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John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will include as part of the BBC charter renewal review consideration of allowing the BBC to continue developing its commercial activities in (a) the UK and (b) overseas. [209792]
Tessa Jowell: Every aspect of the BBC will be considered as part of Charter review. This will include the Corporation's commercial activities both in the UK and overseas.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the criminal offences created in legislation sponsored by her Department in the (a) 200203 and (b) 200304 session, broken down by Act. [206793]
Mr. Caborn: 72 criminal offences were created in legislation sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in the (a) 200203 and (b) 200304 sessions. A list of these criminal offences, broken down by Act, has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who compiles the information in the Home Office Country Information Policy Unit reports that are referenced by asylum adjudicators and Home Office officials; and what their research and professional qualifications are. [210764]
Mr. Browne: The Home Office Country Information and Policy Unit (CIPU) is staffed by generalist civil servants. Although aptitude for research is an important element in selection of staff, it has not been considered necessary to staff the unit with professionally qualified researchers. This is because CIPU does not undertake primary" research. The country information material it produces is secondary" researchidentifying and providing a summary of primary research carried out by others.
The independent Advisory Panel on Country Information (APCI) has recommended that CIPU's research skills be strengthened by the introduction of professional research staff who would have supervisory, control and monitoring tasks in the preparation of Country Reports and other country information outputs. This recommendation is being addressed in the context of the reorganisation of CIPU's functions that I announced on 8 September 2004, Official Report, column 119WS.
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of trends in the number of animal experiments in the UK; and if his Department will take steps to reduce the number of experiments. [208820]
Caroline Flint: Trends in the number of animal experiments over the last few decades are recorded in the publication Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2003-Cm 6291, available in the LibraryThe Stationery Office Belfast publishes separate figures for animal experiments conducted in Northern Ireland. This shows that the number of scientific procedures using animals started in Great Britain in 2003the latest year for which data are availablewas just over 2.79 million, a rise of about 59,000 (2.2 per cent.) compared with 2002.
There has overall been a significant reduction in the annual number of such scientific procedures since the 1970s and 1980s, but in recent years this trend has more or less levelled out. It is impossible to predict future trends, as many variable factors are involved.
Reduction in experiments in particular programmes of work are achieved through implementation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which can be licensed only if the number of animals used is minimised. More generally the Government and the scientific community are continuing efforts to try to bring down the overall amount of animal experimentation, including through establishment of the UK National 3Rs centre and working with relevant international bodies.
Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when Ministers were first advised that the target of 30,000 removals of failed asylum seekers in 200102 was unachievable. [206165]
Mr. Browne:
Ministers were advised in July 2002 that the target had been revised.
26 Jan 2005 : Column 372W
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many adults were tagged as an alternative to detaining asylum seeking families at the latest date for which figures are available; [206245]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of asylum-seeking families expected to be monitored through tagging by May 2005. [206246]
Mr. Browne: At 17 January 2005 nobody has been tagged as an alternative to detaining asylum-seeking families.
A pilot to test three types of monitoring: voice recognition, tagging and tracking commenced in October 2004. The pilot will run until March 2005 when results will be evaluated. Subjects for the tagging pilot (40 in total) are being identified. The number of asylum-seeking families we expect to monitor through tagging during the pilot will depend on risk assessments carried out in individual cases. The number is unlikely to be high as the pilot is limited in numbers and in the majority of cases family members are detained only for a relatively short period immediately prior to removal.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of Afghan asylum seekers received (a) refugee status and (b) another form of protection from the UK Government in each quarter since 1997. [210515]
Mr. Browne: The table shows initial decision and appeal determinations by quarter, where available, for Afghan asylum applicants, 1997 to Q3 2004. Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and appeal outcomes do not necessarily relate to initial decisions made in the same period.
Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. The next publication covering the fourth quarter of 2004 will be available on the 22 February 2005 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of Iraqi asylum seekers received (a) refugee status and (b) another form of protection from the UK Government in each quarter since 1997. [210516]
Mr. Browne:
The tables show initial decision and appeal determinations by quarter, where available, for Iraqi asylum applicants, 1997 to Q3 2004. Decisions do
26 Jan 2005 : Column 374W
not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and appeal outcomes do not necessarily relate to initial decisions made in the same period.
Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. The next publication covering the fourth quarter of 2004 will be available on the 22 February 2005 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum seekers from Somalia received (a) refugee status and (b) another form of protection from the UK Government in each quarter since 1997. [210517]
Mr. Browne:
The tables show initial decision and appeal determinations by quarter, where available, for Somalia asylum applicants, 1997 to Q3 2004. Decisions
26 Jan 2005 : Column 376W
do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period and appeal outcomes do not necessarily relate to initial decisions made in the same period.
Information on asylum applications is published quarterly. The next publication covering the fourth quarter of 2004 will be available on the February 2005 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases lesbian and gay applicants have been refused asylum in the last five years on the grounds that they will not be persecuted if they return to their home countries and hide their sexuality. [210624]
Mr. Browne: Asylum applications are decided on an individual case by case basis. Information on how many cases have been refused asylum on the grounds that they will not be persecuted because of their homosexuality is not available and could therefore be available only by examination of individual case records.
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applicants have won refugee status in the UK in the last five years on the basis of a well-founded fear of persecution because of their homosexuality. [210765]
Mr. Browne: Asylum applications are decided on an individual case by case basis. Information on how many cases have been granted asylum on the basis of a well-founded fear of persecution because of their homosexuality is not available and could be available only by examination of individual case records.
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum applicants in 2004 claiming a well-founded fear of persecution because of their homosexuality were refused asylum. [210766]
Mr. Browne: Asylum applications are decided on an individual case by case basis. Information on how many cases have been refused asylum on the basis of a well-founded fear of persecution because of their homosexuality is not available and could be available only by examination of individual case records.
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