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25 Jan 2005 : Column 275W—continued

Hunting Ban

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice he has given to the Association of Chief Police Officers in response to therequest for further clarification of the legal position on enforcing the ban on hunting with dogs; and if he will make a statement. [208211]

Ms Blears: I have had discussions with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on the enforcement on the ban on hunting with dogs. It is for the police to enforce the ban on hunting with dogs, when the Hunting Act comes into force. ACPO are producing guidance to all forces on the enforcement of the Act.

Identity Cards and Passports

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome was of the consultation with stakeholders on which services should be linked to identity cards and whether there should be unique personal numbers across public services. [210006]

 
25 Jan 2005 : Column 276W
 

Mr. Browne: The consultation on the draft Identity Cards Bill asked for comments on the powers set out in the draft Bill making regulations on the use of a card. Various stakeholders commented as part of the draft Bill consultation and in broader discussions with the Identity Cards Programme on whether, and if so how, to link identity cards with access to services. The Government published a summary of findings from the consultation exercise in October 2004 (Cm 6358).

We did not consult at the time of the draft Bill however on whether there should be a unique personal number across public services.

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 304W, on identity cards, what the value is of the contracts with each private sector company; and what work has been undertaken by (a) the private sector companies and (b) the Government bodies mentioned. [210169]

Mr. Browne: The Identity Cards Programme has received management consultancy advice from the following organisations:

Organisation	Details	Amount (£)
Sirius consortium	Advice on feasibility and scheme costs.	78,724
SchlumbergerSema (Atos Origin)	Programme and Project Management advice.	56,000
PA Consulting Services Limited	Project Management consultancy.	27,200
Shreeveport Management Consultancy	Facilitation of Workshops and Core Proposition development.	43,250
Axon Group Plc.	Proposals relating to Human Resources.	28,766
Cornwell Management Consultants plc.	Assessment of potential Public sector delivery partners.	47,548
PA Consulting Services Limited	Provision of management consultancy for the development of the ID Card Scheme.	6,527,760 committed up to 1 January 2005

And from these Government bodies.

Organisation	Details
Communications Electronic Security Group (GCHQ)	Provision of advice on communications and general security.
Office of Government Commerce	Provision of general project management advice.
Partnerships UK plc.	Procurement and Contracting advice relating to potential Public and Private sector interactions.
UK Passport Service	Provision of advice including work on costings and processes

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what coaching will be provided to citizens in how to present their biometrics for verification purposes when applying for an identity card; whether such coaching will form part of the identity card enrolment process; and what provision has been made for such coaching in the published costs for the scheme. [210157]

Mr. Browne: As part of the broader communications plan for the scheme, provision has been made to make the public aware of biometrics and how they will be recorded and used. The precise forms of the communication are to be determined.

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 335W, on passports, what the figures are for adult passport (a) applications and (b) renewals. [210172]

Mr. Browne: Table 1 outlines UKPS' 10-year forecast of demand for adult new passports and adult passport renewals.
 
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Table 1: Forecast of new and renewal adult passport applications

	Adult new passport applications	Adult passport renewals
2005	649,948	3,845,410
2006	615,779	4,314,519
2007	591,032	4,032,225
2008	565,403	3,849,008
2009	535,685	3,331,655
2010	536,686	3,586,329
2011	537,412	3,874,613
2012	538,176	3,765,436
2013	538,733	3,777,595
2014	538,748	4,227,314

These figures do not include applications for replacement lost or stolen passports or amendments to existing passports.
 
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Immigration

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the latest average waiting time is for determination of applications for permanent leave to remain from persons who have in excess of four continuous years of being granted work permits, where the applicant is (a) from an EU member state and (b) not from an EU member state; and what the waiting times were in each of the previous six months. [204996]

Mr. Browne [holding answer 14 December 2004]: The information requested is set out in the table.

All figures are for non-EU nationals, as EU nationals are not subject to work permit requirements. EU nationals are also not required to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain.

The average processing times do not include applications dealt with on the same day in the Public Inquiry Office.
Number of application for indefinite leave to remain through four years work permit employment.

	2004
	June	July	August	September	October	November
Number of applications	1,465	1,435	1,700	1,765	1,715	1,610
Applications processed on the same day through the Public Inquiry Office (PEO)	365	370	360	385	350	115
Average processing time (calendar days) for applications not processed on same day in PEO	25	30	35	25	30	20

The figure for average processing times in recent months is not final because they do not include a number of the more complex cases that have yet to be completed.

The processing time is taken from the date that the application was received until the dispatch date.

These figures are based on unvalidated information drawn from internal management systems, and there may be data quality variations.

Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers whose applications have not been resolved, are currently serving custodial sentences for crimes committed in the UK. [208947]

Paul Goggins: The Prison Service central IT system does not record the immigration status of prisoners who are serving a custodial sentence. The information requested is not therefore available except by examination of individual case-files, at disproportionate cost.

Lincolnshire Police Force

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the police stations in Lincolnshire in each year from 1997 to 2004. [204792]

Ms Blears: The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer.

Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers there are in the Lincolnshire constabulary. [204795]

Ms Blears: On 30 September 2004, there were 44 community support officers (CSOs) deployed by Lincolnshire constabulary.

A further 37 CSO posts, all supported by Home Office funding, will be recruited by 31 March 2005.

Metropolitan Police Sports Ground

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether plans are in place to use the Metropolitan Police Sports Ground at Imber Court and related buildings and property for other purposes in certain circumstances; and if he will make a statement. [207600]

Ms Blears [holding answer 10 January 2005]: The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each Police Authority and the Chief Officer.

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