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National Crack Plan

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the impact of the National Crack Plan. [130492]

Caroline Flint: The National Crack Plan, which was published in December 2002, recognises the particular harm done by the supply and use of crack cocaine. It requires action under all four aims of the Updated Drug Strategy and focused particularly on the 37 areas that have been identified as high crack areas.

Examples of resulting activity include; the introduction of legislation to fast track the closure of crack houses; the introduction, in collaboration with overseas Governments, of measures to reduce the supply of cocaine from the Caribbean; the piloting and evaluation of crack treatment services to expand provision and determine what works best, and the extension of diversionary activity programmes for young people to 31 high crack areas.

There is still much to do to combat the harm caused by crack cocaine, but we are determined, through the National Crack Plan, to make a difference.

Operation Ulysses

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial and administrative support his Department provides to Operation Ulysses concerning control of migration to Europe. [130020]

Beverley Hughes : The Government have provided no direct financial support to Operation Ulysses. Contributions have instead been made in kind to both phases of the operation.

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The UK adopts a multi-agency approach to combating illegal immigration. For the first phase, HM Customs and Excise committed a Cutter vessel; and for the second phase the Ministry of Defence provided a Nimrod aircraft for surveillance purposes. All the travel and subsistence costs incurred by the crews involved will be reimbursed through European Community funding. Additionally, the Home Office and the British embassy in Spain have provided administrative assistance.

Passports

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to protect the United Kingdom from the use of illicit passports. [128663]

Beverley Hughes: The United Kingdom has a range of measures aimed at preventing people using forged or improperly obtained documents entering the country. These include a network of Airline Liaison Officers overseas, a comprehensive visa strategy, international co-operation, development of expertise within the Immigration Service and special exercises.

In the UK, the lead is taken by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate National Forgery Unit (NFU) who have links with other agencies including the police. The NFU provides equipment, training and intelligence to immigration officers in the UK, and to those serving abroad, including Airline Liaison Officers. Immigration officers, specially trained in forgery detection work, are based at all UK ports. 9,664 fraudulent documents were detected at UK ports in 2002, an increase of 46 per cent. over 2001.

The NFU organises regular exercises targeting specific documents, which show a high rate of recorded abuse, and these have proven particularly effective. NFU also have a permanent presence at IND's main offices in Croydon, where they examine documents submitted in support of applications for leave to remain. In 2002, a total of 461 fraudulent documents was detected there.

As part of its external borders policy, the UK maintains a network of 25 Airline Liaison Officers at key locations abroad. They offer advice, training and expertise to airlines, to help prevent the carriage of inadequately documented passengers to the UK. British immigration officers are now working alongside their French counterparts in Calais, offering advice on the validity of travel documents. The UK also works closely with the EU and G8 states, exchanging information and expertise to combat passport abuse.

Visa Requirements

Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will lift the visa requirement on Slovak citizens for entry into the United Kingdom. [129435]

Beverley Hughes: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, the hon. Member for Harlow (Mr. Rammell) on 13 May 2003, Official Report, column 160W.

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Work Permits

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits have been granted to people seeking to work in the British information technology industry in each of the past five years. [128313]

Beverley Hughes: The number of work permit approvals in respectof the computer services industry in each of the past five years is as follows:

	Number
1998	5,786
1999	7,266
2000	17,288
2001	23,203
2002	19,877

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the India Business Group was asked to join the Work Permits Panel; and if he will make a statement on the balance of its membership (a) inside and (b) outside the UK. [128314]

Beverley Hughes: Work Permits (UK) seeks to ensure that the membership of the Information Technology, Communications and Electronic Sector Advisory Panel is balanced and represents all those stakeholders which have a direct interest in the operation of the work permit arrangements in this area and which are able to provide WPUK with advice on labour market conditions in this area. The membership of the panel comprises employer and employee groups, as well as other Government Departments and non-governmental organisations. The India Business Group was invited to join the Panel on the basis that it represents businesses located in the United Kingdom which are users of the work permit arrangements.

Yarlswood

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will widen the terms of reference of the inquiry by Mr. Stephen Shaw into the Yarlswood fire to include the conduct of Group 4 (a) in the period leading up to 14 February 2002 and (b) on the night of 14 February 2002. [129675]

Beverley Hughes: There is no need to do so. Stephen Shaw's terms of reference are such as to allow him to consider matters leading up to the events on 14 and 15 February last year.

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will urge Mr. Stephen Shaw to take evidence in public during the inquiry into the events surrounding the fire at the Yarlswood Removal Centre on 14 February 2002. [129676]

Beverley Hughes: No. In view of the interest shown in the events at Yarlswood last February, we concluded that it would be preferable for the outcome of the investigation to be fully independent. Stephen Shaw was asked to take overall responsibility for the investigation. A full public inquiry would not be appropriate.

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Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the report presented to him in September 2002 by Mr. Stephen Moore about events leading up to, and including, the fire at Yarlswood on 14 February 2002. [129681]

Beverley Hughes: No. The material gathered by Stephen Moore must be regarded as work in progress, which Stephen Shaw will draw on as part of his inquiry.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 8 September 2003, ref.128526, on Afghanistan, if he will make a statement on (a) the strategic importance of the Afghan National Army in promoting stability in Afghanistan and (b) the development of the Afghan National Army. [130695]

Mr. Ingram: The Bonn Agreement of 5 December 2001 acknowledges that responsibility for security in Afghanistan lies with the Afghans themselves, but seeks international assistance in establishing and training new security forces. The creation of an effective and representative Afghan National Army is therefore an essential component in ensuring the future security and stability of Afghanistan. Development of the Afghan National Army continues.

Aircraft Carriers

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how the revised costing for the carrier programme will be accommodated within his Department's budget; and if he will make a statement. [128341]

Mr. Ingram: As announced by the Secretary of State for Defence in January this year, our estimate of the cost of the Demonstration and Manufacture (D and M) of the future carriers is around £3 billion. This estimate will be refined further during the remainder of the Assessment phase prior to establishing D and M contracting arrangements currently planned for Spring 2004.

Funding for this project has been already been set aside within the defence budget and is allocated to the Equipment Plan as is the case with all defence equipment projects.

Commissioned Ship Logs

Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in the last 10 years logs of commissioned ships have been lost overboard. [130941]

Mr. Ingram: Ships logs, which are produced by all units on a monthly basis, are occasionally lost. This may be for a variety of reasons. There is however, no central record which could provide details of missing or lost logs. That information could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

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