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Labour Party Conference

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding will be paid to Dorset police authority in respect of the costs of policing the Labour Party Conference in Bournemouth; and what percentage of the cost of policing the conference this represents. [130647]

Ms Blears [holding answer 16 September 2003]: The Chief Constable has estimated that the additional

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costs of policing the conference this year will be £2.276 million. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has agreed a special grant to cover this sum. He has also agreed to contribute £0.204 million (48 per cent.) towards the cost of permanent equipment for security.

Migrants

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department holds on the deaths of migrants to Europe and the Mediterranean in the last 12 months; and what discussions his Department has held with relevant officials in (a) Spain, (b) Italy and (c) Greece. [129912]

Beverley Hughes: Statistical information on the deaths of migrants to Europe and the Mediterranean is not collated centrally in the UK. Such incidents are appalling, and we know that a significant number of those that have died have had their journeys facilitated by organised criminal gangs. The Government are committed to working with our EU partners to combat this exploitative trade by targeting people smugglers and traffickers through joint operations across Europe. During the last 12 months, officials in the Home Office have held discussions with their counterparts across the EU, including Spain, Italy and Greece, to ensure that such operations are appropriately targeted and rigorous action is taken to combat people smuggling and its inherent risks to life.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the amount paid in taxes by migrants to the UK in each of the last five years. [130497]

Beverley Hughes: Information does not exist on the precise amounts paid in taxes by migrants to the UK each year. However, a Home Office research study, published in 2002 (RDS Occasional Paper 77 "The migrant population in the UK: fiscal effects"), estimated that for the fiscal year 1999–2000 migrants paid £31.2 billion in taxes. By comparison they received an estimated £28.8 billion in public expenditure and services—making a net fiscal contribution to the UK of £2.5 billion.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the new detection technology used in the management of migration to the UK. [130498]

Beverley Hughes: The deployment of people detection technology is one of the many initiatives the Government have taken to significantly reduce the number of unfounded asylum claimants arriving in the United Kingdom.

We have deployed people detection technology at ports in France, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Ireland.

In France, we have deployed technology in Calais and Coquelles and negotiations on deployment are at an advanced stage with the ports of Dunkirk, Cherbourg, Le Havre and Caen, and preliminary scoping visits have been made to Dieppe, Roscoff and St. Malo. At Calais there is the capability to screen 100 per cent. of

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embarking freight vehicles. Following the tightening of security at Calais, we are taking steps to deploy at other continental ports vulnerable to the displacement of clandestine activity.

In Belgium, operations have commenced at Ostend where United Kingdom provided technology screens on embarking freight. Initial operations have commenced at Zeebrugge and deployment continues at other terminals within the port. A gamma scanner has been trialed in a joint operation with the Belgian authorities since August 2003.

In the Netherlands, deployment has now commenced at the port of Vlissingen and negotiations continue with other Dutch ports.

In Germany, technology has been operational on the German border with Poland and the Czech Republic since late August.

In Ireland, technology has been deployed since late July.

Motor Salvage

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the Motor Salvage Operations Regulations. [130511]

Ms Blears: The provisions of the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001 and accompanying regulations regulating the motor salvage industry took effect on 21 October 2002. They have been welcomed by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) who believe they will be effective in driving criminals out of the motor salvage industry. Information about registrations of motor salvage operators, inspections of premises and prosecutions and convictions under the 2001 Act is not available centrally at present. We are in touch with ACPO and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister about how this information can be collected without unnecessarily increasing the bureaucratic burden on police forces and local authorities.

National Crime Squad

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by the National Crime Squad; and what its total salary costs in 2002–03 were. [130475]

Ms Blears: The total workforce of the National Crime Squad (NCS) for 2002–03 was 1,769.

The total salary costs for NCS in 2002–03 were £83,255,000.

National Criminal Intelligence Service

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are employed by the National Criminal Intelligence Service; and what its total salary costs in 2002–03 were. [130476]

Ms Blears: In 2002–03, the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) workforce was 956 staff.

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This included an average of 71 members of staff attached to NCIS who were paid for by their parent employer.

NCIS total salary costs for 2002–03 were £39,526,000.

Operation Magician

Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the final cost was of Operation Magician in 2000. [131228]

Caroline Flint: I understand from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis that the approximate additional cost for this operation was £300,000.

Operation Ore

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes are planned to the Operation Ore Child Protection Unit operated by the Metropolitan police. [129330]

Ms Blears [holding answer 11 September 2003]: The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis advises me that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) does not have a specific 'Operation Ore Child Protection Unit'. The MPS Child Protection Group manages all child abuse investigations including all Operation Ore subjects. The Group is led by a Detective Chief Superintendent and has an establishment of 418 specialist police officers and 150 civilian support staff.

The MPS Child Protection Group's health and safety strategy has required that a small number of officers who have served a long time within the Paedophile Unit be rotated to other duties. This has been misreported in the media as the disbanding of the Paedophile Unit. However the unit is in fact being expanded and made ready for the new legislation, including the Sexual Offences Bill, currently passing through Parliament.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on Operation Ore since it was set up. [129331]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 11 September 2003]: Investigations concerning Operation Ore are carried out by paedophile units, child protection or investigation teams within police forces, assisted by computer crime units. The decision as to the level of funding that should be allocated to this type of work, and this specific investigation is the responsibility of individual chief police officers.

There is no central record held of the sums allocated to these units or the amount spent on individual operations.

Ordnance Safety Board

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account police forces in England and Wales take of the views of the Ordnance Safety Board in determining which weapons to recommend for police use. [130696]

Ms Blears: Decisions regarding the choice of weapons for police use are a matter for chief officers. Information on the sources of advice they receive is not available centrally.

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Overseas Students

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received on the level of charges for leave to remain for overseas students. [131366]

Beverley Hughes: The fees are set under Treasury rules to recover the full administrative cost entailed in considering applications and no more. This is calculated by taking the overall costs of processing applications divided by the number of decisions we expect to make.

A number of letters have been received from groups representing the education sector such as UKCOSA, Universities UK, and various universities to which I have already responded.

A number of letters, phone calls and emails have also been received from members of the public, including students with regard to both the introduction of charging and the level of the fee. Officials continue to deal with these.

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