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24 Jan 2005 : Column 116W—continued
Identity Cards
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many centres there will be in (a) Orkney and Shetland, (b) the Highlands and Islands and (c) Scotland where biometric data can be collected when identity cards are introduced. [208057]
Mr. Browne: No decisions have been taken on the number and location of centres where biometric information may be recorded. Not all centres would necessarily need to be at fixed locations. The recent biometric enrolment pilot included a fixed location in Glasgow but also conducted trials using mobile equipment. In Scotland, the mobile demonstration unit visited Methol and Dunfermline.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the facial biometric planned for (a) passports and (b) identity cards will (i) constitute a scan of a photograph provided by the applicant and (ii) involve the use of special technology which will require the individual to attend a processing centre. [208269]
Mr. Browne:
The facial biometric planned for the ePassport will be presented as a photographic image within the passport, as is currently the case, and will additionally be held as data within the new passport's biometric chip. Data will continue to be captured by scanning a photograph submitted by the applicant. The photograph must conform to the recently agreed and issued standards. Image capture and its reproduction in
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the two forms required by the new passports will not require an applicant's presence at a processing centre or elsewhere.
The biometric requirements for the identity card are not yet complete. However, it is expected that the applicant will be required to attend an enrolment centre in order to have images of other biometrics, such as fingerprints and irises recorded. Therefore it is likely that a facial image will be recorded at same time, allowing more control over the lighting and the size and quality of the image than might be the case if a photograph supplied by the applicant were used.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contribution the Police Information Technology Organisation has made to the development of the identity cards scheme. [208280]
Mr. Browne: The Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) has helped the identity cards programme team to identify the uses which the police might make of the identity cards scheme and the requirements which it will be necessary for the scheme to support in order to deliver benefits to the police. PITO's advice has helped to ensure that the possible uses the police might make of the scheme are feasible within the context of existing and planned police systems and that technological compatibility has been considered at all stages. Additionally, they have shared their experience of the procurement and implementation of automated fingerprint identification systems.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent consultants from PA Consulting are advising his Department on the design of the national identity card programme; what the average annual cost per consultant is; what the total cost of the consultants is; and if he will make a statement. [209052]
Mr. Browne: The number of PA consultants working on the identity cards programme varies from day-to-day according to the needs of the programme. In December the full time equivalent of 32.5 staff were employed at an average daily cost of £1,093 each. Total expenditure on PA Consulting Group from May to December 2004 was £5,632,553.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of public resistance on the take-up rates of identity cards. [209621]
Mr. Browne: In the early years of the scheme, the large majority of ID cards will be issued as people renew or apply for passports. As the case for upgrading the security of passports is well understood and supported by the general public, the Government do not anticipate any significant public resistance.
When the Government announced their policy to proceed with a scheme in November 2003, they stated that in considering any decision to move to compulsion they would want to be confident that roll out during the first phase had delivered significant coverage of the population and that there was clear public acceptance for the principle of a compulsory ID card which would be used to access free public services.
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Immigration
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of migrants from EU accession states who have failed to register with the workplace monitoring scheme since entering the UK. [208886]
Mr. Browne: Under the Accession (Immigration and Worker Registration) Regulations 2004, workers requiring registration who do not make an application within one month of starting work will be employed illegally.
An employer who continues to employ a worker requiring registration, who has not applied to register within one month of starting work, may be committing a criminal offence and could be liable to a fine of £5,000.
The Government are supporting compliance of the Scheme. Information is available on the 'Working in the UK' website www.workingintheuk.gov.uk and by telephoning the Worker Registration Scheme on 0114 259 6262. Employers can also find information and advice on the Home Office website www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk and from the Employers' Helpline (0845 010 6677). Management information published on 10 November 2004 showed that between 1 May and 30 September just under 91,000 workers applied to register with the Worker Registration Scheme (my statement of that date refers).
There is no current estimate of Accession Country nationals working without registering.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals who have been granted full British citizenship since 1997 have had their status revoked following the imposition of a custodial sentence for crimes committed in the UK. [208944]
Mr. Browne: There have been no removals of citizenship since 1973. The power to deprive a person of his or her citizenship on grounds of ordinary criminality (as opposed to actions seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the United Kingdom) was rescinded by section 4 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the average time UK and other EU arriving passengers have to wait to pass through immigration over the past 12 months. [209231]
Mr. Browne: Following the strengthening of the EU control in 2004 some passengers may have noticed an increase in clearance times. However, there is no specific measurement of the time taken to clear UK and other EEA arriving passengers through UK immigration controls so I am unable to provide specific details of any increase.
The UK Immigration Service is committed to clearing all bona fide passengers with minimal delay, and arrival volumes are closely monitored to ensure that staff are deployed to maintain this.
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Immigration and Nationality Department
Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will instruct the Immigration and Nationality Department to return the passport of the constituent of the hon. Member for Basingstoke Mr. Ahmed Rizwe (ref. R350848). [208177]
Mr. Browne: I wrote to the hon. Member about Mr. Rizwe's case on 20 January.
Magistrate's Court (Dyfed Powys)
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many warrants were issued by Dyfed Powys Magistrates' Court for the arrest of people normally resident in the Greater London area in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003; and how many were served in each year. [207840]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Motoring Offences
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions occurred in each of the last three years of drivers who were incapacitated as a consequence of (a) alcohol, (b) illegal drugs and (c) legal pharmaceuticals; and if he will make a statement. [204960]
Ms Blears: Available information on the number of proceedings and convictions for offences of driving while impaired by drink or drugs or while above the specified limit for alcohol in England and Wales is given in the following table. The data cannot separately identify whether alcohol or drugs were involved.
(49) Including the following offences under Road Traffic Act 1988:
Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment) [s. 4(1)].
Driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit, [s. 5(1) (a)]
Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time, he/she was driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle, [s. 7 (b)]
In charge of a motor vehicle while unfit through drink or drugs (impairment), [s. 4 (2)]
In charge of a motor vehicle while having a breath, urine or blood alcohol concentration in excess of the prescribed limit, [s. 5 (1) (b)]
In charge of a motor vehicle and failing to provide a specimen for a laboratory test or two specimens for analysis of breath if at the relevant time, he/she was driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle, [s.7 (b)]
Failing without reasonable excuse to provide a specimen of breath for a preliminary test. [s. 6(4)]
Excluding offences under Road Traffic Act 1988 sec 3A: Causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink or drugs.
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