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Asylum Seekers

Mr. James Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department takes to ensure that protection and assistance is given to children separated from their parents who are seeking asylum. [100314]

Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply.

Unaccompanied, asylum-seeking children as supported by councils with social services responsibilities, in accordance with the duties laid on them by the Children Act 1989. The Act draws no distinction between such children and other children in need.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seeker applications by country of origin are awaiting first interview after a period of (a) three months or less, (b) six months or less, (c) 12 months or less, (d) two years or less and (e) more than two years after lodging their case. [99095]

Beverley Hughes: The available data for the number of applications are based on the total number awaiting initial decision, rather than the number awaiting an interview. The number of cases awaiting an initial decision has been at a lower level during 2002 than for 10 years. There were 40,800 applications awaiting an initial decision at the end of December 2002.

The Government's emphasis has been on delivering the challenging targets set for deciding the majority of new substantive asylum applications within two months. Older cases are progressed as resources allow.

76 per cent. of new substantive applications (excluding withdrawals and third country cases) received in the period April to September 2002 had initial decisions made and served within two months. The Home Office's Public Service Agreement target for 2002–03 is 65 per cent.

Information on the number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. The next publication will be available from 30 May and will cover the first quarter of 2003 (January to March).

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dispersal areas there are in England and Wales to which asylum seekers are sent. [99409]

Beverley Hughes: There are currently 71 cluster areas in England and Wales to which asylum seekers may be dispersed. Asylum seekers have been dispersed to 62 of these areas.

Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum seekers have failed to comply with reporting requirements while awaiting (a) an initial decision and (b) removal. [99712]

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of people who fail to comply with reporting requirements while awaiting initial decision, appeal decision or removal is not available and could be obtained by examination of individual case-files only at disproportionate cost.

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Asylum Support

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average (a) set-up costs and (b) weekly revenue costs of units of accommodation supplied by local authorities under NASS arrangements are; and what projections he has made of annual increases in those costs. [99077]

Beverley Hughes: I am unable to give details of prices paid by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) for accommodation due to its commercially sensitive nature. Any disclosure of this kind could have an adverse effect on future contract negotiations for accommodation.

Each contract has within it a contract price review mechanism that is linked to the rate of inflation and it is expected that any increases of this type will be offset by efficiency savings made within NASS as a whole. NASS is committed to maintaining unit costs at current levels or below representing an annual efficiency saving equivalent to inflation.

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to hold (a) tribunals, and (b) interview sessions in the region of dispersal for asylum seekers dispersed under NASS arrangements. [99096]

Beverley Hughes: Asylum appeals to an adjudicator are listed into hearing centres around the country based on location of the appellant. Cases are listed by postcode in accordance with a list agreed with the judiciary. When fixing the venue, reasonable travelling distance, ease of journey and waiting times in the area are all taken into account to enable the case to be dealt speedily. The Immigration Appeal Tribunal's workload arises in consequence of hearings at the adjudicator tier. Each claimant is offered the facility to attend a hearing in the same region of the country in which the Adjudicator hearing took place. The claimant's representative may ask for a hearing elsewhere or in London.

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Substantive asylum interviews are normally conducted in Croydon and Liverpool taking account, where possible, of the geographical location of the applicant. We have no current plans to extend these arrangements to other NASS dispersal regions.

Case Decision

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to take a decision on the case of Mr. O Z of Aylesbury (reference Z1023416); and if he will make a statement. [99558]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 27 February 2003]: I am pleased to inform the hon. Member that a decision has now been taken on the case of Mr O Z. The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) will write to Mr. O Z very shortly to inform him of the outcome of his case.

Correspondence

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 29August 2002 from the hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey, with regard to the Crime Reduction Fund. [99022]

Mr. Denham: I refer the hon. Member to my letter to him of 14 February on the crime reduction programme.

Crime (Derbyshire)

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many offences were recorded by the Derbyshire police force in each year since 1997, broken down by category; [98897]

(2) how many crimes there were, by major category, in Derbyshire, in each year since 1997. [98902]

Mr. Denham: The number of offences recorded by Derbyshire Constabulary, broken down by main offence group for the years requested, are given in the table.

There was a change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998, which would have the tendency to increase the number of offences counted. Numbers of offences before and after this date are therefore not directly comparable.

Recorded crime: number of offences recorded, by main offence groups—Derbyshire

	1997(10)	1998–99(11)	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
Violence against the person	5,340	8,509	10,019	9,236	9,946
Sexual offences	528	556	546	527	651
Robbery (total)	396	504	584	773	1,029
Burglary (total)	17,302	16,720	15,536	14,997	16,564
Theft and handling of stolen goods	34,668	36,742	36,023	33,780	37,022
Fraud and forgery	1,308	4,200	4,739	4,670	4,719
Criminal damage	13,387	14,316	15,207	14,997	17,125
Drugs offences	(12)—	1,689	1,659	1,374	1,635
Other offences	863	1,223	1,337	1,314	1,150
Total	73,792	84,459	85,650	81,668	89,841

⁽¹⁰⁾ Recorded on a calendar year basis.

⁽¹¹⁾ The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998.

⁽¹²⁾ Before 1 April 1998 the only drug offence recorded was "trafficking", which was included in the Other Offences group.

Note:

Numbers of recorded crimes will be affected by changes in reporting and recording. Derbyshire adopted the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) on 1 April 2002, when it was introduced across England and Wales, and therefore will not have affected the 2001–02 figures given in the table.

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Mr. Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) incidents of domestic violence were reported and (b) deaths resulting from domestic violence there were in (i) West Derbyshire and (ii) Derbyshire in each year since 1997. [98896]

Mr. Denham: Recorded crime figures are generally collected by legal definitions. Recorded crimes involving domestic violence will be recorded in a range of offences, along with offences which have been committed in other circumstances. Numbers of offences involving domestic violence are therefore not available from recorded crime data.

The British Crime Survey (BCS) produced data by region for 2001/02, on the number of crimes of domestic violence recorded by the survey. However it does not provide information on domestic violence at a local level nor for individual police force areas.

The BCS estimates that there were 188 crimes of domestic violence per 10,000 adults in the East Midlands region for interviews conducted in the 2001–02 financial year. This compares with 149 incidents per 10,000 adults in England and Wales as a whole.

The BCS can also provide trend information on the number of incidents of domestic violence for England and Wales.

Number of BCS incidents of domestic violence, 1997 to 2001–02 BSC interviews England and Wales(Thousands)

	1997	1999	2000	2001–02BSC interviews
Domestic violence	826	787	514	635

The BCS figures are estimates only. They are derived from a sample and so are subject to sampling error. Also, the context of the face-to-face BCS interview means the estimates are certain to be underestimates of the true extent because some respondents may be unwilling to reveal experience of domestic violence to interviewers. Results from the 1996 BCS self-completion module on domestic violence were published in Home Office Research Study No. 191, deposited in the Library. This more confidential approach to measurement revealed that the proportion of women that were victims in the last year of domestic assault was over three times higher than in the main BCS.

Details of homicides by constituency are not held centrally. The available information relates to currently recorded offences of homicide (murder, manslaughter and infanticide) where the relationship of the victim to the suspect includes current or former spouse, cohabitant or lover. Information for England and Wales is as follows.

Number of homicides by current or former spouse, cohabitant or lover, England and Wales

Year	1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
	131	104	112	127	148

As at 8 October 2002; figures are subject to revision as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available.

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