24 Oct 2002 : Column 411W
Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 24 October 2002
HOME DEPARTMENT
Correspondence
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 5 August from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Amanat Ullah. [74860]
Mr. Blunkett: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 22 October 2002, Official Report, column 230W.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the letter of 19 June from the hon. Member for Torbay regarding Mrs. Shyla Selvasenthil. [75000]
Beverley Hughes: I wrote to the hon. Member on 6 August 2002.
Yarlswood
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the latest estimated cost is of the Yarlswood fire; and what proportion is anticipated to be borne by the Exchequer. [75432]
Beverley Hughes: For legal reasons I am unable to comment on the costs of the Yarlswood incident and who will bear responsibility for those costs.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what negotiations he has had with insurers concerning insurance cover for (a) Yarlswood and (b) the proposed pilot accommodation centres for asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement. [75430]
Beverley Hughes: Officials have held discussions with Group 4 Amey Immigration Limited (GAIL) and their insurers. Tenders have yet to be issued for the proposed accommodation centres.
24 Oct 2002 : Column 412W
Mr. Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been directed to Leeds, broken down by each Leeds constituency. [75001]
Beverley Hughes: As at the end of June 2002 the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) was supporting 1,485* asylum seekers (including dependants) in accommodation in Leeds.
Some asylum seekers supported by NASS find their own accommodation and receive subsistence only support from NASS. As at the end of June 2002 there were 570* asylum seekers (including dependants) in receipt of subsistence only support in the Yorkshire and Humberside region (which includes Leeds).
Figures are not currently available by constituency for those asylum seekers supported by the NASS.
Statistics on the number of asylum seekers accommodated by NASS in each cluster area are available on the Home Office's Immigration and Asylum Statistics website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration 1.html
- Note:
- * Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. Figures exclude cases where the asylum seekers support has been ceased.
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Government's policy is on the detention of pregnant women seeking asylum; and how many pregnant women are detained while their asylum applications are considered. [76280]
Beverley Hughes: Pregnant women are not normally considered suitable for detention under the Immigration Acts unless there is a clear prospect of early removal from the United Kingdom and medical advice suggests no question of confinement prior to this. In addition, women in the early stages of pregnancy may be detained briefly at Oakington Reception Centre as part of the fast-track asylum process. Statistics for the number of pregnant women detained under Immigration act powers are not available.
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to ask the Home Secretary how much he has paid in non-domestic rates for each asylum detention centre in each of the last four years; and how much he will pay in 2002–03. [76545]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 23 October]: The table outlines the expenditure paid for Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) for each Detention/Removal Centre across the Immigration Service, in each of the last four years, together with how much we will pay in Financial Year 2002–03.
Source:
BASS
24 Oct 2002 : Column 413W
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to ask the Home Secretary if he will list each key performance indicator in the contract for the Dungavel asylum detention centre and the number of performance penalty points incurred for each key performance indicator by the operators of the detention centre in each year since it began operation. [76543]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 23 October 2002]: A copy of the contract with Premier Detention Services Ltd has been placed in the Library. Schedule G XPerformance Evaluation" of this contract contains all the information required.
Information relating to the number of performance points incurred by each Removal Centre operator is commercially confidential and so cannot be disclosed.
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department to ask the Home Secretary what the cost to his Department has been of monitoring private finance initiative contracts for each asylum detention centre in each of the last five years. [76544]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 23 October 2002]: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate does not currently hold any Private Finance Initiative contracts for Removal Centres.
24 Oct 2002 : Column 414W
Departmental Websites
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the website links associated with his Department, including sites now dormant or closed, and indicating whether they are live, dormant or closed; what the start up costs were for each site listed; what the operating costs were in each year since start up for each site; which company hosted each site; what assessment takes place for each site; which company does the assessment; if he will place the assessment reports in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [75583]
Beverley Hughes: Since January 2001 to the present the total design and development costs for the website are #1,024,228, whilst running costs (hosting and maintenance, excluding staff costs) are #551,986 to date.
Sites are assessed in-house using market intelligence, consumer feedback forms and Webtrends software, and, as of August 2002, monthly figures are submitted to the Cabinet Office.
The table shows the capital and running costs for all Home Office websites, excluding the Immigration & Nationality; Passports and Crime Reduction websites.
The web plays an invaluable role in providing information to the public and stakeholders across the range of Home Office responsibilities, and we are fully committed to developing our service to the public through it still further.
24 Oct 2002 : Column 415W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |