| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
21 Oct 2002 : Column 89W—continued
Queen Mother's Funeral
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs fell to his Department arising from the funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. [65257]
Mr. Denham: The only direct cost that has fallen to the home Department from the funeral of the Queen Mother was #1,817 for the notification mourning envelopes and letterhead stationery.
21 Oct 2002 : Column 90W
The Metropolitan Police Authority has estimated additional costs to policing arising from the Queen Mother's funeral at #2million. The operation involved the deployment of 7,955 police and 1,302 civilian staff between 31 March and 9 April.
The Home Office provides a special grant to the Metropolitan Police Service each year to take account of those costs specific to policing the capital and national events.
21 Oct 2002 : Column 91W
Yarl's Wood
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in relation to the fire at Yarl's Wood on 14 and 15 February 2002, how many detainees are unaccounted for. [75402]
Beverley Hughes: The number of detainees that are unaccounted for following the incident at Yarl's Wood removal centre has been reduced to 14 individuals. Efforts to trace and apprehend these remaining individuals continue. The Bedfordshire police conducted an exhaustive search of the site and concluded that it was highly improbable that anybody had perished in the fire.
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those charged with violent disorder arising out of the Yarlswood incident have been convicted and sentenced. [75400]
Beverley Hughes: Twelve individuals have been charged with offences of violent disorder arising from the incident at Yarl's Wood removal centre on 14/15 February. Their trial is set for April 2003.
IND
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the advertised salary is for the new head of IND. [75661]
Beverley Hughes: The advert for this post described the salary as an attractive six-figure package. In the notes for candidates, it was stated that the post was in Senior Civil Service Pay Band 3 for which the usual maximum salary was #124,000 and that more may have been available for an exceptional candidate.
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons applied for the post of head of IND; and how many were (a) men, (b) women and (c) from ethnic minorities. [75658]
Beverley Hughes: This post attracted a total of 52 applicants, of which 45 were men and seven were women. Of those who completed the Equal Opportunities monitoring form, three stated that they were from ethnic minorities. 12 forms were not returned.
Ms Yana Figurova
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reach a decision on the case of Ms Yana Figurova (Ref. No. F1025919). [75158]
Beverley Hughes: Ms Figurova's applications for leave to remain in the United Kingdom have been now allocated to a caseworker in the Integrated Casework Directorate of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. The caseworker will be making a decision shortly. Ms Figurova's legal representatives will be notified of the decision.
Rural Police Forces
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) which police forces he classifies as rural; [75184]
21 Oct 2002 : Column 92W
- (2) how much of the Rural Policing Fund was spent by forces in (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03 to date. [75185]
Mr. Denham: The Rural Policing Fund was introduced in June 2000 to support the particular needs of forces with the most widespread populations. #15million was allocated in 2000–01 and #30million a year in 2001–02 and 2002–03.
There is no formal definition of a rural force. Many police force areas will cover both rural and more urban areas. The Rural Policing Fund is allocated to police authorities with the most dispersed populations, weighted for the degree of sparsity of population. Thirty one of the forty three police forces in England and Wales benefit. A table of grant allocations is given in the table.
| Police Authority: | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avon & Somerset | #494,892 | #992,875 | #993,718 |
| Bedfordshire | #81,390 | #163,540 | #163,555 |
| Cambridgeshire | #561,585 | #1,125,169 | #1,126,395 |
| Cheshire | #115,058 | #228,487 | #227,493 |
| City of London | 0 | 0 | #0 |
| Cleveland | 0 | 0 | #0 |
| Cumbria | #690,613 | #1,370,910 | #1,360,324 |
| Derbyshire | #208,347 | #416,190 | #415,196 |
| Devon & Cornwall | #1,554,673 | #3,114,489 | #3,128,806 |
| Dorset | #221,858 | #442,209 | #443,158 |
| Durham | #124,270 | #246,803 | #245,259 |
| Dyfed Powys | #1,297,570 | #2,588,337 | #2,583,979 |
| Essex | #251,315 | #503,710 | #504,105 |
| Gloucestershire | #387,093 | #776,548 | #775,749 |
| Greater Manchester | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gwent | #102,895 | #204,476 | #203,489 |
| Hampshire | #110,175 | #220,430 | #219,680 |
| Hertfordshire | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Humberside | #357,640 | #710,250 | #705,395 |
| Kent | #298,863 | #599,342 | #599,700 |
| Lancashire | #32,228 | #64,054 | #63,835 |
| Leicestershire | #216,758 | #433,988 | #433,164 |
| Lincolnshire | #985,951 | #1,978,690 | #1,984,449 |
| Merseyside | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Metropolitan | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Norfolk | #1,036,848 | #2,078,830 | #2,085,509 |
| North Wales | #770,617 | #1,533,723 | #1,530,130 |
| North Yorkshire | #1,005,224 | #2,013,806 | #2,018,359 |
| Northamptonshire | #350,892 | #704,141 | #705,137 |
| Northumbria | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nottinghamshire | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Wales | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| South Yorkshire | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Staffordshire | #138,358 | #275,072 | #273,147 |
| Suffolk | #711,353 | #1,422,627 | #1,424,923 |
| Surrey | #5,463 | #11,048 | #11,006 |
| Sussex | #273,834 | #550,563 | #549,849 |
| Thames Valley | #629,559 | #1,262,860 | #1,261,933 |
| Warwickshire | #282,108 | #562,546 | #561,338 |
| West Mercia | #1,157,670 | #2,311,653 | #2,309,690 |
| West Midlands | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| West Yorkshire | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wiltshire | #544,900 | #1,092,634 | #1,091,530 |
| All Police Authorities | #15,000,00 | #30,000,000 | #30,000,000 |
It is a matter for the Police Authority and the Chief Officer to decide how the money will be spent for the benefit of rural communities. Police authorities which have been allocated a share of the rural policing fund are required to publish a statement on the use of the grant, in their Annual Policing and Best Value Performance Plan. Records are not collated centrally of spending by each force.
21 Oct 2002 : Column 93W
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list each site which he is considering as a possible accommodation centre for asylum seekers. [75410]
Beverley Hughes: On 14 May, we announced a shortlist of the following six sites:
- Defence Storage & Distribution Centre (DSDC) Bicester, Oxfordshire
- RAF Newton, Nottinghamshire
- Throckmorton Airfield, Worcestershire
- AirWest, Edinburgh
- Sully Hospital, Cardiff
- Hemswell Cliff, Lincolnshire
21 Oct 2002 : Column 94W
Site searching has continued since we made our initial announcement, as we said it would. We shall not be putting into the public domain details of such sites unless and until they are considered to be serious prospect for the siting of an accommodation centre.
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of the last five years for which statistics are available the number of asylum applicants (a) granted refugee status, (b) granted exceptional leave to remain and (c) refused, classified in each case as (i) post or (ii) in-country applications. [75484]
Beverley Hughes: The information available is shown in the table.
The initial decision outcome data shown may reflect the different mix of nationalities who apply at port and in-country as well as any difference between port and in-country applications in the type of cases. In-country applications constitute a mix between those who apply at the Asylum Screening Unit in Croydon, postal applications, and those who apply through Local Enforcement Offices (including efforts by South East Ports Surveillance Team and as a result of operations against illegal working).
| Total Initial Decisions | Grants of asylum | Grants of ELR | Total refusals | Granted asylum or exceptional leave under backlog criteria(29),(30) | Refused under backlog criteria(29),(31) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | Port | In Country | Total | Port | In Country | Total | Port | In Country | Total | Port | In Country | Total | Port | In Country | Total | Port | In Country | |
| 1997 | 36,045 | 14,845 | 21,200 | 3,985 | 1,475 | 2,510 | 3,115 | 1,525 | 1,590 | 28,945 | 11,845 | 17,100 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1998 | 31,570 | 14,650 | 16,920 | 5,345 | 2,100 | 3,245 | 3,910 | 2,505 | 1,405 | 22,315 | 10,045 | 12,270 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 1999 | 33,720 | 17,335 | 16,385 | 7,815 | 3,565 | 4,250 | 2,465 | 1,950 | 515 | 11,025 | 7,420 | 3,605 | 11,140 | 3,830 | 7,310 | 1,275 | 570 | 705 |
| 2000 | 109,205 | 52,775 | 56,435 | 10,375 | 5,475 | 4,900 | 11,495 | 6,410 | 5,085 | 75,680 | 36,990 | 38,690 | 10,325 | 3,530 | 6,795 | 1,335 | 370 | 965 |
| 2001p | 119,015 | 38,755 | 80,260 | 11,180 | 3,685 | 7,495 | 19,845 | 7,230 | 12,610 | 87,990 | 27,840 | 60,150 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Notes:
(26) Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period.
(27) Figures rounded to the nearest 5.
(28) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.
(29) Cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre 1996 asylum application backlog.
(30) Includes cases where asylum or exceptional leave has been granted under the backlog criteria.
(31) Includes some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds.
p Provisional figures.
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if children with special educational needs who are living in accommodation centres will receive full-time education in (a) a local school or (b) the accommodation centre. [76146]
Beverley Hughes: There will be an initial assessment of learning needs when children enter an accommodation centre. If any children are identified as having needs that can only be meet outside the centre, then the Local Education Authorities (LEA) will be able to arrange for suitable education to be provided. However, we believe there will be very few such children. Most children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) should be educated with their peers within the centre, just as other children with SEN are mostly taught in mainstream schools.
Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the categories of children who will be considered as special cases for the purpose of education provision in accommodation centres. [76145]
Beverley Hughes: It is important to take account of those children whose individual needs cannot be met in the centres and that is why the Government has made provision for flexibility in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill. Having said that, those who are gifted but lack good English are likely to benefit from the intensive language support they will get in the centre, and those with good English should also be catered for in that the centre will be providing a wide curriculum at all levels.
Parents, and the Centres themselves, will be able to ask Local Education Authorities (LEA) to carry out a Special Educational Needs (SEN) assessment, which will help determine whether a centre can make suitable provision for particular pupils with SEN or whether additional support from LEA services is required on a continuing (rather than occasional) basis by way of a statement. If a statement is made, the child may continue to be taught in the Centre with additional support from the LEA. Alternatively, if this is not possible, placement in a special school may be arranged. LEAs will also be able to conclude that a mainstream
21 Oct 2002 : Column 95W
school placement is necessary, for example in circumstances where local specialist provision is made wholly in units in such schools.
Most children with SEN should be educated with their peers within the centre, just as other children with SEN are mostly taught in mainstream schools.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |