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National Asylum Support Service

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the resourcing of the National Asylum Support Service. [177895]

Mr. Browne: There are no plans to increase the resourcing of the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) in 2004–05.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the (a) training and (b) level of local knowledge of National Asylum Support Service staff. [177896]

Mr. Browne: All National Asylum Support Service (NASS) staff receive training appropriate to their individual jobs. In 2003, NASS established offices in 11 regions. NASS regional staff are developing a wide range of local knowledge. The majority of the staff live
 
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in the region where they are working. Regular meetings are held with local authorities, the police and other stakeholders that provide an insight into local issues.

National Identity Register

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the private sector will be charged for accessing the National Identity Register. [177921]

Mr. Browne: There is no question of public or private sector organisations' verification of cards giving them access to the contents of the National Identity Register or the details of the biometric. With the consent of the individual, checks will simply confirm identity and other relevant details. The draft Identity Cards Bill does provide a power for fees to be levied on organisations making such checks and other Government checking services do make charges. However, no final decisions for the identity cards scheme have yet been made.

Neighbourhood Watch

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will reconsider his decision not to contribute further public funds to the National Neighbourhood Watch Association; and if he will make a statement. [178413]

Ms Blears: Taking account of Government accounting rules, the Home Secretary gave careful consideration to his original decision not to provide further public funds to the National Neighbourhood Watch Association.

The financial position the National Neighbourhood Watch Association finds itself in is unfortunate but there are no grounds to reconsider.

I am intending to meet representatives from the National Neighbourhood Watch Association.

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met the National Neighbourhood Watch Association to discuss (a) the use of their logo and (b) their current financial situation. [178573]

Ms Blears: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has corresponded with the National Neighbourhood Watch Association and officials from the Home Office and Treasury Solicitors have met with them to discuss, among other things, the logo and their current financial situation.

Overseas Students

Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign students have been admitted to the UK in each year since 1979, broken down by nationality. [177096]

Mr. Browne [holding answer 8 June 2004]: The latest available data relating to the number of passengers admitted as students to the United Kingdom by the requested categories are given in the table as follows. The data relate to the number of journeys made.

To provide data for the entire period would incur disproportionate cost.
 
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Detailed statistics on immigration control are published in the Command Paper "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom" is also available in the Library, and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate web site http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/commandpubs1.html

The latest edition is that for 2002 (Cm6053).

Pakistan (Abandoned Spouses)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women whose spouses joined them in the UK from Pakistan but have subsequently been abandoned have made representations to him in the last year for which figures are available to have their spouses deported; and if he will make a statement. [178248]

Mr. Browne: Information on the number of representations from women whose spouses joined them in the UK from Pakistan but have subsequently abandoned them is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, if a foreign spouse is encountered whose marriage has broken down and who no longer enjoys the support of their sponsor, then the Immigration Service would take all appropriate measures to return them to their country of origin unless there were compelling reasons for not doing so.

Racial Equality

Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the reduction in section 44 funding for Racial Equality Councils. [172829]

Fiona Mactaggart: Section 44 of the Race Relations Act 1976 sets out the purpose for which the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) may give financial assistance to other organisations. It does not prescribe which types of bodies may receive financial assistance and therefore does not limit such assistance to Racial Equality Councils (RECs). This year more applicants received funding under section 44 than in previous years. RECs still made up the large majority of organisations in receipt of grant from the CRE. However, a few RECs received no funding this year and some others received less funding than previously, where their applications did not fully meet the Commission's criteria.

We warmly welcome the Commission's policy of using the Getting Results programme to support any innovative project that delivers real outcomes and makes a difference to race equality and race relations within its local community.

Racial Harassment (Rochdale)

Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers preventing racial harassment have been introduced since 1997; and how many times these powers have been used in Rochdale. [178494]

Fiona Mactaggart: Prior to 1997, the Race Relations Act (RRA) 1976 already prohibited discrimination on racial grounds. The RRA did not specifically refer to harassment, but it was clear from case law that racial
 
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harassment was a type of detriment capable of amounting to the kind of less favourable treatment prohibited by the Act.

As part of its fulfilment of its obligations under the EC Race Directive, the UK amended the Race Relations Act 1976 (by virtue of the Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003) so as to make it unlawful to harass a person, on grounds of race or ethnic or national origins, in the areas of activity covered by the 1976 Act.

The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 created new and separate offences where the offences of causing fear and violence or of causing harassment, alarm or distress under the Public Order Act 1986, or the offences of harassment or putting in fear of violence under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 were racially aggravated.

Figures for the number of prosecutions in Rochdale for this type of offence are not centrally available. Greater Manchester police figures for harassment offences (published by the Home Office under the requirements of S95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991) show a total of 2,075 recorded offences of this type in the Greater Manchester police area over the period 1999–2000 to 2001–02.

Refugees (Assistance/Training)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress in seeking the implementation of concerted pan-European policies of active assistance to refugees in or near the countries of origin. [177899]

Mr. Browne: In spring 2003, the UK tabled proposals for the 20–21 March Brussels European Council that were designed to achieve better management of the asylum system globally. In response, the European Commission tabled a Communication "Towards more accessible, equitable and managed asylum systems" (COM(2003)315 final, 3 June 2003), which endorsed the UK's analysis of the problem and recommended a stage-by-stage approach to developing possible solutions. The Thessaloniki European Council on 19–20 June 2003 invited the Commission to present a comprehensive report, by June 2004, suggesting measures to ensure a more orderly and managed entry into the EU of persons in need of international protection and to enhance the protection capacity in the regions of origin.

In response to its mandate from the European Council, the Commission has now tabled a Communication "On the managed entry in the EU of persons in need of international protection and the enhancement of the protection capacity of the regions of origin: Improving access to durable solutions" (COM(2004)410 final, 4 June 2004). The Government welcome this Communication and support the broad purpose of the outline proposals it contains for the development of EU Regional Protection Programmes and the setting up of an EU Resettlement Scheme. The Communication was the subject of a preliminary discussion at the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on 8 June 2004. We now look
 
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forward to engaging in constructive discussions with the Commission and member states as these ideas are considered in more detail over the coming months.

In conjunction with some other member states and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, we are supporting two preparatory projects which are being funded principally by the EU. One will look at building effective protection capacities in four African countries (Tanzania, Kenya, Burkino Faso, Benin). The other concerns preparatory activities for a comprehensive plan for Somali refugees.

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what community organisations or initiatives in Edmonton have benefited from the Government's Challenge Fund aimed at helping female refugees gain access to training and education courses. [178908]

Mr. Browne: In 2003–04 almost £2 million was allocated under the Refugee Challenge Fund to 43 projects throughout the United Kingdom. None of these projects, however, was based in Edmonton.

The successful projects for 2004–05 will be announced shortly.

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