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27 Jan 2005 : Column 464W—continued

Local Education Authorities

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when the best value performance indicators (BVPIs) for each local education authority for 2003–04 will be published on the BVPI website. [211306]

Mr. Raynsford: The best value performance indicators (BVPIs) results for each local education authority for 2003–04 will be published on the BVPI website in early February.

New Charter

Andrew Bennett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of whether New Charter is providing an adequate service as agents for homeless people for Tameside Council. [210664]

Yvette Cooper: New Charter is providing services for homeless people as agents for Tameside Council, who are responsible for monitoring the contract. I understand that the Council is satisfied that all the main aspects of the service specification are being achieved.
 
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Social Housing

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from (a) registered social landlords and (b) those who fund them for greater freedom to raise rents. [210645]

Keith Hill: In response to its three-year review of rent restructuring the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister received a number of representations from registered social landlords and others such as the National Housing Federation. A summary of responses will be made available shortly.

Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many tenants in each local authority area have exercised their right to buy in each of the last three years; what revenue has thereby accrued to each local authority; and what proportion of the total in each year was used for (a) repairing and (b) building council housing. [210755]

Keith Hill: Annual figures for council right to buy activity for 1999–2000 to 2002–03 by local authority are available from the Housing Statistics section on the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's internet site. These tables show the number of right to buy sales and the average selling price excluding discount for each reporting local authority.

It is a matter for individual authorities to decide how to use the receipts they retain from right to buy sales in the light of local needs and priorities. Information on how local authorities chose to use the retained receipts from right to buy sales is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The web link for 1999–2000 to 2001–02 information on Right to Buy activity is: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_control/documents/contentsservertemplate/odpm_index.hcst?n=1680&l=4 [Housing—Housing Statistics—Publications—Local Housing Statistics—Annual Statistics]

The web link for 2002–03 information is: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_housing/documents/page/odpm_house_029535.xls [Housing—Housing Statistics—Live Tables—Social Housing Sales—Table number 648]

HOME DEPARTMENT

Antisocial Behaviour Documents

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost was of (a) drafting, (b) publishing and (c) circulating (i) Working together—tackling not tolerating antisocial behaviour, (ii) One Year On—together tackling anti-social behaviour and (iii) central Government funding of voluntary and community organisations. [201038]

Ms Blears: Officials from the Government's Antisocial Behaviour Unit drafted the two Together" reports published on 28 October 2004 as part of their daily duties. An estimate of £59,499 has been made for the drafting, publication and circulation for both reports.
 
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The One Year On and Practitioners' reports have been distributed widely to key stakeholder groups and individuals throughout England and Wales. They were initially distributed at the One Year On event held on 28 October to an audience in excess of 600 people drawn from local authorities, community groups, members of the public, police, MPs, and antisocial behaviour practitioners. Since this time the reports have also been available online and downloadable from the website and have received over 1,270 individual hits.

Distribution to 6,000 individuals and groups from the range of key stakeholder groups including CDRP chairs, ASB Co-ordinators, Action Areas and Trailblazer representatives, and Together Academy attendees has also occurred along with individual mailouts upon request.

Asylum Seekers

Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what target time has been set for reaching an initial decision on (a) asylum and (b) non-asylum applications; and what percentage of cases were processed within these target periods in the last period for which figures are available. [206248]

Mr. Browne: The information is as follows:

(a) The Home Office's Public Service Agreement (PSA) target for 2003–04 was to ensure that 75 per cent. of new substantive asylum applications (excluding withdrawals and 3rd country cases) were decided within two months. This was an increase from the 65 per cent. and 60 per cent. targets met in 2002–03 and 2001–02 respectively.

The 2003–04 target was exceeded, with 82 per cent. of new substantive applications having an initial decision reached and served within two months. The speed of initial decisions continues to improve with 84 per cent. of substantive applications received in Q2 (April to June) 2004 having an initial decision reached and served within two months, and reflects the Governments commitment to, and continued success in, speeding up the initial decision-making process.

Information on the number of asylum applications outstanding, and the timeliness of initial decisions are published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

(b) The internal target times for processing non-asylum applications have been revised in the light of the top to bottom review of managed migration routes announced on 27 April 2004.

The internal targets that have been set are for the whole period from 1 October 2004 to 31 March 2005 and are summarised in the table. The table includes provisional management information currently available on performance so far against those targets.
 
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Application Type Target from 1 October 2004Provisional management
information on performance for
October-November 2004
Charged general leave to remain (postal)70 per cent. in 3 weeks68 per cent. in 3 weeks
85 per cent. in 13 weeks85 per cent. in 13 weeks
Charged general leave to remain (Public Enquiry Office)98 per cent. in 24 hours85 per cent. in 24 hours
Non-charged general leave to remain (postal)20 per cent. 3 weeks37 per cent. in 3 weeks
25 per cent. in 13 weeks52 per cent. in 13 weeks
Non-charged general leave to remain (Public Enquiry Office)95 per cent. in 24 hours97 per cent. in 24 hours
Work permit, including sector based scheme70 per cent. in 1 week66 per cent. in 1 week
90 per cent. in 3 weeks84 per cent. in 3 weeks
Charged leave to remain (postal) for immigration employment document70 per cent. in 3 weeks35 per cent. 3 weeks
90 per cent. in 8 weeks82 per cent. 8 weeks
Highly skilled migrant programme50 per cent. in 4 weeks25 per cent. in 4 weeks
90 per cent. in 13 weeks38 per cent. in 13 weeks
Worker registration scheme70 per cent. in 1 week40 per cent. in 1 week
90 per cent. in 3 weeks91 per cent. in 3 weeks
Nationality50 per cent. in 13 weeks48 per cent. in 13 weeks

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of Zimbabwean asylum seekers received (a) refugee status and (b) another form of protection from the UK Government in each quarter since 1997. [210513]

Mr. Browne: The tables show initial decision and appeal determinations by quarter, where available, for Zimbabwean asylum applicants, 1997 to Q3 2004. Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made
 
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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 22 February 2005 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Initial decisions(7) on asylum applications, by quarter, 1997 to Q3 2004: Nationals of Zimbabwe

Cases considered under normal procedures(8)
Backlog clearance exercise
Total initial decisions Grants of asylum
Grants of ELR, HP
and DL(9)
Total refusals
Total backlog clearance exerciseBacklog clearance
ELR4, 5
Backlog clearance
refusals4, 6
No.%No.%No.%No.%No.%
Q1 1997250025100
Q2 199730*4*42593
Q3 199750*2565092
Q4 1997200020100
Q1 1998150*131588
Q2 1998100*101090
Q3 19985005100
Q4 1998150015100
1999(13)1050010591101090*10
Q1 200035*40357310101000
Q2 20006054565059252593*7
Q3 20001555354145905*25575
Q4 2000305103029597
Q1 200159015310256596
Q2 200144025510340592
Q3 200143535810239590
Q4 200166545715260591
Q1 20021,0152002030378577
Q2 20021,3054403425284064
Q3 20021,5807154520184553
Q4 20022,330885383011,41561
Q1 2003(14)1,1903502910183570
Q2 2003(14)1,1452752410186075
Q3 2003(14)9051351510176084
Q4 2003(14)950115125083087
Q1 2004(14)845901110174088
Q2 2004(14)55055105149089
Q3 2004(14)63045710257591




n/a = not applicable.
(7)Figures rounded to nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2. Figures may not sum due to rounding.
(8)Humanitarian protection and discretionary leave replaced exceptional leave to remain from 1 April 2003.
(9)Cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre '96 act asylum backlog.
(10)May include a small number of cases where asylum has been granted.
(11)May include a small number of cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds.
(12)Annual data only available.
(13)Provisional figures.



 
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Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice his Department provides to its asylum officials regarding the grounds for granting refugee status to applicants who have fled persecution because of their homosexuality. [210708]

Mr. Browne: All caseworkers in the immigration and nationality directorate, who are responsible for considering asylum claims, are trained in the proper application of the 1951 UN convention relating to the status of refugees and the need to apply those principles to the circumstances of the particular case. All caseworkers have access to the Home Office asylum policy instructions, which are published on the Home Office website. Additional support is provided by senior caseworkers, who are on hand to give advice and to ensure that consistently high standards of decision making are maintained.

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training in sexuality issues his Department provides to officials who handle asylum applications based on persecution on the grounds of sexual orientation. [210709]

Mr. Browne: Asylum caseworkers undergo extensive training in the assessment of asylum claims made under the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees. This includes training in the interpretation of the five convention reasons, and specifically the definition of membership of a particular social group", which is relevant to many claims involving sexual orientation. Guidance on Membership of a Particular Social Group" and instructions on Assessing the Claim" are available to caseworkers in the form of the asylum policy instructions, which are published on the Home Office website.


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