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Care Home Registrations

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of time was for care home managers' and owners' applications to be registered and processed by the NCSC; and how many applications have been outstanding in each of the last six months for which figures are available. [84997]

Jacqui Smith . I have been asked to reply.

The information requested is not currently available.

CCTV

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many urban areas are

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under 24-hour surveillance through the use of CCTV cameras; and what plans he has to extend the use of CCTV cameras for street surveillance. [84396]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 2 December 2002]: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of privately or publicly owned Close Circuit Television (CCTV) schemes in urban areas which operate 24 hour surveillance. It is for individual scheme owners (police, local authority or trading association) to decide surveillance periods based on crime and disorder patterns in their area and adopt an integrated approach.

Coventry had five successful bids totalling £610,718 under the Crime Reduction Programme CCTV Initiative. Although this Initiative is now closed, other opportunities for funding of CCTV schemes currently exist under the Safer Communities, Communities Against Drugs and Small Retailers in Deprived Areas Initiatives.

Congestion Charging

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost is to his Department of the Central London Road User Charging Scheme for (a) 17 February 2003 to 31 March 2003, and (b) 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004. [81873]

Hilary Benn [holding answer 19 November 2002]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 25 November 2002, Official Report, column 98W.

Immigration

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his oral statement of 2 December 2002, Official Report, columns 611–12, what criteria he has used to differentiate between Iraqi nationals resident in the Sangatte Refugee Centre and those resident in the United Kingdom in the issuing of work permits. [85480]

Beverley Hughes: Iraqis from Sangatte will be issued with work visas in order to admit them to the UK. This is an exceptional scheme designed to deal with an exceptional set of circumstances. It has no implications for other Iraqi nationals resident in the UK.

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the Iraqi nationals resident in the Sangatte Refugee Centre to whom he intends to offer work permits he expects to be initially accommodated in the county of Kent. [85476]

Beverley Hughes: None.

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Treasury on meeting the additional costs of (a) housing, (b) medical care, (c) education and (d) police activity generated by the influx of Iraqis currently accommodated in the Sangatte Refugee Centre from central government funds. [85477]

Beverley Hughes: None. The Home Office will meet from its own budget any temporary costs arising from the need to receive people from Sangatte and match them to jobs. The Iraqis are being admitted on the basis that they will work. We expect them to make a contribution to our economy, not impose a burden.

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Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his oral statement of 2 December 2002, Official Report, columns 611–12, whether it is his policy that no asylum seekers carrying French badges other than those in Sangatte Refugee Centre will be admitted to the United Kingdom. [85478]

Beverley Hughes: The Red Cross issued Xbadges" to all Sangatte residents between 27 September and 5 November. The arrangements announced on 2 December for bringing certain Sangatte residents to the UK apply to Xbadged" Sangatte residents who presented themselves at the centre by 8 pm on Tuesday 3 December.

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he has reached with the French Government to ensure that those wishing to seek asylum and having entered France do so in that country and are not permitted to transit to the United Kingdom. [85479]

Beverley Hughes: Since the Sangatte Centre closed to new entrants on 5 November, the French have expected illegal migrants in the Calais area to face deportation or claim asylum in France. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary and Nicolas Sarkozy agreed on 2 December that the existing levels of security will be maintained in the Calais area until the message is fully understood that illegal immigration from Northern France to the UK is no longer possible.

Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his oral statement of 2 December 2002, Official Report, columns 611–12, how many (a) Iraqi and (b) Afghan nationals are claiming asylum in the United Kingdom. [85483]

Beverley Hughes: Between July and September 2002, 4,300 Iraqi and 1,555 Afghan nationals applied for asylum in the United Kingdom (excluding dependants). The number of Iraqi and Afghan asylum applicants currently awaiting an initial decision is not available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

77 per cent. of applications received in the period April to June 2002 had initial decisions made and served within two months (excludes withdrawals and third country cases).

Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. The latest publication was published on 29 November 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are made in the immigration appeal system to prevent individuals making subsequent appeals under an alias after their original appeal has been refused; and what the cost was of such appeals in each of the last five years [82182]

Beverley Hughes: The Immigration Acts make provision for a right of appeal against decisions made by the Secretary of State to refuse immigration and asylum applications to an Adjudicator of the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA). An appeal to an Adjudicator—the first tier of the IAA —must follow an immigration or asylum application. Consequently it is

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not possible to make a subsequent immigration appeal as described unless another application attracting a right of appeal has been made, and refused. Checks for multiple or alias applications would occur at the application stage rather than at the appeal stage.

Public Protection

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he has made for members of the public, with proper training, to be involved in the strategic management of multi-agency public protection arrangements; and when they will come into practice. [82671]

Hilary Benn: Arrangements for appointing lay people to the strategic management boards of the multi-agency public protection arrangements are being piloted in eight Areas: Durham, Greater Manchester, West Midlands, Cumbria, Surrey, Dorset, Hampshire and South Wales. They have been recruited using a thorough screening and selection system provided by the Home Office Assessment and Consultancy Unit.

A period of local induction and training in each of the pilot areas now follows, with national training for all those recruited in late January. This training will be delivered by experienced professionals in the field of public protection. It is expected that they will begin sitting on the strategic boards of the pilot areas as functioning members in the new year. The evaluation of the pilots will be conducted by Manchester University and overseen by the Home Office's Research Directorate.

The Government sees this as an important part of building public confidence in the excellent work the police and probation services, supported by other agencies, do in this field. The Criminal Justice Bill includes measures which will enable my right hon. Friend Home Secretary to appoint two lay advisers to each area's multi-agency public protection arrangements once that bill has been enacted.

Prison Population

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department is taking to ensure that where prisoners are enrolled in a course offering (a) education and (b) basic skills training, such prisoners are not moved to a different prison before completion of their course. [84249]

Hilary Benn: The Prison Service tries to ensure prisoners complete education courses and minimise any disruption to family life. Establishments are advised to place the necessary 'holds' on prisoners studying for basic skills qualifications.

All prisons have a mandatory requirement to provide a core curriculum which includes basic skills, information technology and preparation for work all of which are assessed using nationally recognised qualifications.

Basic skills are assessed using a national test which is available weekly. Therefore a prisoner who is transferred midway through a basic skills course is likely to be able to continue this at the receiving prison if access to the education department is provided.

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Furthermore, prisoners' studying for other core curriculum subjects should be able to complete these if they are transferred.

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