| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
18 Mar 2004 : Column 494W—continued
Immigration Appeals
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the waiting time was between an immigration appeal case being processed by the Appeals Processing Centre and the papers being sent out to the Immigration Appellate Authority on the latest date for which figures are available. [161975]
18 Mar 2004 : Column 495W
Beverley Hughes: Data on the average time between an immigration appeal case being processed by the Appeals Processing Centre and the papers being sent out to the Immigration Appellate Authority is unavailable and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
It is planned that performance against PSA targets relating to 2003–04, including those relating to the speed of processing, will be published in due course (once the data are judged sufficiently reliable) in the regular quarterly asylum statistics, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Immigration Service
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Immigration Service staff are based in Northern Ireland, broken down by grade; and in what locations they are based. [161796]
Beverley Hughes: A total of 13 staff are based in Northern Ireland. By grade: one Chief Immigration Officer, nine Immigration Officers (one of whom is part-time), two Assistant Immigration Officers and one administrative assistant.
All are based at the UK Immigration Service office at Belfast International airport.
Immigration Tribunals (Training)
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training is given to Home Office presentation officers before they appear before the Immigration Tribunal and Immigration Appeal Tribunal. [156096]
Beverley Hughes: A new Home Office presenting officer initially receives three weeks of classroom-based training. This includes technical, and skills-based elements. This is followed by a period of mentoring by an experienced presenting officer, at the end of which the trainee is ready to represent the Home Office alone in appeals heard before an independent Adjudicator of the Immigration Appellate Authority. Each presenting officer attends a period of consolidation training within three months of completion of initial training.
Senior presenting officers represent the Home Office in cases heard before the Immigration Appeal Tribunal. Where these staff have previously been experienced presenting officers, an analysis of their skills and abilities is conducted to identify specific areas which may require further training. Training will then be tailored to the individual and conducted by experienced mentors. Those with little or no experience of presenting in court follow a training and mentoring programme similar to that provided to presenting officers, although with more focus on the role of the Tribunal, before they appear alone before the Tribunal.
Intelligence and Security Service Tribunals
Mr. Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints were made to the (a) Security Services Tribunal and (b) Intelligence
18 Mar 2004 : Column 496W
Services Tribunal in each of the last five years; and how many complaints to each tribunal were upheld in each year. [161779]
Mr. Blunkett: The information requested is available in the Annual Reports of the Security Service and Intelligence Services Commissioners that have been laid before Parliament. For convenience, the information is set out in the table.
| Investigatory Powers Tribunal | Security Service Tribunal | Intelligence Services Tribunal | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | — | 22 | 5 |
| 2000 | 11(October to December) | 22(to end September) | 7(to end September) |
| 2001 | 91 | — | — |
| 2002 | 130 | — | — |
| 2003 | Not yet published | — | — |
The Security Service and Intelligence Services Tribunals were subsumed into the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in 2000 under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The figures for the Investigatory Powers Tribunal are not separated out and include complaints on interception of communications. No complaint to the tribunals has been upheld.
Mobile Phones
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people have been stopped by police for speaking on a mobile phone while driving since 1 September 2003; [162084]
- (2) what percentage of people stopped by police for speaking on a mobile phone while driving have been cautioned. [162085]
Caroline Flint: Information on the number of people stopped by the police for speaking on a mobile phone while driving is not collected centrally.
The specific offence of driving while using a hand held mobile phone came into effect on 1 December 2003. Use of a hands free mobile phone is not an offence.
Formal cautions are rarely given for motoring offences. Data on police action (written warnings, fixed penalty notices and court proceedings) for the new offence of driving while using a hand held mobile telephone will not be available until the autumn of 2004.
Official Secrets Act
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to review the operation of the Official Secrets Act 1989. [158642]
Mr. Blunkett: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave the hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills (Mr. Shepherd) on 4 March 2004, Official Report, column 1093W.
Police
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in (a) Avon and Somerset and (b) Devon and Cornwall in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01, (iii) 2001–02, (iv) 2002–03 and (v) 2003–04. [161871]
18 Mar 2004 : Column 497W
Ms Blears: The information requested is set out in the tables.
| Year (as at 31 March) | Police strength | Police (support) staff |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 2,934 | 1,436 |
| 2000–01 | 2,960 | 1,452 |
| 2001–02 | 3,096 | 1,611 |
| 2002–03 | 3,149 | 1,785 |
| 2003–04(34) | 3,371 | Not available |
(34) Figure is for 31 December 2003
| Year (as at 31 March) | Police strength | Police (support) staff |
|---|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 2,841 | 1,343 |
| 2000–01 | 2,934 | 1,453 |
| 2001–02 | 3,053 | 1,639 |
| 2002–03 | 3,202 | 1,834 |
| 2003–04(35) | 3,279 | Not available |
(35) Figure is for 31 December 2003.
Police Cars
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) marked and (b) unmarked police cars there are in England and Wales. [159897]
Ms Blears: This information is not held centrally.
Police Officers
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many policemen there were in (a) England and Wales and (b) England as per 1,000 population in each year since 1997. [160480]
Ms Blears: Information on number of officers to 100,000 population has been published annually since 1998 in Home Office Statistical Bulletins "Police Service Strength (England and Wales)". Information in the table is on the basis of published data and includes additional data on the number of male officers to 100,000 population.
| All officers | Male officers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England and Wales | England | England and Wales | England | |
| March 1997 | 241.3 | 242.2 | 205.1 | 205.5 |
| March 1998 | 239.9 | 240.7 | 202.2 | 202.5 |
| March 1999 | 237.2 | 237.8 | 199.1 | 199.3 |
| March 2000 | 232.6 | 233.0 | 194.2 | 194.3 |
| March 2001 | 234.3 | 234.3 | 194.2 | 193.9 |
| March 2002 | 240.4 | 240.2 | 197.4 | 197.0 |
| March 2003(36) | 252.3 | 252.4 | 205.4 | 205.3 |
(36) Uses comparable police strength, which excludes staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave.
Representations (MSPs)
Mr. Tom Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received from Members of the Scottish Parliament in relation to residents of Glasgow, Cathcart in the last year for which figures are available. [156649]
18 Mar 2004 : Column 498W
Caroline Flint: This information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Royal Pardons
Mr. Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 23 February 2004, Official Report, column 250W, whether the figure of one free pardon in 1996 refers to (a) both people in the case of John Haase and Paul Bennett and (b) one of them. [159972]
Mr. Blunkett: The figure of one free pardon in 1996 did not relate to either John Haase or Paul Bennett. These cases are included in the figure of four given under the heading "Remission" in my answer of 23 February.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |