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18 Oct 2004 : Column 481W—continued
Akhmad Zakaev
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether conditions relating to political activity are imposed on Akhmad Zakaev while residing in the United Kingdom. [190241]
Mr. Browne: I cannot comment on individual cases. Article 2 of the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees sets out the behaviour expected of a person recognised as a refugee. Essentially, this is to comply with the law of the land and to conform to measures taken for the maintenance of public order. No further conditions are currently imposed on refugees.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his
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policy on the return to Zimbabwe of asylum seekers from that country whose claims have been turned down. [190674]
Mr. Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend, the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley Hughes) gave to the hon. Member for Woking (Mr. Malins) on 23 February 2004, Official Report, column 263W. The policy remains in place but as previously stated it is being kept under continuous review.
Mr. Prosser: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact recent changes in legislation have had on asylum applications. [191202]
Mr. Browne: Since October 2002 the Government have reduced asylum applications by 70 per cent. and the reduction in asylum intake was verified by the NAO.
This reduction has been achieved through a range of measures such as moving our border controls to the continent, creating new and more effective asylum processes, and introducing new technology to detect clandestine entrants and to identifying visa holders, as well as making new legislation. We are continuing to build on our success with the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004.
The Government's approach was supported by the two recent NAO reports, which stated that measures introduced by this Government have contributed to the reduction in asylum applications.
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on recent Government action to provide services for asylum seekers in Peterborough. [191210]
Mr. Browne: The Government have recently invested just over £1.5 million in a £2.2 million programme of nine projects in Peterborough which seek to join statutory and voluntary agencies to provide more cost-effective services to the benefit of asylum seekers, refugees and the wider local community. The projects will not only realise considerable savings in the cost of delivering public services but will also improve integration and community cohesion in the city. The Home Office has also provided £20,000 for an Interactor Project in Peterborough for both asylum seekers and refugees. The project aims to raise awareness within refugee and asylum seeker communities of major health issues facing them and promoting awareness of services that exist to deal with them.
Mr Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many failed asylum seekers receiving section 4 support have received a warning for failing to participate in activities for the benefit of the community; [189928]
(2) what kinds of activity for the benefit of the community failed asylum seekers receiving section 4 support are engaged in; and if he will make a statement; [189929]
(3) how many failed asylum seekers receiving section 4 support are engaged in activities for the benefit of the community; and if he will make a statement. [189930]
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Mr. Browne: Section 10 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Act 2004 enables the Secretary of State to make regulations which require the provision of accommodation, or the continuation of the provision of accommodation, under section 4 to be conditional upon the performance of, or participation in, community activities. The provisions have not yet been brought into force. The regulations themselves, on which we will be consulting in due course, will be subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.
Correspondence
David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 7 September 2004 regarding a constituent, reference PO10001/4. [190647]
Mr. Browne [holding answer 14 October 2004]: I replied to my hon. Friend on 12 October 2004.
Cyprus
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether citizens of Cyprus whose only passport or documentation is that issued by the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are afforded full status within the UK as European Union citizens in relation to the free mobility of labour provisions of the acquis communautaire; and if he will make a statement; [190474]
(2) how the Home Office distinguishes between persons who are de jure citizens of Cyprus and non-EU Turkish citizens who reside in the occupied Northern Cyprus, for the purpose of permitting entry to the UK; and if he will make a statement. [190475]
Mr. Browne: Following the entry of the Republic of Cyprus to the European Union on 1 May 2004, Cypriot nationals like all other EEA nationals may exercise free movement rights in the UK including the right to enter the UK on production of a valid passport or identity card. This right of movement includes the right of movement as a worker. To exercise these rights they must be in possession of a passport or identity card issued by the Republic of Cyprus.
The EU acquis remains suspended in the north of Cyprus.
Documentation that has been issued by the so called "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" ("TRNC") would not be accepted as evidence that the individual has the right of free movement as an EEA national or for travel to the UK. The holder of a "TRNC" document would need to obtain a visa if coming to the UK and that visa would be endorsed on a declaration of identity issued to them by the British visa issuing post. The declaration of identity is valid for travel to the UK.
Turkish Cypriots are EU citizens. They can apply for Republic of Cyprus passports and travel freely within the freedom to work on documentation in the same way as other Cypriot nationals. The suspension of the acquis in the north of Cyprus does not affect that right.
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Entry Clearance
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the Government have (a) reimbursed the travel costs and (b) paid for the next visit of a traveller denied entry to the United Kingdom. [190182]
Mr. Browne: The information is as follows:
(a) Since 1 April 2004 there has been only one instance of a passenger who was refused entry to the United Kingdom receiving reimbursement of their original travel costs.
(b) None. Any reimbursement by the Immigration Service will only cover original travel costs together with other reasonable incidental expenses—it will not extend to payment of the next visit.
Human Trafficking
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to press for a European Convention which improves international standards to protect the human rights of victims of trafficking; and if he will make a statement. [190484]
Mr. Browne: The United Kingdom supports the development and implementation of effective international instruments which provide protection and support for victims of trafficking alongside proactive measures to prevent and disrupt trafficking activities. The UK was one of the first countries to sign the optional protocol to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC), which deals with trafficking in human beings and is fully committed to its implementation. We are participating fully in the development of the draft Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings, which has a clear victim focus and will build upon existing instruments.
Immigration
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from EU accession countries arrived at UK (a) airports and (b) bus stations between 1 May and 1 August. [190791]
Mr. Timms: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Keith Vaz, dated 18 October 2004:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking about the number of people from the EU Accession Countries who have arrived in the UK at (a) airports and (b) bus stations between 1 May 2004 and 1 August 2004. (190791)
Visits to the UK by overseas residents are estimated from data collected on the International Passenger Survey (IPS). The survey is conducted at major airports, and on major sea and tunnel routes, and the data collected is weighted up to national passenger figures provided by CAA and BAA, Department for Transport, Eurotunnel and Eurostar.
It is estimated that 399 thousand nationals from the EU Accession Countries arrived in the UK during the three months May to July 2004, of which 211 thousand arrived at airports. We
- are unable to provide estimates of the numbers arriving at bus stations as the IPS is not conducted at these. The IPS does collect information on the method of transport used when arriving in the country at sea ports or via the tunnel (for example coach, lorry, car, on foot), but the sample number of nationals from EU Accession Countries who arrived by each of these methods between 1 May and 1 August 2004 are too small to provide reliable estimates.
More information on EU Accession Country nationals can be found on the National Statistics website at: http://www. statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=12222&More=n
The IPS is a continuous survey carried out throughout the year. Approximately 1 in 500 passengers passing through airports, seaports and the tunnel are sampled and both overseas residents and UK residents are interviewed. The survey measures the numbers of visits to the UK by overseas residents and overseas by UK residents and how much is spent on each of these visits. As it measures visits, any one person travelling a number of times will be counted each time they travel.
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