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4 May 2004 : Column 1451W—continued

Procurement

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which procurement decisions in each of the last five years have not been made solely on the basis of best value for money. [169703]

Mr. Ingram: As I said in my reply of 3 November 2003, Official Report, column 427W, value for money is a fundamental factor in all our procurement decisions. In assessing value for money we take account of the long-term implications of decisions, including their industrial and wider economic impact. As set out in the Government's Defence Industrial Policy, we seek to maximise the economic benefit to the United Kingdom from our defence expenditure, a healthy and globally competitive defence industry and the development of a high value technologically-skilled industrial base, consistent with the Government's wider manufacturing strategy.

Information on all procurement decisions taken throughout the Department is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Quick Reaction Alert Aircraft

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the role of Quick Reaction Alert aircraft is. [169991]

Mr. Ingram: Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) comprises armed Tornado F3 aircraft held at ground readiness for immediate take-off, the Air Surveillance and Control System to provide warning and command and control of the fighter aircraft, and tanker aircraft also held at high ground readiness. QRA fulfils two concurrent functions. Firstly, it meets the United Kingdom's responsibility within NATO to provide air policing of agreed member airspace. Secondly, under UK national control, QRA provides an airborne contribution to countering threats against the UK by terrorist organisations or individuals.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many aircraft are on Quick Reaction Alert status at (a) RAF Leeming, (b) RAF Leuchars and (c) RAF Coningsby. [169992]

Mr. Ingram: To provide geographic coverage, there are two aircraft continuously on Quick Reaction Alert at RAF Leuchars and a further two at RAF Coningsby. Aircraft and personnel for the latter are provided from Tornado F3 squadrons deployed from RAF Leeming.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Court Closures (Luton)

Andrew Selous: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on delays to court hearings of the current closure of courts in Luton. [169405]


 
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Mr. Leslie: The Department for Constitutional Affairs has allocated £1.85 million of capital funding in order to carry out essential building maintenance and improvement work at Luton magistrates court. While work is being carried out to this courthouse it will be closed for six months starting from July 2004. No other courts will close. Neighbouring court accommodation will be used during this period at Luton Crown and county courts and Bedford county and magistrates court. Additionally, temporary accommodation is being provided at Dunstable courthouse.

My Department's officials have worked with the Justice Chief Executive for Bedfordshire Magistrates' Courts Committee and no delays to court hearings are expected.

Emergency Protection Orders

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2004, Official Report, columns 852–53W, on emergency protection orders, how many applications were heard for emergency protection orders in each county in England in each year from 1997 to 2001, and what proportion was granted. [170973]

Mr. Leslie: Figures showing the number of applications for an emergency protection order and the number of orders made, by each county in England for the years 1997 to 2001, are provided in a table, which has been placed in the Library.

Operation Payback

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what initial assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Operation Payback on the Wirral. [167965]

Mr. Leslie: Operation Payback was conducted in the Wirral on 23 March and was considered a success. Enforcement Officers, working closely with the Police, executed 194 outstanding warrants and collected £13,600 during the day. In the Merseyside area as a whole approximately £36,000 was collected during the three days that the Magistrates Courts Committee (MCC) ran the operation. The MCC also reported an increase in compliance in the payment of fines following the operation, although separate figures for cases directly involved in Operation Payback are not available.

Special Immigration Appeals Commission

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will place in the Library the transcripts of the judgments of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in cases relating to (a) detention under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 and (b) removal of nationality under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002; and if he will make a statement. [167993]

Mr. Lammy: A copy of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission's open judgments in cases relating to detention under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 will be placed in the House of
 
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Commons Library in the forthcoming weeks. The Commission have yet to hear a substantive Deprivation of Citizenship appeal under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 provisions.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the costs have been of (a) administration and (b) the salaries and expenses of members of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (i) to date and (ii) on average in relation to (A) appeals against removal of nationality and (B) consideration of cases of detainees under the Anti-terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001; and if he will make a statement. [168225]

Mr. Lammy: As the Special Immigration Appeals Commission is administered jointly with other jurisdictions, separate records in respect of operational costs of its administration, and the salaries and expenses of its members, are not collated. To provide this information would incur-disproportionate costs.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to his answer of 27 April 2004, Official Report, columns 896–97W, on Special Immigration Appeals Commission Hearings, if he will place in the Library transcripts from open sessions of the Commission (a) with sensitive appellants' details excised and (b) in cases where the appellant has either identified himself or agreed to his identity being revealed; and if he will make a statement. [170169]

Mr. Lammy: The transcripts from the sessions of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) are not divisible between the open and closed sessions and it would therefore be inappropriate to release them into the public domain due to the sensitivity of the material. The administrative processes of SIAC are reviewed on an ongoing basis and consideration is being given to the publication of material from the open sessions of SIAC.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many appeals to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission against detention under anti-terrorism and removal of nationality legislation are outstanding; what dates have been set for each of those appeals; what the expected timetable is for each of those appeals (a) for open session hearings and (b) in total for each case; and if he will make a statement. [170170]

Mr. Lammy: There are currently four appeals outstanding before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC); three of the appeals are against certification pursuant to Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001, with the remaining appeal brought against an order of the Secretary of the State for the Home Department pursuant to s40A of the British Nationality Act 1981. A provisional timetable for the
 
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serving of evidence by both parties in each of the outstanding appeals has been issued by SIAC. For the three appeals pursuant to Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 the provisional timetables are as follows:

Timetable of Appeal for I, Issued 9 January 2004, Date for Submission

Timetable of Appeal for S, Issued 9 January 2004, Date for Submission

Timetable of Appeal for K, Issued 9 January 2004, Date for Submission

The timetable for the outstanding appeal brought against an order of the Secretary of the State for the Home Department pursuant to s40A of the British Nationality Act 1981 is as follows:

Timetable of Appeal for Mostafa Kamel Mostafa aka Abu Hamza, Issued 26 April 2004, Date for Submission

Agreement as to the mixture of open and closed sessions of the appeals will be decided on the first day of each relevant substantive appeal.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many appeals have been heard by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission; and for how many (a) days and (b) hours in total the Commission has sat in open session in relation to appeals against detention under anti-terrorism legislation and removal of nationality. [170171]

Mr. Lammy: To date there has been a combined total of fifteen substantive appeals heard before the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC). Of the 15 substantive appeals, two were brought before SIAC pursuant to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission Act 1997, with the remainder brought before SIAC pursuant to the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. Information relating to the amount of (a) days, and (b) hours SIAC has sat in open session is not available without incurring disproportionate costs.
 
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