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17 Nov 2003 : Column 689W—continued
Mrs. Geraldine Merchant
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take action to ensure that the passport of Mrs. Geraldine Merchant, Ref: M1012795, is returned to her as soon as possible. [135319]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 30 October 2003]: My hon. Friend is aware that the circumstances of this case required a full investigation. However, Mrs. Merchant's application should be decided within the next two months. Her passport can be returned to her before then if she wishes but will not be endorsed with leave to remain.
Ethnic Minorities
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were employed by the Prison Service in England and Wales as (a) governor grade, (b) prison officers and (c) other staff on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many in each category were (i) black and (ii) Asian. [138396]
Paul Goggins: Information on the recorded ethnicity of Prison Service staff at 31 October 2003 is contained in the table.
| Ethnic group | Senior operational managers(108) | Officers(109) | Other staff | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | 1,170 | 20,790 | 18,562 | 40,522 |
| Asian | 6 | 199 | 456 | 661 |
| Black | 10 | 432 | 768 | 1,210 |
| Other Minority Ethnic | 21 | 315 | 330 | 666 |
| No Data | 85 | 2,189 | 1,914 | 4,188 |
| Total | 1,292 | 23,925 | 22,030 | 47,247 |
(108) Refers to Governor grades
(109) Includes prison officers, senior officers and principal officers
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were stopped and searched by each police force in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years; and how many of the people stopped were (a) black and (b) Asian. [138401]
Ms Blears: Information on the number of stops and searches under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and other legislation for the years 1991 to 1996, broken down by police force area, are given in Table l which has been placed in the Library. These figures include stops and searches of persons and vehicles. During this period there was no information collected giving the required breakdown on the ethnic group of persons stopped and searched.
Information on stops and searches of individuals from 1996–97 to 2001–02 is presented in Table 2 which has been placed in the Library, and includes a breakdown by the specific ethnic group groups requested.
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Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in England and Wales were in post on the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by rank; and how many in each rank were (a) black and (b) Asian. [138482]
Ms Blears: The total number of officers in post at 31 March 2003 is contained in Table 4 of Home Office Statistical Bulletin 11/03. Information on the number of minority ethnic officers by rank is contained in Table 9. A copy of the publication including Tables 4 and 9 is available in the Library.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new police officers were appointed during 2002; and how many of those newly appointed were (a) black and (b) Asian. [138483]
Ms Blears: The number of full time equivalent officers joining the police service in the 12 months to 31 March 2003 was 13,126. Of these, 679 (5.2 per cent.) were minority ethnic officers. There is no breakdown available for Black and Asian officers.
EU Enlargement (Migration)
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of people from countries acceding to the EU who will take up jobs in the UK in each of the three years following accession. [135080]
Beverley Hughes: Research conducted by University College London for the Home Office, published in June this year ("The impact of EU enlargement on migration flows", Home Office On-Line Report 25/03), estimates that the numbers of people who will migrate to the UK from the new member states in the years following enlargement will not be significant. The research corroborates a number of other independent studies which have been summarised in reports by the European Commission in 2000 and the former Department for Education and Employment in 1999. The estimates for those expected to migrate comprise both those coming for purposes of work and those coming for other reasons such as education.
We will monitor the situation and the UK has the right to reintroduce restrictions in the event of an unexpected impact on the standard of living or level of employment in a particular region or occupation.
Fireworks
Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the estimated cost was of the misuse of fireworks not sold in retail outlets and not used in organised displays in each of the last four years; [138002]
- (2) what estimate she has made of the criminal damage caused by Chinese bomb fireworks in each of the last three years. [137976]
Ms Blears: This information is not held centrally. However, Merseyside Police estimate they have spent £500,000 dealing with fireworks incidents so far this year. The recent use of fireworks as improvised explosive devices in the North-West is of particular concern.
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Fireworks misuse is a nuisance and can be a danger to the public. That is why, on 5 November 2003, we announced our intention to introduce a package of measures banning possession of fireworks by under 18s, banning possession of display fireworks by members of the public and increasing penalties for throwing fireworks in the street. Further measures tackling fireworks nuisance will be taken forward in the New Year.
Forensic Science
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many pathologists on the Home Office Register of Forensic Pathology have been removed from the list since its creation; [84279]
- (2) how many years each member of the Police Advisory Board for Forensic Pathology has served; and how many members have retired; [84278]
(3) by what means a coroner may alert the appropriate authorities of perceived professional shortcomings of a forensic pathologist; [84281]
(4) by what means he monitors the performance of forensic pathologists; [84280]
(5) for what reason the Police Advisory Board for Forensic Pathology's Disciplinary Tribunal recused itself before the completion of its hearing on the one occasion in the last 10 years on which it has met; what the consequences were of its recusal; and what subsequent professional activity has been undertaken by the pathologist who was the object of the complaint; [84275]
(6) if he will place the terms of reference of the Police Advisory Board for Forensic Pathology, the list of current members and a copy of the Board's Complaints and Disciplinary Procedures in the Library; [84274]
(7) to whom the Police Advisory Board for Forensic Pathology reports; and if he will place the most recent report of the Board in the Library; [84277]
(8) how many times the Police Advisory Board for Forensic Pathology has met since its creation; and if he will place minutes of its meetings in the Library. [84276]
Ms Blears: The issues raised have been dealt with in a letter from my hon. Friend the Member for Coventry, North-East (Mr. Ainsworth) on 11 June.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received (a) in favour of and (b) opposed to the privatisation of the Forensic Science Service. [137531]
Ms Blears: In his statement of 17 July 2003, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary explained the reasons for the proposal that the Forensic Science Service should become a public-private partnership. To date, there have been (a) no representations in favour of the proposal, and (b) 120 representations expressing concern about the future status of the organisation.
Fraudulent Passport Applications
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who is responsible for investigating fraudulent passport applications. [139057]
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Beverley Hughes: It is one of the UK Passport Service's (UKPS) primary responsibilities to ensure that UK passports are issued only to those people who are entitled to them. UKPS are responsible for identifying fraudulent applications for passports and for mounting investigations into such applications. Once initiated, these investigations are progressed in partnership with police, Immigration Service, and other law enforcement agencies.
Haslar Removal Centre
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what briefings have been given to prison staff at Haslar Removal Centre relating to (a) the extension of the centre, (b) its transfer to the Immigration Service and (c) its possible privatisation. [135596]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 4 November 2003]: A project team has been set up to look at proposals to transfer operational responsibility for the centre from the Prison Service to IND. Staff and Trade Unions have been informed of this by means of a letter. The project team will continue to keep them informed throughout the process. The centre manager and his senior management team at Haslar were involved in a feasibility study to look at options to extend Haslar. The options did not prove to be cost effective and therefore there are no plans at present to develop the removal centre at Haslar.
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans other than those proposed by his Department have been put forward for the extension of the Haslar Removal Centre; and what the planned new accommodation total is in the proposals put forward by (a) his Department and (b) other bodies. [135597]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 4 November 2003]: Indicative plans were prepared which looked at a number of options to extend Haslar. However, these were simply architectural sketch plans and no detailed plans have been prepared. No plans have been submitted for planning approval and at this time there is no intention of doing so. There are currently no plans to expand the Removal Centre at Haslar.
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans for the extension of Haslar Removal Centre have been produced by Capita. [133065]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 20 October 2003]: Indicative plans were prepared by Capita for some expansion and improvement to Haslar Removal Centre, but we have no plans at present to take this forward.
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