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31 Jan 2005 : Column 702W—continued
Special Constables
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many special constables there were in the Pennine division of Lancashire constabulary in each year since 1995. [204987]
Ms Blears: Statistics for the number of special constables in each force basic command unit are not collected by the Home Office. Since 1998 data on the strength of special constabularies have been published annually in Home Office statistical bulletins on police service strength, copies of which are available in the Library. The total number of special constables in Lancashire constabulary from 1995–2004 is as follows:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 31 March 1995 | 608 |
| 31 March 1996 | 553 |
| 31 March 1997 | 483 |
| 31 March 1998 | 489 |
| 31 March 1999 | 449 |
| 31 March 2000 | 382 |
| 31 March 2001 | 360 |
| 31 March 2002 | 363 |
| 31 March 2003 | 351 |
| 31 March 2004 | 336 |
Standard List Offences
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of a standard list offence, broken down by (a) gender, (b) age on appearance in court and (c) previous convictions; and what sentences each received. [210502]
Paul Goggins: The available information contained in the table gives the number of offenders found guilty at all courts of a standard list offence, sentenced and the sentences they received, England and Wales 2003.
Information on sentencing by previous convictions was last published in chapter 9 of Criminal statistics, England and Wales 2000 (cm 5312). This was based on a sample of offenders sentenced in 2000. Updated information, for those sentenced in 2001 and 2002 will be published in Sentencing Statistics, England and Wales, 2003 next month.
n/a = Not applicable.
(57)These data are on the principal offence basis.
(58)Standard list offence (all indictable, all triable either way offences and some of the more serious summary offences such as common assault and driving while disqualified or under the influence of drugs or alcohol).
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Stansted Hijack
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the Afghans who landed at Stansted on a hijacked plane remain in the UK; and what support they are receiving. [208984]
Mr. Browne: Of those who claimed asylum, 80 remain in the UK. They have been supported under section 111 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, which allows grants to voluntary organisations. At present those who are still receiving support are housed in accommodation provided by the refugee arrivals project, which is one of the six voluntary organisations grant funded by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) for the provision of advice and support services for asylum seekers. Some of the Afghans are receiving income support. Those who are not receiving income support are provided with an additional cash allowance funded by NASS to meet their essential living needs.
Violent Crime (Thames Valley)
Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about current levels of violent crime in the Thames Valley; and if he will make a statement. [211516]
Ms Blears: The Home Office has had not had any representations about the current level of violent crime in the Thames Valley area. The British Crime Survey which is the most reliable long-term indicator of underlying trends in violence suggests that nationally the levels of violent crime are stable, levelling off after significant falls—36 per cent. since a peak in 1995 and 26 per cent. since 1997. The most recent statistics show that violent crime has continued to fall by 9 per cent. in the year ending September 2004 but this is not statistically significant.
The Government remain committed to tackling violent crime and encourage local crime and disorder reduction partnerships to work together to tackle local problems.
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The Thames Valley area has a number of initiatives designed to do just this. Examples include:
A Nightsafe project established to encourage safe drinking including: working with licencees; door staff issues; transport for faster and safer journeys home and other factors facing the night-time economy.
A dedicated Domestic Violence Unit has been established to provide services to victims of domestic violence.
Operation Crater involves high visibility foot patrols in the High Street on Friday and Saturday nights.
Recent initiatives under Pub Watch have including the winding down of cheap drink promotions, premises holding photographs of people banned for causing trouble, and the expansion of searching at the door of all club-goers for weapons and/or drugs.
A one-stop shop has been created to deal with domestic violence, which includes encouraging reporting of hitherto under-reported crimes.
Visa Applications
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if the Senior Director of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in charge of Managed Migration was aware of Ms Casalme's visa application before 12 May 2003; [203229]
(2) whether the Senior Director of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in charge of Asylum Support, Casework and Appeals was aware of Ms Casalme's visa application before 12 May 2003; [203230]
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(3) whether the Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was aware of Ms Casalme's visa application before 12 May 2003; [203231]
(4) whether the Minister of State for Citizenship and Immigration was aware of Ms Casalme's visa application before 12 May 2003; [203234]
(5) whether the Permanent Secretary of the Department was aware of Ms Casalme's visa application before 12 May 2003; [203235]
(6) on how many occasions members of the Home Secretary's office staff met with (a) Mrs Quinn and (b) her representatives. [203237]
(7) how many Home Office representatives have met (a) Mrs. Quinn and (b) her representatives in an official capacity; and what were the (i) reasons for, (ii)times of and (iii) locations of each of these meetings were; [203238]
(8) if he will publish Leoncia Casalme's Home Office documentation file, subject to redaction to ensure MsCasalme's privacy; [203251]
(9) how many of his Department's officials were aware that Leoncia Casalme's visa application had been read by the Home Secretary or was in some way connected to him; [203252]
(10) for what reason Leoncia Casalme's indefinite leave to remain was granted before the four-year qualifying period had elapsed; [203253]
(11) whether (a) the Home Secretary and (b) his officials (i) made, (ii) recommended and (iii) suggested changes to Leoncia Casalme's visa application form. [203254];
(12) how the decision to put Leoncia Casalme's application into the fast-track scheme was made; [203255]
(13) if he will list the (a) name and (b) job title of each Home Office official who worked on the application for indefinite leave to remain made by Miss Leoncia Casalme in 2003; [205337]
(14) whether the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was contacted by officials in his Department concerning the application for indefinite leave to remain by Miss Leoncia Casalme in 2003; [205336]
(15) whether he was informed that his Department was informing applicants for indefinite leave to remain that their applications faced a delay of up to 12 months in April 2003. [205335]
Mr. Charles Clarke Sir Alan Budd was asked to conduct a review of the handling by the Home Office of the application for indefinite leave to remain by Leoncia Casalme in April 2003.
Sir Alan covered the relevant issues in the course of his review.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many applications were put into the official visa fast-track scheme; [203256]
(2) how long the average wait for a visa has been under the new fast-track scheme; [203257]
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(3) when the first visa was awarded under the fast-track scheme to clear the backlog; [203258]
(4) how many indefinite leave to remain visa applicants were told that they would have to wait and were then awarded those visas under his Department's official fast-track scheme to clear the backlog in 2003; [203259]
(5) how many applications for indefinite leave to remain based on the four-year qualifying residency period were eligible for the new fast-track scheme in 2003. [203260]
Mr. Charles Clarke: It had for some time been the practice to decide a significant proportion of applications on initial consideration. On 11 April 2003, prior to the introduction of charging on 1 August 2003, new guidance was issued encouraging caseworkers in Managed Migration to take more decisions at the point of initial consideration.
Between 11 April and 1 August 2003, 80,380 Leave to Remain (LTR) and 28,805 Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) applications (5,770 of which were based on the four-year residency period) were submitted by post. All of these would have been considered under the revised guidance.
For those LTR applications from that period where a decision has been made, the average processing time was 40 days. For those ILR applications from that period where a decision has been made, the average processing time was 50 days.
The target for applications received at the Public Enquiry Office is that they will be concluded on the same day.
Information on how many applicants would have received a notification advising of a possible delay to the processing of their applications is not collated centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The processing time is taken as the period between the date that the application was received in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate until the dispatch date. These figures are based on unvalidated information drawn from internal management systems, and there may be some data quality variations.
Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average processing time for an indefinite leave to remain visa based on the four-year residency requirement period was in the last period for which figures are available. [203261]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The average processing time for cases received by post in the period between August 2003 and November 2004 was 30 days for charged applications and 135 days for non-charged applications.
Applications received in the Public Enquiry Office (PEO) are expected to be completed in the same day. In the same period, 99 per cent. of charged cases and 60 per cent. of non charged cases in PEO were completed in a single day. For the PEO applications not completed on the same day the average processing time was 25 days for charged cases and 110 days for non charged applications.
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These figures are based on invalidated information drawn from internal management systems, and there may be some data quality variations.
Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many indefinite leave to remain applications have been refused for not fulfilling the four-year residency requirement in each year since 1997, broken down by month. [203262]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Data for each month from 1997 to 2003 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
The available data relate to refusals of settlement where the application is premature or inappropriate and will include varying residency requirements.
(59)These data relate to all refusals of premature or inappropriate applications, not just those not fulfilling the four-year residency requirement.
(60)Excludes dependants of principal applicants, the outcome of appeals and withdrawn applications.
(61)Provisional data.
Note:
Figures rounded to the nearest 5
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many indefinite leave to remain visas on the basis of the four-year residency requirement were granted in total in each year since 1997, broken down by month. [203263]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested is set out in the following table.
(62)Grants of settlement following four years with a work permit, permit free employment, businessmen, persons of independent means and Commonwealth citizens with a UK born grandparent taking or seeking employment. Includes their spouses and dependants.
(63)Excludes asylum related grants.
(64)Provisional data.
Note:
Figures rounded to nearest 5.
Data for each month from 1997–2003 could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
31 Jan 2005 : Column 708W
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many indefinite leave to remain visas have been granted before the end of the four-year residency requirement period in each year since 1997, broken down by month. [203264]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Data of this nature is not collated centrally, and would be available only at disproportionate cost.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) median, (b) shortest and (c) longest length of time taken to complete the processing of a visa application has been since 1997. [203265]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested on Leave to Remain (LTR) and Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) applications, is set out in the table.
| Shortest | Median | Longest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leave to remain | |||
| 2002 | Less than 1 | 35 | 1,035 |
| 2003 | Less than 1 | 15 | 675 |
| 2004 | Less than 1 | 15 | 335 |
| Indefinite leave to remain | |||
| 2002 | Less than 1 | 40 | 1,045 |
| 2003 | Less than 1 | 15 | 335 |
| 2004 | Less than 1 | 25 | 690 |
Notes:
1.Comparable data is not available prior to 2002 due to changes in data recording between old and existing databases.
2.The information for 2004 is for the period between 1 January 2004 and 6 December 2004.
3.The processing time is taken as the period between the date on which the application was received and the date on which a decision was dispatched.
4.These figures are based on unvalidated information drawn from internal management systems, and there may be data quality variations.
5.Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long the average visa application took in the latest period for which figures are available. [203266]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The information requested is set out in the table.
| LTR (days) | ILR (days) | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 85 | 110 |
| 2003 | 40 | 60 |
| 2004 | 30 | 45 |
Comparable data is not available prior to 2002 due to changes in data recording between old and existing databases. The information for 2004 is for the period between 1 January 2004 and 6 December 2004.
The processing time is taken as the period between the date on which the application was received and the date on which a decision was dispatched.
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These figures are based on invalidated information drawn from internal management systems, and there may be data quality variations.
Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.
David Davis:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visa applications have
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been (a) made and (b) approved in each year since 1997, broken down by month and type of visa. [203267]
Mr. Charles Clarke: The available statistics relate to applications for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) and Leave to Remain (LTR), and are given as follows. Data for each month could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Information on applications made is not published or available for the period requested.
* = not applicable.
(65)Includes a small number of EEA nationals.
(66)Provisional.
(67)Includes ministers of religion, writers and artists. Includes also EC nationals up to 1993, and EEA nationals from 1994 accepted on employment grounds.
(68)Two or less.
(69)Includes persons granted settlement under measures aimed at reducing the pre-July backlog as announced in the White Paper in July 1998. The 1999 figures may be underestimates.
(70)Includes Commonwealth citizens ordinarily resident on 1 January 1973 and for five years.
(71)Includes unmarried partners.
(72)Includes those dependants of port asylum seekers given indefinite leave to enter (since 27 July 1998).
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(73)Excludes dependants of principal applicants, asylum related decisions, the outcome of appeals and withdrawn applications.
(74)Excludes settlement.
(75)Provisional.
(76)Includes writers and artists.
(77)Includes investors and innovators.
(78)Data include unmarried partners.
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