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Correspondence

Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 24 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. P. Cookson. [183687]

Mr. Blunkett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 13 July 2004.

Data Collection/Sharing (Children)

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken recently to improve the collection of data on children entering the country. [183311]

Mr. Browne [holding answer 15 July 2004]: The Immigration Service does not routinely collect data on children arriving in the United Kingdom. It does however act as the first information point to identify children who may be at risk when they arrive in the United Kingdom.

The overwhelming majority of children arriving in the UK do so legitimately and safely and give no cause for concern. However, if an immigration officer had concerns about a child arriving in the UK, mechanisms are in place to ensure that such information is collected and shared with relevant agencies, such as social services.

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the data collected on children entering the country are shared with other relevant agencies. [183308]

 
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Mr. Browne [holding answer 14 July 2004]: The Immigration Service does not routinely collect data on children arriving in the United Kingdom. But it has recently introduced a number of measures aimed at ensuring that children at risk are identified on arrival and, where appropriate, other agencies informed.

Child Protection Officers are based at Heathrow Airport and at the Croydon Asylum Screening Unit in order to strengthen the links between the police and the Immigration Service to counter child trafficking and problems associated with unaccompanied minors. In addition social services have recently placed staff at the Croydon Asylum Screening Unit to work alongside Immigration Service staff advising them on child welfare issues. A scoping study is also being undertaken to examine the feasibility of social work teams being based at the major ports of entry.

The Immigration Service also participated in Operation Paladin Child, initiated by the Metropolitan Police Child Protection Command to define the nature of child migration from non-EU countries to the UK via Heathrow, and which also involved the NSPCC and Hillingdon Social Services. The report into the operation's findings made a number of recommendations, including the creation of multi-agency partnership teams at major ports. The Immigration Service will work with the police and other agencies involved to help implement those recommendations.

Identity Cards

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the effect on the prevention of terrorism of not requiring foreign nationals coming to the UK for less than three months to have an identity card. [182297]

Mr. Browne: It is well known that terrorists use false and multiple identities to help undertake and finance their activities in the UK and abroad. An identity card scheme would disrupt the use of false identities by terrorist organisations, for example in the money laundering and organised crime, which support their terrorist activities. Such operations are generally perpetrated over long periods of time.

The Government agrees with Sir John Stevens, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, who has said that he has absolutely no doubt that a card scheme would have a significant effect in the war against terrorism.

Immigration Removals

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detainees under immigration service control have signed forms for return to their home country and are awaiting removal. [183832]

Mr. Browne: Information on the number of detainees awaiting removal to their home country following a request to make a voluntary departure is not recorded by the Home Office. This information could be obtained only by examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
 
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Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time was for detainees under immigration service control who have signed forms to return to their home country, in the last period for which figures are available. [183833]

Mr. Browne: Information on the average waiting time for the removal of detainees to their home country following a request to make a voluntary departure is not recorded by the Home Office. This information could be obtained by examination of individual cases files only at disproportionate cost.

Passports

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are to participate in the UK Passport Service biometrics enrolment trial; and if he will make a statement. [183042]

Mr. Browne: The trial began in April and is fully rolled out, functioning at four fixed sites and a mobile unit. It is expected to run for around six months until September when the United Kingdom Passport Service (UKPS) will have enrolled 10,000 people. Up to 2 July, 3,675 people have participated.

The trial is testing the recording of biometrics and public perceptions.

Police

Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were employed by Northamptonshire police at (a) 1 April 1997 and (b) 1 April 2004. [183752]

Ms Blears: The Northamptonshire police had 1,177 police officers on 31 March 1997. This had increased to 1,234 on 31 December 2003 (the latest published figure). In addition the force had 812 police support staff on 31 March 2003 compared with 554 in March 1997. At the end of March 2004 the force also had 12 Community Support Officers.

Refugee Women (Employment)

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the efforts made by (a) the Community Integration Partnership project in the West Midlands and (b) other similar projects to address barriers refugee women face when trying to find employment. [183309]

Mr. Browne [holding answer 14 July 2004]: The Community Integration Partnership (CIP), which was formed as a direct result of a joint partnership between West Midlands Consortium for Asylum Support (WMCARS) and Roselodge Group in March 2003, is currently funded under the Home Office's Refugee Integration Challenge Fund to help refugee women to access training, education and employment. Their main objectives are to address the barriers that many refugee women face in doing so, for instance by obtaining relevant information, confidence building, arranging childcare, and enhancing language skills. It works in close partnership with a range of Government and non-government bodies across the West Midlands which share its commitment to the provision of services to refugee women.
 
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Security Officers (Crime)

Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British Security Industry Association security officers have been convicted of criminal offences when carrying out their duties in each of the last five years. [184535]

Ms Blears [holding answer 16 July 2004]: The information requested is not available. The British Security Industry Association is a professional trade association for the security industry in the UK. Membership of the BSIA is at company rather than individual level.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Pensioner Households (Income)

Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average income for pensioner households was in each year from 1993 to 2003. [184558]

Malcolm Wicks: The following table gives the mean net (after tax, in 2002–03 prices) Before and After Housing Cost income of pensioner units between 1994–95 and 2002–03. Information is based on the Family Resources Survey, which began in 1994–95.
Mean income

	Net BHC	Net AHC
1994–95	189	161
1995–96	188	160
1996–97	199	170
1997–98	202	174
1998–99	208	182
1999–2000	216	189
2000–01	225	202
2001–02	233	210
2002–03	237	214

Note:
Pensioner units are defined as single (non-cohabiting) people over state pension age (65 and over for men, 60 and over for women) and couples (married and cohabiting) where the man is over pension age.
Source:
Pensioners' Income Series 2002–03, in 2002–03 prices.

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