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9 Jul 2003 : Column 825W—continued
Correspondence
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Lancashire about Mr. John Gillespie, acknowledged on 4 April 2003 (MP/Auth Ref 30091/M591/3). [123986]
Paul Goggins: I replied to my hon. Friend on 30 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 20 May 2003 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. A. Bibi. [124328]
Mr. Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 8 July 2003.
Cyprus
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what rights Turkish Cypriots resident in occupied Cyprus will have to (a) visit the UK for work, (b) settle in the UK permanently and
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(c) reside in the UK temporarily after Cyprus joins the EU; what visa requirements will be imposed; and if he will make a statement. [R] [123184]
Beverley Hughes: Cypriot nationals, wherever they may reside, will have the same rights as current EU nationals to live and work in any of the existing member states from accession. Like current EU nationals, they will be able to remain in the UK for as long as they are exercising their EC Treaty rights—for instance, by working, studying or being self-sufficient. In addition, UK law provides that EU nationals, except students, who have been exercising their Treaty rights in the UK for four years may apply for permanent residence. EC law obliges EU member states to admit EU nationals on production of their valid passport or identity card so the UK will not impose any visa requirements on Cypriot nationals from accession.
Exhibitions
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list events at which his Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible have exhibited in each of the last three years, stating for each (a) the purpose of exhibiting, (b) the cost of exhibiting and (c) the number of staff attending for the exhibition. [107616]
Fiona Mactaggart: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Gambling
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the contribution of the gambling industry to the British economy in terms of (a) jobs and (b) contributions to the Treasury; and if he will make a statement; [124452]
- (2) what research he has commissioned into difficulties faced by the British gambling industry and the effects of such difficulties on the British economy; what reports he has received on difficulties faced by the gambling industry in other European companies; and if he will make a statement. [124454]
Mr. Caborn: I have been asked to reply.
The partial regulatory impact assessment included in "A safe bet for success" (Cm 5397), which we published last year, estimated that the gambling industry supports about 125,000 (full-time or equivalent) jobs and contributes about £1.5 billion a year in gambling taxation; and that implementation of the Government's legislative proposals could lead to an increase in net gambling expenditure of at least £500 million a year (with consequential increases in both employment and taxation). The Department has commissioned no research itself since the report of the Gambling Review Body (Cm 5206) into difficulties faced by the gambling industry here or in other European countries, but in developing the proposals set out in Cm 5397 we have taken note of a number of economic and other assessments undertaken on behalf of business.
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Hackney Siege
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of dealing with the Hackney siege; and if he will make a statement. [91194]
Ms Blears: The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis informs me the estimated costs incurred for policing the Hackney siege are £2.2 million. Of this, £981,323 are additional costs generated specifically by the siege.
The additional costs include those of overtime, air support, the costs of barriers etc. and potential payment of third party claims as a direct consequence of police activity.
The Metropolitan police service has yet to conclude the negotiations with third parties to quantify items and losses claimed.
Indefinite Leave to Remain
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the length of time it takes for those given indefinite leave to remain in the UK to have the stamp transferred from an expired passport into a new passport when applying (a) in person to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in Croydon and (b) by recorded delivery to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [124516]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 8 July 2003]: The Public Enquiry Office offers a same day service for the endorsement of a "No Time Limit" stamp on an applicant's national passport. As long as the applicant presents the previous expired passport showing Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and a new passport which has been obtained legally through the relevant embassy or high commission.
We aim to screen all postal applications, including those where a request is made to place a "No Time Limit" stamp into a new passport, within three weeks of receipt and to complete approximately 70 per cent. of these cases at that point. If that is not possible then the application can take up to 12 months to decide.
Marsham Street
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when the inquiries into the legality and sustainability of the timber used on the Home Office construction site at 2 Marsham street will take place; whether the results of the inquiry will be published; and if he will make a statement; [119470]
- (2) what efforts are being made to ensure that all future timber used on the construction site at 2 Marsham street will be from legal and sustainable sources; [119471]
(3) upon what evidence his Department has relied to ensure that timber used at the Home Office construction site at 2 Marsham street has come from legal and sustainable sources; and if he will make a statement. [119505]
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Fiona Mactaggart: No timber has been supplied so far for use in the new Home Office building. The developer has informed us that timber has been purchased by their sub-contractors for their use during construction in performing their obligations under the construction contract. This timber comprises 217 m 3 of which 46 per cent. are softwoods from France, and the remainder plywood 30 per cent. from Indonesia, 23 per cent. Brazil and 1 per cent. Finland. In addition 2,917 pieces of sawn softwood have been sourced from forests in Austria. All this timber has been legally imported with UK Customs clearance.
The timber from Austria and Finland had PEFC (Pan European Forestry Certification—European Ecologic Norms). The timber from France came from a forest with a sustainable forest management programme. Plywood from Indonesia and Brazil was legally imported but the developer has not yet been able to supply information about the exact sources within these countries. The plywood from Finland was a trial purchase of sustainable plywood sources made by the developer's sub-contractors seeking an alternative to tropical sources.
On 6 June the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs issued a clarification to Departments that it was policy to monitor the sourcing of timber purchased and used by contractors in the construction process, as well as timber purchased for use in the new building. The contract will in future be administered to include monitoring of the legal and sustainable sources of such timber.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverly Hughes) on 13 May 2003, Official Report, column 221W, on timber. An undertaking was given to place in the Library copies of certificates for the sustainable and legal timber sourcing. This is being done in respect of the Austrian, Finnish and French timber. Those from Brazil and Indonesia will be provided as soon as they are received from the developer.
I am satisfied that arrangements are in place to ensure that all future timber purchases whether for use in the construction process or for use in the new building will be shown to be obtained from legal and sustainable sources. The developer has informed us that it intends that no further plywood for use in 2 Marsham street will be sourced from Indonesia.
Mental Health
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of his staff retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year. [111961]
Mr. Blunkett: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley, South (Mr. Alexander) on 24 June 2003, Official Report, column 662W.
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