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Focus Group Research

Mr. Allen To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use he and his Department has made of focus group research since June 2001; if he will identify for each research project the topics covered, the person or organisation carrying out the research, and the total cost; and if he will publish the research on his Department's website. [74994]

Hilary Benn: The Home Office research department undertakes a wide range of research activities that support the development of information-led policy, including scientific and social research, and includes research gathered from market research and focus groups.

The department conducts or commissions focus groups only when it is justified by the specific needs of a particular policy or programme and when this is the most economical, efficient and effective way to achieve the purpose. Consulting and involving the public helps inform both policy formulation and the delivery of better quality public services. It has not been possible to provide detailed breakdown of costs of projects where this information is either not held centrally or is commercial in confidence.

The Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS) conducts social research supporting all seven Home Office aims. A list of RDS publications is available on the Home Office website and copies are also placed in the Library.

Football (Banning Orders)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK citizens were given banning orders prior to England's international football match in Slovakia; and of these how many did not have a criminal conviction. [78524]

Mr. Denham: All of the 1,301 individuals subject to a football banning order prior to the Slovakia v England match have at least one criminal conviction. In accordance with police powers set out in section 21 of the Football Spectators Act 1989, an additional 13 individuals were intercepted en-route to Slovakia, prevented from travelling and made subject to banning order proceedings. All of the individuals concerned have convictions for violence or public order offences.

Football Matches (Policing)

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the average cost to public funds was for policing at (a) Premiership, (b) Nationwide league and (c) non-league football ground on a match day in England in the last 12 months; [78885]

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(2) what assessment he has made of the cost to public funds of policing at Premiership football grounds in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [78886]

Mr. Denham: The information requested is not held centrally. A working group comprising representatives of Government, police and football authorities has been set up to examine a range of strategic football-related public order issues, including the cost of, and charging arrangements for, policing football matches.

Handcuff Cleaning

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what protocols are in place for cleaning handcuffs used on different prisoners (a) in prisons and (b) by police forces. [74963]

Hilary Benn: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Identity Parades

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue a general guidance to chief constables that citizens who help the police and the prosecuting authorities by attending identity parades as witnesses should be entitled, without a supervising discretion, to their reasonable expenses and loss of earnings for so doing. [77100]

Mr. Denham: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Illegal Immigrants (Use of Services)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policies are on the use by illegal immigrants of (a) the UK's benefits systems, (b) the NHS and (c) the education system. [78588]

Beverley Hughes: The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 ensures that only those people who have the right to settle in the United Kingdom should have access to social security benefits. The Act excludes from, 3 April 2000, all persons subject to immigration control from income related and other non-contributory benefits. Instead asylum seekers are supported while the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) determines their case.

There remains, however, a stock of existing asylum seekers whose cases date from before 3 April 2000. They and a few other excepted groups still receive social security benefits.

Persons with no status to remain in the United Kingdom who are not seeking asylum are entitled neither to social security benefits nor NASS support.

A person who has made a formal application for permission to take refuge in the United Kingdom, or who has been granted refuge, is fully entitled to National Health Service (NHS) treatment without charge.

People who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom are subject to the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended. These regulations make people who are not specifically exempt liable for the cost of most types of

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hospital treatment other than that given in Accident and Emergency departments or some types of treatment which are necessary to safeguard wider public health.

All children in this country, regardless of their immigration status, are entitled to receive education.

Immigration

Keith Vaz: : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines he has issued to CIOs at the ports on their dealings with hon. Members. [80045]

Beverley Hughes: The instructions given to all Immigration staff mirror those contained in the booklet entitled XInformation for Members of Parliament about immigration and nationality enquiries".

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when his Department intends to reply to the letter of 1 August from Mrs. S. Jakobi of Stoke Mandeville acknowledged by his Department's Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Liverpool on 29 August. [78365]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 31 October 2002]: I am sorry that my officials at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) in Croydon cannot trace Mrs. Jacobi's letter. If a further letter with sufficient details such as full name, date of birth and nationality can be sent to the Briefing and Complaints Section 5th Floor, Lunar House, 40 Wellesley Road, Croydon CR9 2BY, IND will ensure that a response is sent as a matter of priority.

Immigration Offences (Northern Ireland)

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were detained by the PSNI and RUC on immigration offences during each of the last three years. [78730]

Beverley Hughes: The Immigration Service does not routinely collect the information requested. A check of information which is held by Immigration Service would be time consuming and disproportionately expensive and would not in any event, represent the full total of police arrests since a proportion of these may have originated, and have been recorded, as matters not related to immigration offences.

Incitement Law

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make a statement on the guidance he plans to issue to police on enforcing the proposed incitement law covering religious and racial hatred. [16883]

Mr. Denham: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

Job Advertisements

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the job advertisements placed by his Department in the last 12 months specifying where the advertisements were placed and the cost in each case. [39073]

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Hilary Benn: Tables, which have been placed in the Library, show the total advertisements run by the Home Office Central Personnel Management Unit and units with devolved or partially devolved responsibility for recruitment. The tables show details of recruitment schemes run from 1 October 2001 to 30 September 2002.

Details of specific media used for advertisements are not available. The Central Personnel Management Unit normally advertises junior posts in local jobcentres and local or regional press. More senior posts are advertised in Xquality dailies" (e.g. Guardian, Times, Sunday Times and Observer) and, where appropriate, specialist journals. The Home Office has a standing policy to advertise vacancies in the Ethnic Minority Press.

Lay Observers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (1) if he will publish his responses to Lay Observers' Panels reports, and subsequent recommendations; [79612]

(2) when he received the last Greater London Lay Observers' Panel report; and what actions he plans to take in response to its recommendations. [79613]

Mr. Blunkett: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library.

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