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John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what response she will make to the 2002 consolidated appeal by the United Nations for (a) Eritrea, (b) Burundi and (c) Uganda. [84948]
Clare Short: The UK does not usually intervene directly to address humanitarian crises, but contributes funding to specialist organisations. These contributions are made through responses to the United Nations Consolidated Appeals, to appeals by the International Committee of the Red Cross and from international relief agencies.
We contributed £1,350,000, £850,000, and £611,000 for humanitarian work in Eritrea, Burundi and Uganda respectively, in 2002. The 2003 appeals have now been issued and we are giving consideration to our response. Actual support in 2003 will depend on the level of humanitarian needs.
Additional funding is provided through core support to international organisations including the UN, and through the European Commission. Nearly 20 per cent. of EC funding is paid for by DFID contributions.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of the funding shortfall within UNHCR; and if she will make a statement. [84638]
Clare Short: I discussed funding of UNHCR when the High Commissioner for Refugees visited London in July. Subsequent meetings have taken place between officials in Geneva and London, where funding of the agency was one of the items under discussion. We
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provided advice to UNHCR on the availability of funds from our regional programmes in response to local need.
We are aware of the immense needs which UNHCR is mandated to address and the financial constraints within which it operates.
Our core unearmarked contribution for 2002 is £14 million. In addition, we respond as appropriate to direct appeals from UNHCR for assistance with specific short-term refugee emergency situations and reintegration programmes. In 2002 this assistance amounts to £3.925 million to date. The UK share of EC Development Assistance, including humanitarian, in 2001 was 18.9 per cent. making the UK one of the EC's largest donors. In 2001 therefore, the UK provided £7.9 million for UNHCR through the EC's overall contribution of £41.8 million.
I have also recently approved an extra £1 million to fund UNHCR's community services activities in Africa. This will help underpin UNHCR's key protection activities: prevention of sexual and gender based violence, HIV awareness, self-reliance, youth education and capacity building of refugee social support networks.
The UK has a strong record of support to UNHCR, both in response to emergency appeals and through longer-term institutional strengthening, focusing on helping the agency improve its management, working partnerships and programming. These partnership principles underpin DFID's Institutional Strategy Paper (ISP) for UNHCR, agreed with the agency in December 2001, and which forms the basis of our funding arrangement.
Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many motorists were fined owing to being caught speeding by road traffic speed cameras in Lancashire in (a) 199697 and (b) the last year for which figures are available; [84976]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Available information, by calendar year, is given in the table. Data for 2001 will be available in the new year.
Fixed penalties | Court proceedings | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Year | Number of tickets(12) | Estimated revenue(14)(£000) | Number of fines | Total amount of fine (£000) | Average fine (£) |
1996 | 4,028 | 161.1 | 302 | 19.9 | 66 |
1997 | 5,620 | 224.8 | 477 | 37.1 | 78 |
2000 | 24,500(14) | 1,062.0(14) | 926 | 79.8 | 86 |
(10) Automatic cameras until 1998, all camera types from 1999.
(11) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regulations 1973.
(12) Paid ie no further action.
(13) 'Estimate' based on £40 fixed penalty charge for 1996, 1997 and January to October 2000. From November 2000 the penalty was raised to £60.
(14) Provisional.
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Mr. Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons originating from countries that are not members of the Commonwealth were granted political asylum in Great Britain in 2001, broken down by their country of origin. [83889]
Beverley Hughes: I regret that information on the number of asylum seekers granted asylum in Great Britain in 2001 is not availableapplications are made
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for asylum in the United Kingdom (UK). Reliable information on the geographical location of applicants at the time of decision outcomes is not available by region. Information on the country of origin of asylum applicants is not available.
The table provides statistics on the outcomes of initial decisions made on applications for asylum in the UK in 2001 relating to principal applicants who were nationals of countries that are not members of the British Commonwealth.
(15) Provisional figures rounded to nearest 5, with '' = 1 or 2 (except percentages)
(16) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decision
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Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost of legal aid for an asylum seeker was in the last 12 months; how much was spent in the last year on legal aid for asylum seekers; and if she will make a statement. [84879]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I have been asked to reply.
The Legal Services Commission's systems do not record expenditure in such a way as to separate asylum seekers from immigration and nationality cases generally. Nor does the commission record information on individual cases 1 .
The Commission can provide an estimate of the average cost of publicly-funded work for the stages of an immigration and asylum case based upon claims received for work conducted during year 200102:
work on an appeal to the Immigration Adjudicator cost on average £1,000.
work on a further appeal to a full hearing at the Immigration Appeals Tribunal cost on average £1,000; and
the average cost of publicly-funded legal representation for immigration and asylum cases was £3,133. This could cover proceedings in the High Court, Court of Appeal, and the House of Lords.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers awaiting removal from the country his Department has failed to contact; what steps have been taken with regard to these asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement. [84881]
Beverley Hughes: I regret that the information requested is not available. Asylum applicants do not always inform the Immigration Service (IS) that they are leaving the United Kingdom.
We are making improvements in contact management, as detailed in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, 2002. We will seek to maintain contact with all asylum seekers. Asylum seekers
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will be informed of their obligations to provide up-to-date address details, and to report as required, during the induction process. Provision of support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) is conditional on complying with these requirements. Those not accommodated by NASS will also be required to report. The IS will manage the contact process actively through the eight designated reporting centres, by using police stations and by visiting asylum seekers at their accommodation.
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers there were in Somerset in each of the last three years. [85062]
Beverley Hughes: The information is not available in the form requested.
The availability of information on the location of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom is currently linked to the support the asylum seeker receives. Asylum seekers in the United Kingdom either receive support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), local authorities or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or are supporting themselves.
Currently, asylum seekers provided accommodation by NASS are not dispersed to Somerset because NASS has no dispersal accommodation there. Some asylum seekers supported by NASS find their own accommodation and receive subsistence-only support from NASS. The following table shows the number of asylum seekers (including dependants) who were receiving subsistence-only support from NASS, and were resident in the South West region (which includes Somerset) at the requested dates:
Number of asylum seekers (including dependants) receiving subsistence-only support from NASS in the South West region(17) | |
---|---|
End of December 2000 | 145 |
End of December 2001 | 350 |
End of September 2002 | 540 |
(17) Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. These figures exclude cases where support has been ceased.
From the grant claims sent to the Home Office by local authorities, as at the end of September 2002, and the end of September 2001, there were five asylum seekers (excluding dependants) who were being supported by Somerset Local Authority. 1
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No information is held centrally on the numbers of asylum seekers supported by DWP or who support themselves living in Somerset.
Statistics on the number of asylum seekers supported by NASS in each region are available on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
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