| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
9 Jun 2003 : Column 665W—continued
Correspondence
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters of Miss P.C. Adams of Everton, Hampshire dated 7 February and 27 February regarding asylum. [112209]
Beverley Hughes: I am sorry that Miss Adams had not received replies to her letters. Immigration and Nationality Directorate officials have now written to Miss Adams.
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 16 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Francis Mundan Bepfupfu. [117196]
Mr. Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 3 June 2003.
Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 22 April from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Abraham Kalola. [117197]
Mr. Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 3 June 2003.
Crime Statistics
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been issued in the last two quarters in (a) Haltemprice and Howden, (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire and (c) the Humberside Police Authority area. [116770]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: No notifications have been received by the Home Office of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued, from 1 July 2002 to 30 November 2002 (latest available), within the Humberside Magistrates'
9 Jun 2003 : Column 666W
Court Committee (MCC) area, (which includes the East Riding of Yorkshire unitary authority, in which the Haltemprice and Howden constituency is located).
We are aware that the number of ASBOs made nationally have been consistently under reported in returns made by magistrates courts and are considering how reporting can be improved.
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the crime detection rate for each police division in Wales was in the last year for which figures are available. [116872]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The overall detection rate for police Basic Command Units is not available. The detection rates for six key offence groups, for all Basic Command Units in England and Wales, were published in table 8.05 in Home Office Statistical Bulletin 7/02, "Crime in England and Wales 2001–02", which is available in the Library.
Deportations
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he makes to check on the welfare of those of Chechen origin who are deported to the Russian Federation; what evidence he has that those of Chechen origin arrive safely in Chechnya; and if he will make a statement. [116320]
Beverley Hughes: There are no arrangements in place to check on the welfare of individual Chechens who are removed to the Russian Federation. However, in considering whether or not an unsuccessful asylum applicant from Chechnya should be removed to the Russian Federation, full account is taken of objective country information regarding the situation there for Chechens, as well as the ability of the individual concerned to reside in other parts of the Russian Federation. There has never been any question or possibility of removal from the UK either directly or indirectly to Chechnya. Whether or not an individual removed from the UK to the Russian Federation chooses to return to Chechnya is the decision of that individual.
Dogs
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department has given to police forces on dealing with stray dogs. [116842]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: No advice has been issued by the Home Office.
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Environmental Protection Agency and (b) Ministers in the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on dealing with stray dogs. [116844]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Police Bureaucracy Taskforce's report, which was published on 17 September 2002, recommended that responsibility for dealing with stray dogs should be transferred, in full, to local authorities. The Home Office is continuing to discuss with relevant stakeholders how this recommendation should be taken forward within local government.
9 Jun 2003 : Column 667W
Flight Attendants
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether flight attendants are required to have Criminal Records Bureau checks; and if he will make a statement. [116380]
Paul Goggins: Flight attendants are not required to obtain a Criminal Records Bureau check.
Heroin
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the heroin seized in the United Kingdom originates in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [117875]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: It is estimated that over 90 per cent. of heroin seized in the United Kingdom each year originates from opium produced in Afghanistan.
Iraq
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures and incentives will be in place to facilitate the return of Iraqi asylum seekers to Iraq. [117660]
Beverley Hughes: We are working actively to ensure that Iraqis can be assisted to return voluntarily to their homeland as soon as practicable. Many Iraqis in the United Kingdom have skills, which will be of value to the reconstruction of Iraq. The Government are committed to helping clear the way for them to do so.
We already have the Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme (VARRP) in place. This programme is available to all nationalities and includes Iraqis. A number of Iraqis have already approached the International Organisation for Migration and they are making arrangements for their return over the next few weeks. VARRP facilitates assisted voluntary return as well as providing additional in kind reintegration assistance in the country of origin. The reintegration assistance is worth up to an approximate value of £500.
We are consulting United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the International Organisation for Migration, refugee sector non-governmental organisations and Iraqi communities in the United Kingdom on the type of additional programmes that will be appropriate to facilitate voluntary return to Iraq. No decisions regarding the exact nature of the return programme that might be offered has yet been made.
Job Entries
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 63W, what information on job entries is now available; and when it will be published. [118210]
Beverley Hughes: Information on job entries is being collected and it will be made available shortly.
London Prisons
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many annual Board of Visitors reports he has received from London prisons for 2002–03. [116708]
9 Jun 2003 : Column 668W
Paul Goggins: None. Since the reporting period each year is staggered, the first batch of annual reports for 2003 are not due before September 2003. The timetable for receipt of the annual reports from the London prisons is as follows:
| Establishment | Date due |
|---|---|
| Belmarsh | September 2003 |
| Brixton | October 2003 |
| Holloway | February 2004 |
| Pentonville | May 2004 |
| Wandsworth | July 2004 |
| Wormwood Scrubs | August 2004 |
Prison Accidents
Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accidents occurred on the prison estate to (a) employees and (b) inmates, broken down by establishment, in the last five years. [113671]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 15 May 2003]: The number of accidents to employees and prisoners from April 2002 to 13 May is shown in the following tables. Until April 2002, Home Office Health and Safety Services was responsible for recording all the accident statistics for the Prison Service.In April 2002, the Prison Service Safety Section assumed responsibility for this task and changed the system to ensure that the statistics gathered met the Services needs. The information for the period up until April 2002 is being collated from Home Office records and I shall write to my hon. Friend.
9 Jun 2003 : Column 670W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |