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Security Industry (Regulation)
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many unregistered door supervisors the Security Industry Authority permitted to work through their Approved Contractors Scheme on the latest date for which figures are available; [11314]
(2) what assessment he has made of whether the Security Industry Authority's Approved Contractor Scheme is consistent with the recommendations of the Better Regulation Taskforce; [11316]
(3) whether he has met the National Security Inspectorate to discuss their concerns about the Security Industry Authority's Approved Contractor Scheme. [11317]
Hazel Blears:
The Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) under the Private Security Industry Act (SIA) 2001 has not yet been implemented. The Home Office is currently working with the SIA and others to prepare a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) consultation document and has sought advice from the Better Regulation Taskforce. It will be issued for public consultation shortly. I will meet the National Security Inspectorate in early autumn to discuss their concerns on a variety of matters including the Approved Contractor Scheme.
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Speed Cameras
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many motorists have been penalised as a result of the speed camera at the southern end of the M11. [11963]
Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
Information on penalties generated by individual speed cameras is not collected centrally.
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is given to police forces with regard to their participation in safety camera partnerships. [11711]
Hazel Blears: There is no such guidance. Decisions as to participation in the national safety camera scheme are an operational matter for individual chief officers of police.
UK Ancestry Visa
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the conditions are for granting a UK ancestry visa; how long applicants can be out of the United Kingdom on holiday or business without such absences affecting an application for indefinite leave to remain; and what changes to the rules have been made in the past five years. [12035]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 14 July 2005]: A Commonwealth citizen, aged 17 or over, who is able to show that one of his grandparents was born in the United Kingdom and Islands, that he intends to take or seek employment here and is able to maintain and accommodate himself without recourse to public funds may be granted leave and entry clearance on the basis of his United Kingdom ancestry. A person holding such an entry clearance will normally be admitted for an initial period of four years, and may apply for settlement at the end of that period.
In order to qualify for entry to the United Kingdom under UK ancestry, an applicant would need to prove that he/she:
is a Commonwealth citizen; and holds a valid United Kingdom entry clearance for entry in this capacity or has previously been granted an extension of stay in this capacity;
is able to provide proof that one of his grandparents was born in the United Kingdom and Islands; and
will be able to maintain and accommodate himself and any dependants without recourse to public funds; and
In assessing whether or not an applicant has fulfilled the current requirement to have spent four years in continuous residence in the same capacity, short absences abroad, for example for holidays (consistent with annual paid leave) or business trips (consistent with maintaining employment or self-employment in the United Kingdom), may be disregarded, provided he has clearly continued to be based here.
In addition, time spent here in this capacity may exceptionally be aggregated, and continuity not insisted upon, in cases where there have been no absences abroad apart from those described above and authorised employment has not been broken by any interruptions of more than three months or amounting to more than six months in all. The only change that has been made to the UK ancestry rules in the last five years is the no switching for UK ancestry policy which was introduced on 25 October 2004. A person seeking leave to enter on the basis of United Kingdom ancestry must hold an entry clearance for that purpose. Leave to remain will only be granted if the person entered the United Kingdom with holding a UK ancestry entry clearance based on their UK ancestry or if they had previously been granted leave to remain on the basis of UK ancestry. A person cannot switch into this category after entry to the United Kingdom.
No other changes have been made in the last five years.
Uninsured Drivers
Mr. Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers were prosecuted for driving without insurance in each of the last three years, broken down by police authority area. [12618]
Paul Goggins: Information from the Home Office court proceedings database on the number of defendants prosecuted for driving with no insurance, by police authority area, 2001–03 is contained in the table.
Statistics for 2004 will be available in the autumn.
(101)These data are on the principal offence basis
(102)Includes City of London
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Violent Crime
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on how the sport of airsoft will be affected by the provisions of the Violent Crime Reduction Bill. [12956]
Hazel Blears: Only realistic imitation firearms will be caught by the proposed ban on manufacture, import or sale; owners of existing airsoft guns will be able to retain and use them. We are currently considering representations about the effect the Violent Crime Reduction Bill will have on airsoft games and whether any exemptions from the provisions of the Bill would be appropriate.
Vulnerable Witnesses
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the intermediary scheme provided for in the special measures for vulnerable witnesses of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 will be rolled-out nationally. [11294]
Fiona Mactaggart:
The intermediary special measure is currently being piloted in Devon and Cornwall, Merseyside, West Midlands, Thames Valley, Norfolk and South Wales. The pilot is being evaluated in order to identify good practice to provide a model for national roll out. Evaluation will continue until March 2006 after
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which a decision on the precise timetable for full implementation of the scheme across England and Wales will be taken.
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the intermediary scheme provided for in the special measures for vulnerable witnesses of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999. [11296]
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Fiona Mactaggart: The intermediary special measure is currently being piloted in Devon and Cornwall, Merseyside, West Midlands, Thames Valley, Norfolk and South Wales. The pilot is currently being evaluated in order to identify good practice to provide a model for national roll out. Emerging findings have shown that intermediaries are enabling access to justice for some of the most vulnerable people in society.