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18 Mar 2003 : Column 705W—continued
Criminal Records Bureau
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his statement of 27 February 2003, Official Report, columns 32–36WS, on the Criminal Records Bureau, under what circumstances individuals' fingerprints will be retained by the CRB; how long after they are taken will they be destroyed; and if he will make a statement. [101018]
Hilary Benn: There are already arrangements in place for fingerprints to be used in circumstances where the applicant's identity cannot be confirmed by any other means. Under the Police Act 1997 (Criminal Records) Regulations 2002, fingerprints, and any copies, taken for this purpose must be destroyed as soon as is practicable after the identity of the applicant is established to the satisfaction of the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). Any applicant who asks to be allowed to witness the destruction of his fingerprints or copies of them has the right to do so.
As we have made clear, we shall undertake a further study, in consultation with interested parties, on the recommendation that fingerprints be taken to confirm the identity of applicants for particularly sensitive positions. If, in the light of this consultation, it is decided to proceed, the detailed arrangements for the retention and destruction of applicants' fingerprints will be drawn up.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what penalties will be applied if registered bodies fail to correctly identify individuals applying for disclosure by the Criminal Records Bureau; and if he will make a statement. [102524]
Hilary Benn: Under the Code of Practice, Registered Bodies are under an obligation to follow all Criminal
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Records Bureau (CRB) published guidance. This includes literature ensuring that false or fraudulent applications are not submitted. If a Registered Body fails to comply with the Code of Practice, the Secretary of State has the option to refuse to issue it with further Criminal Record Certificates. It is a criminal offence to knowingly make a false statement for the purpose of enabling another person to obtain a Criminal Record Certificate.
As part of the Independent Review Team's recommendations, the critical role of Registered Bodies in the CRB process is to be upgraded. To ensure that Registered Bodies discharge their responsibilities effectively, we will take powers to attach conditions to a registration and to revoke a registration where such conditions are breached.
Experience Corps
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is the purpose of the Experience Corps to recruit volunteers new to significant involvement with voluntary organisations; and what monitoring procedures are in place to assess whether recruits represent an additional resource for the voluntary sector. [101866]
Beverley Hughes: The establishment of The Experience Corps was informed by an Experts Group drawn together to advise on a blue print for a National Experience Corps following agreement from the Ad Hoc ministerial group. In developing their plans the Experts Group were informed by Ministers that:
The scheme should not exclude existing volunteers in the target age group and must avoid double counting.
The Experience Corps monitor all information on existing volunteers through their database and state that they aim to 'increase, widen and sustain their volunteering contribution'. The performance of the Experience Corps is currently being reviewed by the Home Office.
Illegal Immigrants
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employers in the UK were found to have employed illegal immigrants in the last year for which figures are available; how many have been successfully prosecuted; and if he will make a statement. [102526]
Hilary Benn: Information on the number of employers in the United Kingdom who are found to have employed illegal immigrants is not collected centrally and therefore not available.
Information on persons proceeded against for employing a person subject to immigration control is contained in the attached table and published annually in the Command publication "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom", which is available in the Library and from the Home Office website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
We recognised in our White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven" that section 8 of the Immigration and
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Asylum Act 1996 had not proved to be an effective deterrent in the prevention of illegal migrant working. We also outlined in our White Paper a new and comprehensive strategy for tackling the damaging consequences of illegal working which addressed the root of the problem. Work is on-going in three areas: strengthening present enforcement arrangements; facilitating effective joint working across Government; and working with business and trade unions to improve compliance.
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In November 2002, I established an Illegal Working Steering Group, which includes representatives from a range of business sectors, the Trades Union's Congress and Commission for Racial Equality. The group has the potential to become a key player in the prevention of illegal working, by ensuring that there is greater awareness of the problems that this form of illegality creates. The group will also be involved in ensuring that the guidance for complying with the amended legislation will be clear, concise and practical.
| Act and section | Offence(9) description | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001(10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proceeded against | ||||||
| Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 section 8 | Employing a person subject to immigration control | — | 1 | 23 | 32 | 65 |
| Found guilty | ||||||
| Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 section 8 | Employing a person subject to immigration control | — | 1 | 9 | 23 | 1 |
(9) Data are based on the principal immigration offence only. They exclude any persons proceeded against for section 8 offences where these were not that persons principle immigration offence.
(10) Provisional
Immigration and Nationality Directorate
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's budget for (a) staff and (b) IT in (i) 2000–01 and (ii) 2001–02; and what the planned budget is for (A) 2002–03 and (B) 2003–04. [102454]
Beverley Hughes: The Staff Pay budget is set out as follows:
| 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|
| 227 | 267 | 343 |
The associated IT budget cannot be easily separated from other administrative costs.
The budget for 2003–04 will be published in the Home Office's main estimates (in the usual way).
Nurses (International Recruitment)
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of visa granted by Work Permits UK to overseas nurses seeking employment in the UK was in each of the last three years for which figures are available; whether it is possible for such a visa to be extended at the request of the applicant; and how many overseas nurses, having successfully been granted a working visa for the UK, have sought to extend this visa in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [103075]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 17 March 2003]: Figures for the average length of work permits granted to overseas nurses in each of the last three calendar years are unavailable due to the nature of the information recorded on the Work Permits (UK) Management Information system.
A work permit for an overseas nurse can be extended at the request of the UK-based employer that originally recruited the nurse.
The figures for the number of overseas nurses who have received an extension on their original work permit in each of the last three calendar years are given as follows:
- 2002: 6,228
2001: 3,036
2000: 1,529
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 17 March 2003]: Applications for work permits are made by UK-based employers on behalf of overseas nationals.
The figures for the number of applications received from UK-based employers to recruit overseas nurses in each of the last five calendar years, broken down by the top 10 nationalities are given in the following tables:
| Nationality | Number of work permits approved |
|---|---|
| Philippines | 11,921 |
| India | 4,957 |
| South Africa | 4,039 |
| Zimbabwe | 2,994 |
| Nigeria | 1,875 |
| Ghana | 700 |
| Australia | 691 |
| Pakistan | 606 |
| Zambia | 465 |
| Kenya | 444 |
| Others | 3,992 |
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| Nationality | Number of work permits approved |
|---|---|
| Philippines | 6,973 |
| South Africa | 1,997 |
| Zimbabwe | 1,223 |
| India | 1,195 |
| Nigeria | 1,027 |
| Australia | 571 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 475 |
| Jamaica | 338 |
| Ghana | 334 |
| New Zealand | 278 |
| Others | 2,198 |
| Nationality | Number of work permits approved |
|---|---|
| Philippines | 1,103 |
| South Africa | 974 |
| Nigeria | 542 |
| Zimbabwe | 529 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 394 |
| Australia | 371 |
| India | 219 |
| Mauritius | 184 |
| New Zealand | 158 |
| Jamaica | 157 |
| Others | 1,019 |
| Nationality | Number of work permits approved |
|---|---|
| Nigeria | 284 |
| South Africa | 221 |
| Mauritius | 216 |
| Trinidad and Tobago | 210 |
| Zimbabwe | 210 |
| Australia | 207 |
| New Zealand | 100 |
| Ghana | 66 |
| Malaysia | 58 |
| Canada | 46 |
| Others | 351 |
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