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3 Jul 2003 : Column 387W—continued
Trunk Roads
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much has been spent by his Department and its predecessors in each of the last 20 years on trunk roads in the East of England, broken down by (a) year and (b) county; and how many miles of trunk road have existed in the East of England in each of the last 20 years. [121797]
Mr. Jamieson: The information cannot be provided as requested, as detailed records are not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, I am able to provide information regarding the length of trunk road in the East of England (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk). Records for the period 1983–1997 and for the
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year 2001 are shown in the attached table; there are no detailed recorded statistics available for 1998–2000. Statistics for 2002 have not yet been published.
| Year | Kilometres |
|---|---|
| 1983 | 1,195.3 |
| 1984 | 1,188.5 |
| 1985 | 1,190.0 |
| 1986 | 1,167.9 |
| 1987 | 1,187.7 |
| 1988 | 1,195.4 |
| 1989 | 1,194.6 |
| 1990 | 1,237.9 |
| 1991 | 1,245.0 |
| 1992 | 1,245.3 |
| 1993 | 1,246.2 |
| 1994 | 1,246.2 |
| 1995 | 1,242.3 |
| 1996 | (10)— |
| 1997 | 1,272.6 |
| 1998 | (10)— |
| 1999 | (10)— |
| 2000 | (10)— |
| 2001 | 1,139.0 |
Vehicle Excise Duty
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate how long it takes on average to (a) complete and (b) process the application form for the Vehicle Excise Duty Exemption Certificate; and whether his Department has a target for the number of applications to be processed. [121576]
Mr. Jamieson: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Veterans Agency (VA) are responsible for issuing certificates of exemption from VED for disabled people. There are no figures available on the length of time it takes an individual to complete the application form for an exemption certificate. There are no targets for the issuing of exemption certificates by DWP while VA's target is two working days from the date of receipt of a valid application.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Baljit Kaur/Jaspal Singh
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to determine the application made by (a) Baljit Kaur (S1025374/3) and (b) Jaspal Singh (S1160262) for indefinite leave. [122997]
Beverley Hughes: Mrs. Baljit Kaur and Mr. Jaspal Singh were both granted indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom on 30 June 2003.
Correspondence
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will respond to the letter of 6 May 2003 from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan, regarding Mr. R. Edgar of Peterhead, a constituent. [119584]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 17 June 2003]: I will be replying to the hon. Member shortly. I apologise for the delay.
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Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston will respond to the letter of 25 March 2003 from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding a constituent, reference number: PO 6649/3. [119585]
Fiona Mactaggart [holding answer 17 June 2003]: The letter from the hon. Member dated 25 March 2003 was received in the Home Office on 1 April 2003 and the reply was sent to his office at the House of Commons on 25 June 2003.
Criminal Justice Bill
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultation was held with members of the judiciary before amendments were tabled to the Criminal Justice Bill in relation to sentencing for murder. [121965]
Paul Goggins: The Home Office has taken care to ensure that consultation with the judiciary has been an important part of the development of the proposals in relation to sentencing for murder, although the Government's final conclusions differed from views expressed by the judiciary. Prior to the tabling of amendments this consultation included:
- A seminar with senior judicary and the Lord Chief Justice on 20 January 2003 providing an opportunity to comment on the developing proposals for sentencing in murder cases.
An informal meeting between the Lord Chief Justice and Lord Falconer on 13 March.
Criminal Records Bureau
Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) (a) how many and (b) what percentage of registered bodies did not have their registration with the Criminal Records Bureau completed within the previous three week service standard in 2002–03; and how long on average it took to process applications from organisations which took longer than three weeks; [122480]
- (2) how many potential registered bodies are having their applications processed by the Criminal Records Bureau; and how many of these organisations have been waiting longer than three weeks. [122481]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 30 June 2003]: There are 4,742 registered bodies that did not have their registration with the Criminal Records Bureau completed within the previous three-week service standard in 2002–03, the percentage being 90.72 per cent.
The average length of time to process applications from organisations which took longer than three weeks was 13 weeks. This includes time often required to seek further information from applicant organisations and for them to respond to such requests.
There are 315 potential registered bodies having their applications processed by the Criminal Records Bureau and 191 have been waiting longer than three weeks.
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Deportations
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Chechens have been deported in the past six months; to which destinations they were sent; what arrangements were made to ensure their safe passage through Russia to Chechnya; and if he will make a statement. [122358]
Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of people of Chechen origin removed from the UK and on the destinations to which they were removed, is not available except by examination of individual case files which would incur disproportionate cost.
There are no arrangements in place to ensure the safe passage to Chechnya of Chechens who are removed from the UK to the Russian Federation. Whether or not such an individual chooses to return to Chechnya following his removal to the Russian Federation is the decision of that individual.
Drug Treatment
Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of people who have completed a Drug Treatment and Testing Order are no longer taking drugs (a) one month, (b) three months and (c) six months after completion. [122122]
Paul Goggins: This information is not held centrally for the period since national roll-out of the order in October 2000. An evaluation of three pilot projects found that the average amount spent on drugs by offenders subject to Drug Treatment and Testing Orders (DTTOs) fell from £400 per week in the four weeks before arrest to £25 per week in the first four to six weeks of the Order. These reductions were largely maintained over time, with 87 per cent. of those who had completed the Order by the end of the pilot phase reporting that, except for their use of cannabis, they were drug free.
EU Constitution
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on those sections of the draft EU constitution relating to (a) internal border controls and (b) people-trafficking. [122709]
Beverley Hughes: Reference to an area without internal borders is made in the existing Treaty establishing the European Community and the draft EU Constitutional Treaty. The existing Treaty is subject to the UK and Ireland's "frontiers' protocol" which gives the UK the right under the Treaties to exercise at its frontiers with other member states such controls on persons seeking to enter the United Kingdom as it considers necessary. The Protocols will remain an integral part of the new Treaty. The Government's position on this issue has not changed: we will maintain controls at the UK's frontiers.
As a consequence of this position on frontiers, the United Kingdom has not participated in certain measures relating to external borders. However, the UK has co-operated with European Union partners in tackling illegal immigration and people trafficking. These are international problems that require
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international solutions. The new Constitutional Treaty will continue to provide a legal base for the Union to take appropriate action in these areas.
For further information about the Government's position on the articles in the draft Constitutional Treaty dealing with the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice, as presented to the Convention by the Praesidium on 14 March, I refer the hon. Member to the Explanatory Memorandum deposited by my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (Denis MacShane) on 2 June.
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