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6 Oct 2003 : Column 1212W—continued
Citizenship Applications
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for UK citizenship have been determined in the last 12 months; and what the mean average time taken from receipt of the application until its determination was. [130467]
Beverley Hughes: 129,535 applications for UK citizenship were determined in the United Kingdom in 2002, of which 120,145 applications were granted and 9,385 were refused. This is the latest information available and figures are rounded to the nearest five.
There are no data published on actual decision times to determine applications for British citizenship. Information on expected waiting times for citizenship applications are available on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website; www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk and is periodically updated. As at July 2003 the expected average processing times were:
| Months | |
|---|---|
| Naturalisation | 8.8 |
| Adult registrations | 3.5 |
| Minor registrations | 8 |
| Other registrations | 2.3 |
However, this time may be significantly reduced if all relevant documents are sent with the application form.
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Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the application for UK citizenship from Mr. Grieve of Fordingbridge was first received by his Department; when the application will be determined; and if he will make a statement. [130468]
Beverley Hughes: The application was received on 18 May 2000. The application has necessitated extensive inquiries which we expect to finalise shortly.
Civil Service
Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many jobs under the remit of his Department in (a) the core Department, (b) non-departmental public bodies, (c) executive agencies and (d) independent statutory bodies, organisations and bodies financially sponsored by his Department and other such organisations, are located in (i) Scotland, (ii) England, excluding Greater London, (iii) Greater London, (iv) Wales, (v) Northern Ireland and (vi) overseas, broken down by (A) whole-time equivalent jobs and (B) the percentage per individual Department, body or organisation; and with respect to core Department jobs, if he will provide a breakdown of the number of jobs in terms of responsibilities which apply to (a) England only, (b) England and Wales and (c) the United Kingdom as a whole. [127311]
Fiona Mactaggart: The figures received in respect of the bodies under (b) and (d) are in the table which has been placed in the Library. Table D of the annual publication "Civil Service Statistics" contains the information requested in (a) and (c). The latest edition was based on April 2002 data and was published on 24 July 2003; alternatively, this information is available at the following address on the Cabinet Office website: http://www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics/css.htm.
Class A Drugs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people under the age of 25 years reported the use of Class A drugs in each of the last six years. [130482]
Caroline Flint: The British Crime Survey estimates last year use of Class A drugs by 16 to 24-year-olds since 1996 as being:
| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 9 |
| 1998 | 9 |
| 2000 | 10 |
| 2001–02 | 9 |
Note:
From 2001–02, the BCS reporting period moved to financial years
However, none of these changes are statistically significant. Class A drug use has therefore been stable between 1996 and 2001–02. Data for 2002–03 will be published later in the year.
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The 'Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2002' survey estimates last year Class A drug use among 11 to 15-year-olds since 1998 as being:
| Percentage | |
|---|---|
| 1998 | 3 |
| 1999 | 2 |
| 2000 | 4 |
| 2001 | 4 |
| 2002 | 4 |
A revised method for measuring the prevalence of drug use was introduced in 2001. Therefore, estimates used in 2001 and 2002 are not strictly comparable with results from previous sweeps.
Commercial Confidentiality
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the application of the principle of commercial confidentiality in relation to the disclosure of information to inquiries which he has instigated. [129679]
Mr. Blunkett: My Department's policy in relation to the disclosure of information is to adhere to the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information and the principles of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, which becomes fully applicable from January 2005.
My Department is committed to the principles of open government and information will be disclosed in the public interest unless there are overriding commercial reasons (or legal constraints) not to disclose as allowed for under the exemptions described in the Code.
Community Support Officers
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers (a) there were in 2002–03 and (b) there are in 2003–04 in each police authority in England and Wales. [130472]
Ms Blears: Home Office funding enabled 27 police forces to recruit a total of 1,222 Community Support Officers (CSOs) by the end of 2002–03. There was a second opportunity to bid for funds earlier this year and the allocation from this will enable 36 forces to recruit a further 1,234 CSOs in 2003–04. The numbers recruited and deployed in the first year and allocated to forces in this year are as follows:
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128 of the CSOs allocated in round 2 are already trained and deployed and a further 77 are under training. In addition there are 174 non Home Office funded CSOs on the streets making a total of 1,601 CSOs in England and Wales.
Confiscated Assets
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been the subject of confiscation orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. [127971]
Caroline Flint: The confiscation powers in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are triggered by offences committed after the provisions were brought into force on 24 March 2003, so it will be some time before confiscation cases are dealt with by the Crown Court in numbers. To date, two convicted offenders have been made the subject of confiscation orders under the Act in England and Wales with a total value of £53,000.
Coroners
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when it is expected that there will be further action on the recommendations of the Home Office Review of Coroners and Death Certification. [129671]
Paul Goggins [holding answer 16 September 2003]: We are considering the recommendations of the Report of a Fundamental Review 2003—Death Certification and Investigation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, published on 4 June, alongside those in the Third Report of the Shipman Inquiry on death certification and death investigation, which was published on 14 July. As I announced on 4 June, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has asked the Chair of the Review, Mr. Tom Luce, to undertake some
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further work to link the Review's recommendations to the relevant findings of the Shipman Inquiry. We expect this work to be completed later in the autumn.
Corporate Manslaughter
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received since 1 March in support of the introduction of a corporate manslaughter charge; and if he will make a statement. [129477]
Paul Goggins: We have received in excess of 50 letters on corporate killing since 1 March 2003. The vast majority of these supported the introduction of new measures to reform the law on corporate manslaughter.
I also refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Castle Point (Bob Spink) on 23 June 2003, Official Report, column 596W. These organisations are also supportive of our proposal to reform the law in this area. Officials will be holding a number of meetings with key external stakeholders to inform the development of proposals for legislation on corporate killing. As announced on 20 May 2003, these will be published before the end of the year.
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