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24 Oct 2005 : Column 44W—continued
Mobile Telephones (Driving Offences)
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many fixed penalty notices have been issued in England and Wales for offences involving using hand-held mobile telephones when driving a motor vehicle; [17960]
(2) how many fixed penalty notices have been issued for offences while driving a motor vehicle and using a hand-held mobile telephone in the South Wales Police Force area. [17973]
Paul Goggins: The new offence of driving whilst using a hand-held mobile telephone was introduced from 1 December 2003. In the first month of the new offence, within England and Wales, 1,888 fixed penalty notices were issued for the offence. These are the latest available figures. None were issued by South Wales police. 2004 data will be available in early 2006.
Passports
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the identification requirements are for a UK passport photograph of a person who is wearing a burka or other face-covering apparel. [19048]
Andy Burnham [holding answer 18 October 2005]: All passport photographs must show the passport holder's full face. Headwear worn for religious reasons is permitted, provided the full face can still be seen and there are no shadows on the face.
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the photographic identification requirements for identity cards in the Identity Cards Bill are to be the same as those currently used for UK passport applications. [19049]
Andy Burnham [holding answer 18 October 2005]: The photograph used on identity cards will, like the photographs used for passports, need to comply with International Civil Aviation Organisation recommendations for Machine-Readable Travel Documents. It may also need to comply with other requirements (resolution, etc.) for the purposes of being usable by the facial recognition technology eventually chosen by the scheme.
Whereas photographs currently used for passports are supplied by the applicant, the photograph used for the Identity Card will be taken at a meeting at one of the enrolment centres operated by the scheme.
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time was between receipt of a request for the return of documents by the Home Office Passport Unit and the issuing of a loss of passport letter in (a) 1997–98, (b) 2001–02, (c) 2002–03, (d) 2003–04, (e) 2004–05 and (f) 2005 to date; and if he will make a statement. [18970]
Andy Burnham: Information on the average time between receipt of a request for the return of documents by the Home Office Passport Unit and the issuing of a loss of passport letter would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Refugees
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the human rights records of the top 10 refugee producing countries in 2004. [18751]
Mr. McNulty: Home Office Country of Origin Information Service produces Country of Origin Information Reports on the 20 countries that generate the most asylum applications to the UK. These documents focus on human rights issues and are compiled from material produced by external information sources including the US State Department, UNHCR, human rights organisations and news media. The reports are not 'assessments' but brief summaries of the original source material and do not contain any Home Office policy or opinion. They are published on the Home Office website twice yearly, at the end of April and October. Bulletins are issued in between editions of the reports where updates on significant events are required.
Home Office Asylum and Appeals Policy Directorate produces Operational Guidance Notes on the top 20 countries generating asylum applicants and other countries where there is an operational need. These documents provide a brief summary of the general, political and human rights situation in the country and details of common types of claims. They aim to provide clear guidance for caseworkers on whether the main
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types of claim are likely to justify the grant of asylum, Humanitarian Protection or Discretionary leave. Operational Guidance Notes are also published on the Home Office website www.homeoffice.gov.uk .
Secure Training Centres
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the Youth Justice Board's report on the use of restraint in secure training centres. [12128]
Fiona Mactaggart: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 16 June 2005, Official Report, column 604W.
Skills Advisory Body
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he expects the reports of the Skills Advisory Body to be published in full; [18753]
(2) what the proposed terms of reference of the Skills Advisory Body are. [18754]
Mr. McNulty: No decision has yet been taken on the terms of reference or the nature of the output of the proposed Skills Advisory Body. This is currently out for consultation along with the other proposals for a points based system for managed migration. The consultation closes on 7 November.
Visas
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visas for temporary stays in the United Kingdom have been issued in each year since 2000. [18235]
Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.
The information on visas issued for non-settlement in the United Kingdom in each year since 2000, is as follows:
| Non-settlement visas issued | |
|---|---|
| 2000(10) | 1,430,574 |
| 2001–02(11) | 1,495,472 |
| 2002–03(11) | 1,592,421 |
| 2003–04(11) | 1,766,170 |
(10) This figure represents visas issued in the calendar year.
(11) These figures represent visas issued in the financial year.
The statistics provided for the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 are publicly available on the UKvisas website at www.ukvisas.gov.uk—"Entry Clearance: Facts and Figures". UKvisas is the department responsible for entry clearance overseas. Figures for April 2004 to March 2005 are due to be published on the website shortly.
Work Permits
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits were issued in each of the last five years to individuals working in (a) health care and (b) social care. [18593]
Mr. McNulty:
Figures for individuals working in social care are not identified separately. However work permits issued for the Health Care Industry include
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social care approvals. The numbers of work permits issued in each of the last five years for these sectors are as follows:
| Work permits issued | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 19,961 |
| 2001 | 30,576 |
| 2002 | 38,456 |
| 2003 | 44,443 |
| 2004 | 48,493 |
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-European Economic Area foreign nationals were granted permits in 2004 to work in the United Kingdom. [18757]
Mr. McNulty: Work permit approvals in 2004 totalled 156,275.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what proportion of jobs for successful applicants under the Worker Registration Scheme covering the new EU accession states have been in (a) hospitality and catering, (b) administration, business and management, (c) agriculture, (d) manufacturing, (e) food processing and (f) other; [18758]
(2) what the age profile is of the successful applicants under the worker registration scheme covering the new EU accession states; [18759]
(3) what proportion of successful applicants under the worker registration scheme covering the new EU accession states have (a) applied for and (b) been granted state benefits. [18760]
Mr. McNulty: On 1 May 2004 the Government set up the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) to regulate Accession eight nationals' access to the labour market and to restrict access to benefits.
The Government committed to publish data from the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS) on a quarterly basis. The latest quarterly statistics for the period 1 May 2004 to 30 June 2005 were published on 23 August 2005. The report gives details of the employment sectors in which Accession eight nationals are registered, the age profile of the applicants and access to benefits by Accession nationals.
A copy of the report is available on the IND website:
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the future of the seasonal agricultural workers scheme. [18762]
Mr. McNulty:
On 19 July 2005 the Home Secretary published a consultation document on a new system for managed migration: Introducing a new (points-based) system for managed migration to the UK. The purpose of the document is to explain the proposals, including the Government's thinking on the development of schemes for the admission of low-skilled workers from outside the EEA, and seek the views of our customers and stakeholders.
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The future of the seasonal agricultural workers scheme (SAWS) is being considered as part of this consultation. Officials met with representatives from the agricultural sector on 6 October to discuss the options for future low-skilled migration routes for the agricultural sector.
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