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8 Jun 2004 : Column 317W—continued
DNA Evidence
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have had their sentences quashed as a result of DNA evidence. [169238]
Paul Goggins: DNA technology can be used both to help the police identify criminals and to eliminate suspects. Convictions may be secured with the assistance of DNA evidence but it may also be a factor in leading to the quashing of a particular conviction and sentence. However, the information on the numbers of such appeal cases is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Durham Jail
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women have been held at Durham jail in each month since 1 May 2003. [176661]
Paul Goggins: The population of Her Majesty Prison Durham, by gender, in each month since May 2003 is given in the table.
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Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been released on early release from Durham jail since 1 May 2003. [176665]
Paul Goggins: Between 1 May 2003 and 30 April 2004 there were 118 prisoners released from Her Majesty Prison Durham on the Home Detention Curfew Scheme.
Entry Clearance (Istanbul)
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to visit the entry clearance operation in Istanbul. [169888]
Mr. Browne: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has no plans to visit the entry clearance operation in Istanbul.
EU Accession Countries
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of people from EU accession countries living and working in the UK; and how many of those he estimates are working illegally. [161816]
Mr. Browne: During the period September to November 2003, an estimated 113,000 nationals of the 10 EU accession countries were resident in the United Kingdom. Of these, 51,000 were in employment, 48,000 were economically inactive, 10,000 were aged under 16 and less than 10,000 were ILO unemployed.
Official estimates of the size of the illegally working migrant population in the United Kingdom do not exist. The Government have commissioned research into the methods used in other countries to estimate the size of their illegal populations (illegal workers forming part of this population) in order to define methods appropriate for the UK. Further research is also planned to investigate illegal working in order to help the Government tackle the problem more effectively.
The work required is challenging because, by definition, illegal migrants fall outside of official statistics and are therefore difficult to measure. People illegally present in the UK are also motivated to ensure they remain hidden, which is a challenge to conducting research.
EU Enlargement
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision his Department made prior to 1 May to ensure that those to whom his Department had written indicating the termination of support and housing benefits had in their possession the documents necessary to enable them (a) to seek work in the UK and (b) to return to their EU member state of origin. [172927]
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Mr. Browne [holding answer 13 May 2004]: On 1 May 2004, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta became members of the European Union and asylum seekers from these countries ceased to be eligible for support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) or a local authority under the Asylum Support (Interim Provisions) Regulations 1999. Immigration Nationality Directorate officials wrote to all those affected to ensure that they were aware of their options after 1 May. Letters were sent on 5 and 6 April to those supported directly by NASS and on 16 April to those supported by local authorities. The letters explained the options available, namely to obtain work and register under the Worker Registration Scheme (except for those from Cyprus and Malta who are not required to register), to remain in the UK but become self supporting, or to return to their country of origin.
The letters advised those affected that they could look for work immediately but that they could not take up that work until 1 May unless they already had been given permission to work by the Home Office. The letters also advised those affected that they could approach their embassy or consulate for advice on returning.
Accession state nationals who wish to make an application for a workers registration card whose passports are being held by the Home Office should indicate this on the workers registration form. Their documentation will then be considered alongside the application.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from EU accession countries arrived at UK international (a) airports and (b) bus stations in the first week of May last year. [173183]
Mr. Browne: Data are not available for the period requested.
Data from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) shows that a total of 86,000 visits were made by nationals of EU accession countries in May 2003.
Identity Card
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether an identity card card reader will be available for purchase by the general public under proposals in the draft Identity Cards Bill and consultation document (Cm 6178). [173128]
Mr. Browne:
There are a number of potential options for card readers, ranging from biometric readers which might be used to verify identity securely, to card readers on personal computers which might be able to verify the authenticity of the card. At present no firm decisions have been made on card reader specification. The Identity Cards Programme is investigating these options and evaluating them, looking particularly at how they might be used by potential user organisations and the privacy and security issues which arise from these options.
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Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the (a) availability and (b) reliability of technology designed to identify duplicate identities based on identical biometric information. [173131]
Mr. Browne: Where an individual attempts to enrol twice into the identity cards scheme using separate identities, it is essential that the second enrolment is detected by making a successful match against the biometric already enrolled by that individual. This form of negative matching is a common feature of existing biometric systems, including the police National Automated Fingerprint Identification Service (NAFIS) system and the on-going United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) biometric trial.
The identity cards programme is at an early stage in investigating the details of the requirement for matching within a large database, the design of feasibility work to test it and the technical solutions to deliver it.
Illegal Entrants
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many clandestine entrants into the United Kingdom have been detected and served with illegal entry papers (a) on entry and (b) in country in each month since December 2001. [176336]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 27 May 2004]: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 17 May 2004, Official Report, column 761W.
Immigration
Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the average time spent by immigrants in (a) Metropolitan Police Authority and (b) British Transport Police cells is in (i) Camden and (ii) Greater London; [173872]
(2) how many immigrants are being detained in (a) Metropolitan Police Authority and (b) British Transport Police facilities in (i) Camden and (ii) Greater London. [173874]
Mr. Browne: Information on persons detained in police cells is not held centrally and could be obtained only by examining individual case files at disproportionate cost.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what changes have been made to the employment of UK immigration officers in Cherbourg during 2004; [170603]
(2) what changes have been made to weekend operations involving immigration controls in Dorset during 2004. [170601]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 5 May 2004]: The UK Immigration Service does not presently operate in Cherbourg.
On 19 July 2002 a pilot scheme started between Cherbourg and Poole. UK Immigration Officers provided advice and support to the carrier in respect of travel status of passengers prior to boarding in
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Cherbourg. The officer then returned with the inbound ferry to control passengers seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom during the crossing.
On 22 February 2004 the scheme was suspended. Local managers are seeking to resume the pilot exercise at the earliest opportunity.
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