| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
3 Jun 2003 : Column 155W—continued
HOME DEPARTMENT
Subutex
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the prisons in which the drug subutex is prescribed for heroin addicts; and if he will make a statement. [116007]
Paul Goggins: Subutex (buprenorphine) is included in the treatment protocols that have been developed in conjunction with NHS services at eight Prison Service establishments (Birmingham, Elmley, High Down, Leeds, Portland young offender institution, Rochester, Stoke Health young offender institution and Swaleside).
The Prison Service's Standard for Clincal Services for Substance Misusers requires every establishment that receives prisoners from court to have detoxification guidelines in place for at least one of Methadone, Lofexidine, and Dihydrocodeine. It also states that, as new evidence becomes available on the Chemical management of detoxification or abstinence, establishments should develop further treatment guidelines which are in line with those available in the NHS. Prison Health expects the use of subutes in prisons to develop at a similar pace to the growth in its use in the community.
Training
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the number of people in training, (b) the training establishment, (c) the number of full-time equivalent posts vacant and (d) the training budgets in each probation area. [115432]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is as follows:
The total number of trainee probation officers currently stands at 1,470, which is based on Cohort intakes four and five, currently in training. The planned capacity for Cohort six starting this year is 1,100.
The training establishment is 72, posted within nine separate regional training consortia across England and Wales. They are responsible for the recruitment and the delivery of the Diploma in Probation Studies.
Figures for the number of full-time equivalent posts vacant within consortia are not available at present, but the number would be insignificant.
The training budgets for each probation area is shown in the table. This shows the budgets for the total training programme (Cohorts 4–6).
3 Jun 2003 : Column 157W
Visa Applications
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the forms of visa available to persons who wish to come to the UK; and how many, broken down by category, have been granted in each of the last four years. [115227]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 22 May 2003]: Data are not available for each of the last four years on the number of visas that have been issued to persons wishing to come to the United Kingdom in each of the categories allowed for in the Immigration Rules. It is not possible to obtain this information, except at disproportionate cost.
The table summarises the number of entry clearance applications to the United Kingdom which have been granted for temporary purposes, such as tourists and students and for settlement, between 1997 and 2000.
| Year | Granted for temporary purposes | Granted for settlement |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 1,243,450 | 40,320 |
| 1998 | 1,255,915 | 47,540 |
| 1999 | 1,313,120 | 46,000 |
| 2000 | 1,424,880 | 54,505 |
More recent data on entry clearance applications are not yet available. Entry clearance is an inclusive term which covers entry certificates (for non visa nationals) and family permits (for EEA nationals), as well as visas (for visa nationals).
Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding programmes are operated by his Department to support voluntary organisations working with young people; and what the level of support has been over the last three years. [116494]
Beverley Hughes: Our funding programmes do not specifically target support for voluntary organisations working with young people. The Active Community Unit funds a number of national/voluntary and community umbrella bodies many of which will support organisations that work with young people. We do not, however, routinely collect information on the level of funding for such work.
The programmes listed in the table are open to all voluntary and community organisations but include substantial support for those involved in youth projects.
| Programme | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drugs Strategy | — | — | 507 |
| Positive Futures | 897 | 897 | 1,423 |
| Youth Justice | — | 350 | 2,770 |
Work Permits
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits to enter and work in the UK have been applied for in each of the last 24 months; and how many have been granted in each of the last 24 months. [113600]
3 Jun 2003 : Column 158W
Beverley Hughes: Between 1 April 2001 and 31 March 2003 Work Permits considered a total of 331,277 applications for work permits, of which 297,331 were approved. The following table provides a monthly breakdown of the number of work permits approved and refused during that period:
| Month | Approved | Refused | Total Numberof Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | |||
| April | 10,595 | 673 | 11,268 |
| May | 12,453 | 669 | 13,122 |
| June | 12,674 | 696 | 13,370 |
| July | 12,682 | 832 | 13,514 |
| August | 12,439 | 1,005 | 13,444 |
| September | 10,701 | 933 | 11,634 |
| October | 12,288 | 1,012 | 13,300 |
| November | 10,865 | 797 | 11,662 |
| December | 9,014 | 831 | 9,845 |
| January | 12,493 | 1,178 | 13,671 |
| February | 10,917 | 1,287 | 12,204 |
| March | 12,452 | 1,527 | 13,979 |
| 2002 | |||
| April | 13,627 | 1,560 | 15,187 |
| May | 14,301 | 1,363 | 15,664 |
| June | 12,223 | 1,068 | 13,291 |
| July | 15,499 | 1,466 | 16,965 |
| August | 13,860 | 1,431 | 15,291 |
| September | 13,239 | 1,639 | 14,878 |
| October | 13,439 | 2,351 | 15,790 |
| November | 1 1 ,778 | 2,093 | 13,871 |
| December | 10,615 | 1,728 | 12,343 |
| January | 13,117 | 2,543 | 15,660 |
| February | 11,818 | 2,730 | 14,548 |
| March | 14,242 | 2,534 | 16,776 |
| Total | 297,331 | 33,946 | 331,277 |
Young Offenders
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many young offenders in England and Wales, subject to supervision orders, are in residential institutions in Scotland. [115825]
Paul Goggins: The supervision order is a community sentence available in England and Wales which places the offender under the supervision of a youth offending team, and can also require offenders to live in local authority accommodation or undergo treatment in a mental health institution. We do not hold information centrally on how many offenders made subject to these requirements are resident in institutions in Scotland. This could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
TRANSPORT
Airport Capacity
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures have been taken to ensure that proposals for the expansion of airports in the south east take into account the findings of his Department's multi-modal studies for the eastern region. [116323]
Mr. Jamieson: Recommendations on the multi-modal studies in the East of England will be submitted to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, shortly after the airports consultation closes on 30 June.
3 Jun 2003 : Column 159W
This will allow consideration of these recommendations before final decisions on airport capacity issues are taken. These will be set out in the air transport White Paper which we plan to publish later this year.
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses he has received on his consultative document on the future of air transport in the United Kingdom; and when he expects to publish conclusions following the end of the consulting process. [116175]
Mr. Jamieson: We have already received over 100,000 responses to the consultation from across the UK, and we expect to receive many more by 30 June. We shall take careful account of the responses, together with the appraisals we have published, in deciding on the policies to be set out in the White Paper.
Consultation on "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom" ends on 30 June. The Government plan to issue a White Paper by the end of the year which will provide a strategic policy framework for future airport development.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which airports were excluded from the consultation on additional capacity and for what reasons. [116304]
Mr. Jamieson: Studies supporting the on-going "Future Development of Air Transport" national consultation considered a wide range of possible airport development options at existing airports and potential new sites. Options were selected using the appraisal criteria established for the process. Reports relating to this process have been published.
Runway options for Gatwick airport, which had not been included in the July consultation, were subsequently presented in a second edition of the South East consultation document, published in February, following a High Court judgment in November 2002.
It is open to consultees to submit alternative ideas for consideration.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether an assessment of the (a) environmental and (b) health impact of the expansion of an existing airport will be undertaken before that airport is identified for expansion in any forthcoming White Paper following the current consultation. [116305]
Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave to the hon. Member for Bath (Mr. Foster) on 22 May 2003, Official Report, column 938W. A full range of environmental impacts have been examined and will be taken into account before decisions are reached.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures have been taken to ensure that the review of airport capacity across the UK takes into account the economic development goals of each region. [116307]
Mr. Jamieson: The compatibility of airport development options with published regional strategies was considered in the studies informing "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom" consultation.
3 Jun 2003 : Column 160W
This analysis will be further informed by responses to the consultation. All responses will be considered carefully before final decisions are taken. These will be set out in the air transport White Paper which we plan to publish later this year.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account will be taken of the recent downturn in the airline industry when considering future policy on airport capacity. [116308]
Mr. Jamieson: Future policy on the provision of airport capacity will be informed by our published forecasts of demand for air transport services. These forecasts are long-term in nature and necessarily consider the aviation industry in the round. Some parts of the industry have been adversely affected recently by a downturn in global demand. Other sectors, such as the no-frills carriers, have performed well over the same period. Demand will always be subject to short-term fluctuations, but overall we remain confident that our forecasts for the next 30 years are robust.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment his Department has made of the cost of the extra infrastructure to meet the volume of road and rail traffic generated by his proposals for the expansion of airport capacity in the South East; [116309]
- (2) what research has been carried out into the capabilities to cope with increased volumes of traffic of existing road and rail infrastructure serving each airport identified for expansion in the current review of airport capacity. [116306]
Mr. Jamieson: The South East and East of England Regional Air Services Study (SERAS) included a costed appraisal of the road and rail infrastructure that would be needed for different airport development options. This included an assessment of the type and scale of improvements that might be required on the strategic network.
The results are summarised for each of the options in "The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: South East (second edition)" main consultation document. Further details are contained in the SERAS stage two appraisal findings report and supporting documents. Copies of all reports are available in the House Libraries.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |