House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 14 Jan 2004 (pt 8)

14 Jan 2004 : Column 756W—continued

Correspondence

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason he has not yet replied to the letter sent to him dated 18 September 2003 by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr. Sattler. [140781]

Mr. Blunkett: I replied to the right hon. Member on 8 January 2004.

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 4 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to K.Akhtar. [144643]

Mr. Blunkett: I replied to the right hon. Member on 12 January 2004.

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 30 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs.J.Ferns. [144644]

Mr. Blunkett: I responded to the right hon. Member on 16 December 2003.

Mr. Blunkett: I responded to the right hon. Member on 31 December 2003.

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Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 6 November from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Kwok Hung Lam. [145962]

Mr. Blunkett: I responded to the right hon. Member on 23 December 2003.

Drug Misuse

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the proportion of those convicted of drug misuse offences who had previously been in local authority care in each of the last five years. [147335]

Caroline Flint: No figures are available on the proportion of those convicted of drug misuse offences that have previously been in local authority care.

Firearm Offences

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are in place to reduce the number of firearm offences. [146268]

Caroline Flint: Our developing programme to tackle gun crime includes:

tackling the links to drug supply and crime;

reducing the supply and availability of firearms;

effective police operations to drive down firearm offences;

tough laws and effective enforcement; and

engaging the worst affected communities to address the underlying gun culture.

We are working closely with the police and other agencies to ensure that the lessons learned from their experience in tackling gun crime are built upon. A detailed action plan to keep action to tackle gun crime at the forefront of the police agenda has been developed and is being implemented.

In addition, the National Firearms Forensic Intelligence Database, launched on 25 November 2003, will provide a central database of seized weapons and help trace guns used in crimes and improve detection.

14 Jan 2004 : Column 758W

We are also engaging with communities to help steer young people away from gun crime and gun culture. We are:

providing support for the Disarm Trust, which is providing direct support for community groups working to reduce gun crime, supporting victims of gun crime and providing help for witnesses;

allocating £1.2 million of recovered assets receipts to help tackle gun crime; and

running a major event on 19 to 20 January 2004, which will bring together community representatives, activists, voluntary groups and young people, leading to a sustained community-focused campaign against gun crime and gun culture.

This action will be supported by the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which will see a mandatory minimum sentence of five years imprisonment for possession or distribution of prohibited weapons or ammunition, and by the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003, which will raise the age limit to 17 for owning air weapons, ban the possession of air weapons and imitations in public without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, and ban the possession, sale and import of self contained air cartridge weapons.

Immigration Appeals

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases were heard by Immigration Appellate Authority adjudicators in the last 12 months; and in how many cases an appeal was taken to the Immigration Appeals Tribunal. [143269]

Beverley Hughes: The number of cases heard by Immigration Appellate Authority adjudicators, for the latest 12-month period for which data are available, are given in the following table. Information on the number of those cases that were taken to the Immigration Appeals Tribunal following successful applications for leave to appeal to the Tribunal are not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case files.

Statistics on the number of asylum appeals heard by the Immigration Appellate Authority are published quarterly. The most recent publication covering the third quarter of 2003 is now available from the Library of the House or on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website athttp://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Appeals determined by adjudicators of the Immigration Appellate Authority, excluding dependants⁽²⁰⁾Number of principal appellants

Appeals determined by adjudicators

Allowed⁽²¹⁾ Dismissed ⁽²¹⁾ Withdrawn⁽²¹⁾

Appeals received by the Home Office⁽²²⁾^,⁽²³⁾ Appeals received by the IAA⁽²⁴⁾ Total determined ⁽²³⁾ Total As % of total determined Total As % of total determined Total As % of total determined

2003

01 ⁽²¹⁾12,600 18,090 20,595 3,480 17 16,445 80 670 3

Q2 ⁽²¹⁾10,800 17,835 19,345 4,060 21 14,875 77 415 2

Q3 ⁽²¹⁾10,900 18,330 21,500 4,270 20 16,805 78 420 2

Latest 12 months

October 4,965 4,475 5,980 1,170 20 4,620 77 190 3

November 3,740 6,080 5,585 1,185 21 4,270 76 130 2

December 3,575 6,110 5,050 960 19 3,920 78 170 3

January ⁽²¹⁾3,400 6,015 7,210 1,265 18 5,690 79 255 4

February ⁽²¹⁾4,000 6,025 6,545 975 15 5,350 82 220 3

March ⁽²¹⁾5,200 6,045 6,840 1,235 18 5,405 79 200 3

April ⁽²¹⁾3,700 5,825 7,010 1,445 21 5,455 78 110 2

May ⁽²¹⁾3,400 6,025 6,035 1,265 21 4,655 77 115 2

June ⁽²¹⁾3,600 5,985 6,300 1,345 21 4,765 76 190 3

July ⁽²¹⁾4,100 6,005 8,195 1,655 20 6,375 78 165 2

August ⁽²¹⁾3,000 6,080 6,740 1,320 20 5,275 78 145 2

September ⁽²¹⁾3,700 6,240 6,565 1,295 20 5,155 79 110 2

Total ⁽²¹⁾46,485 70,920 78,050 15,130 19 60,930 78 1,995 3

			Appeals determined by adjudicators
				Allowed⁽²¹⁾	Dismissed ⁽²¹⁾	Withdrawn⁽²¹⁾
	Appeals received by the Home Office⁽²²⁾^,⁽²³⁾	Appeals received by the IAA⁽²⁴⁾	Total determined ⁽²³⁾	Total	As % of total determined	Total	As % of total determined	Total	As % of total determined


2003
01	⁽²¹⁾12,600	18,090	20,595	3,480	17	16,445	80	670	3
Q2	⁽²¹⁾10,800	17,835	19,345	4,060	21	14,875	77	415	2
Q3	⁽²¹⁾10,900	18,330	21,500	4,270	20	16,805	78	420	2
	Latest 12 months
October	4,965	4,475	5,980	1,170	20	4,620	77	190	3
November	3,740	6,080	5,585	1,185	21	4,270	76	130	2
December	3,575	6,110	5,050	960	19	3,920	78	170	3
January	⁽²¹⁾3,400	6,015	7,210	1,265	18	5,690	79	255	4
February	⁽²¹⁾4,000	6,025	6,545	975	15	5,350	82	220	3
March	⁽²¹⁾5,200	6,045	6,840	1,235	18	5,405	79	200	3
April	⁽²¹⁾3,700	5,825	7,010	1,445	21	5,455	78	110	2
May	⁽²¹⁾3,400	6,025	6,035	1,265	21	4,655	77	115	2
June	⁽²¹⁾3,600	5,985	6,300	1,345	21	4,765	76	190	3
July	⁽²¹⁾4,100	6,005	8,195	1,655	20	6,375	78	165	2
August	⁽²¹⁾3,000	6,080	6,740	1,320	20	5,275	78	145	2
September	⁽²¹⁾3,700	6,240	6,565	1,295	20	5,155	79	110	2
Total	⁽²¹⁾46,485	70,920	78,050	15,130	19	60,930	78	1,995	3

⁽²⁰⁾ Provisional figures rounded to the nearest five (other than percentages). Numbers might not add up due to rounding.

⁽²¹⁾ Based on data supplied from the Presenting Officers Unit within the Home Office.

⁽²²⁾ Data are based on manual counts of data received in Appeals Support Section (ASS) of the Home Office. Some cases are received elsewhere in the Home Office before being forwarded to ASS and so may be counted in a later month than when they arrived in the Home Office.

⁽²³⁾ Estimate. Figures rounded to the nearest hundred, and subject to later revision.

⁽²⁴⁾ Based on information supplied by the Lord Chancellor's Department. Determinations do not necessarily relate to appeals received in the same period.

14 Jan 2004 : Column 759W

Merseyside Crime Initiative Unit

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the findings were of the Diversity Monitoring Project established in October 2001 to examine Merseyside Crown Prosecution Service files for racial bias in decision-making. [146245]

The Solicitor-General: I have been asked to reply.

The question has been transferred to me for reply as the Law Officers have responsibility for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The findings of the Diversity Monitoring Project, an independent study into racial or gender bias in the decision making processes of the CPS, were published in the executive summary report 'Race for Justice' on 21 October 2003. The full report will be available by the end of March 2004.

12,913 CPS files were examined to establish if race or gender bias or discrimination occurred in the prosecution process. Merseyside was one of 10 CPS areas whose files were examined by the researchers. The files were taken randomly from a wide geographical spread of areas to ensure a representative sample. The report sets out the aggregated findings from the 10 area sample and does not set out findings for individual areas.

The report outlines nine recommendations, applicable to the whole organisation, which have been accepted by CPS and which they have developed an action plan to implement.

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