Grange, Holloway, New Hall and Styal and provide 68 places. On Monday, 15 July 2002, there were a total of 56 children living with their mother in prisons in England and Wales.

Prison Inmates

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) male and (b) female prison inmates under the age of 21 years were serving a prison sentence in England and Wales on 1 July. [70276]

Hilary Benn: On 31 May 2002 (the latest available data), there were 8,827 sentenced young offenders in prisons in England and Wales. Of these 8,358 were male, and 469 were female.

People Trafficking

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policies there are to assist people who have been trafficked into the UK; what financial support is given by the Government to promote such policies; and if he will make a statement. [70287]

Beverley Hughes: As set out in chapter 5 of the White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven: Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain", in co-operation with the voluntary sector the Government are looking at how to offer the victims of trafficking particular support so that they can escape their circumstances and, in certain cases, help law enforcement against organised criminals. Where victims are willing to come forward to the authorities, we are considering special arrangements for their protection. We will also consider whether it would be appropriate to allow them to remain here.

Where they are to return home, we are looking at how to assist them to do so, providing them with initial counselling, ensuring that they have suitable accommodation to return to, and providing help to enable them to reintegrate into their own community and find employment.

We are developing a best practice toolkit on trafficking, which will be a guide for immigration officers, police and others potentially dealing with trafficking. In particular, it will raise awareness of the difference between trafficking and smuggling, and help those concerned to treat trafficking victims fairly.

The Government are also working with the voluntary sector to identify the cost implications on the provision of support to the victims of trafficking. The Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are running a number of prevention projects aimed primarily at raising awareness and educating potential victims (mostly women and children) of the dangers of being trafficked. We have given £3 million for the International Labour Organisation's International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) programme in the Greater Mekong region (parts of Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam). This

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involves a number of inter-linked interventions to raise awareness, prevent trafficking and to support community reintegration for victims of trafficking.

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of trafficking of people for the purpose of sexual activities have been investigated by police authorities in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years. [70286]

Hilary Benn: As there is at present no specific offence of trafficking, the police and other law enforcement agencies are not able to say how many such cases have been investigated in the last five years.

Reflex, the multi-agency response to organised immigration crime, is currently supporting a number of investigations into trafficking. Reflex is also engaged in Bosnia supporting anti-trafficking operations there and, with the Romanians, developing a team to target traffickers.

We have included a new offence of trafficking for prostitution in the current Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill, as a stop-gap measure pending introduction of offences covering trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation when parliamentary time permits.

Prison Governors

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many number one governors in prisons in England and Wales are women; and in which prisons they are in place. [70221]

Hilary Benn: As at 16 July 2002 there are 27 number one governors (or directors, the private prison sector equivalent) who are women. Their locations are as follows.

Location
Albany
Brockhill
Buckley Hall
Bullingdon
Cookham Wood
Dover
Elmley
Everthorpe
Guys Marsh
Highpoint North
Hindley
Huntercombe
Lancaster
Leeds
Littlehey
Maidstone
Morton Hall
New Hall
Onley
Ranby
Rye Hill
Stafford
Stoke Heath
Styal
Swansea
Thorn Cross
Weare.

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Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women from an ethnic minority background hold the rank of prison governor in prisons in England and Wales. [70127]

Hilary Benn: Three men and one woman Senior Operational Manager (Governor Grade) are recorded as being from an ethnic minority as at 13 July 2002.

Care Home Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters his Department has received from (a) care home owners and (b) hon. Members with regard to delays in the vetting of care home staff applications by the Criminal Records Bureau. [71105]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 18 July 2002]: The information sought by the hon. Member on this sector is not available in the format requested.

Information is currently not recorded by sector, either business or voluntary.

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