| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
14 Nov 2005 : Column 971W—continued
Primary Care Trusts (Oxfordshire)
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions there were between her Department and the Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority on putting primary care trust commissioning in Oxfordshire out to tender prior to its announcement. [26270]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 9 November 2005]: No discussions were held with Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority (SHA) regarding their proposals prior to their submissions. We wanted SHAs, in partnership with local stakeholders, to identify various options for the reconfiguration of PCTs locally, which would then be assessed by the external panel against the criteria in Commissioning a Patient-led NHS". If the proposals are adjudged to meet these, they will be subject to full public consultation.
Primary Schools
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's policy is on healthy eating in primary schools. [25211]
Caroline Flint:
The Department encourages both primary and secondary schools to take a whole school approach to healthy eating and drinking and would like to see all schools become healthy schools. A number of initiatives are in place to support primary schools in achieving this.
14 Nov 2005 : Column 972W
The Department is supporting the Department for Education and Skills led work to develop new school food standards. Proposals which set out new nutrient and food based standards for school lunches are currently out for consultation. There is also an intention to extend these standards to cover other food and drink across the school day. The Government are investing £235 million over the next three years to support the transformation in school food—£130 million for local authorities, £90 million for schools and £15 million for a new school food trust, to provide independent advice and support to schools.
The national healthy schools programme has been strengthened to include healthy eating and physical activity as core components. 50 per cent. of schools should achieve the new national healthy school status by December 2006, with all schools participating in the programme by 2009.
The recently launched food in schools toolkit provides resources and guidance to inspire and support schools in developing a range of healthy eating initiatives such as healthier breakfast clubs, vending machines, lunch boxes through to after school cookery and growing clubs. Healthy schools coordinators have been trained on the toolkit, and are now supporting schools through local training events.
As part of the school fruit and vegetable scheme all four to six-year-old children in local education authority maintained infant, primary and special schools throughout England are now eligible to receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable.
Silicone Ankle Foot Orthoses
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether silicone ankle foot orthoses are available free of charge to sufferers of Charcot Marie Tooth disease; and if she will make a statement. [27210]
Jane Kennedy: Orthoses, including silicone ankle foot orthoses, are provided free of charge to users on the national health service on the basis of assessed clinical need. Patients are encouraged to discuss their orthoses prescription with the orthotist and health care professional team concerned.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Alcohol Sales
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many alcohol retailers have lost their licences in each of the last five years as a result of selling alcohol to children. [18846]
James Purnell: I have been asked to reply.
These statistics are not held centrally. Licensing statistics are collected from the courts every three years and the last DCMS Statistical Bulletin on liquor licensing in England and Wales covers the period 2003 to 2004. Prior to 2004, these statistics were collated and published by the Home Office. Figures for the number of alcohol licences revoked in the year to 30 June for 2001 and 2004 are available and shown in the table.
14 Nov 2005 : Column 973W
| Year to 30 June | Total on-licensed premises | Total off-licensed premises | Total on- and off-licensed premises |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 132 | 51 | 183 |
| 2004 | 273 | 81 | 354 |
No breakdown is available for the reasons why the licensing justices decided to revoke these licences and it is not therefore known what percentage were the result of selling alcohol to children.
In addition, under the Licensing Act 1964, following a second or subsequent conviction of a justices' licence holder for selling alcohol to children, the convicting court may declare the licence forfeit. There are no centrally held records of the number of licences forfeited for this reason.
Asylum Seekers/Immigration
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juvenile asylum seekers are being held in (a) reception centres, (b) detention centres and (c) removal centres. [19033]
Mr. McNulty: The number of children detained with their families under Immigration Act powers will change from day to day. However, internal management information shows that, as at 12 October, there were 53 children detained with their families under Immigration Act powers. These figures are not broken down into asylum and non-asylum cases.
The Home Office produces a quarterly snapshot of the number of persons held under Immigration Act powers for the last Saturday of each quarter. The number of persons who had claimed asylum at some stage and were under the age of 18 on 25 June 2005, and where they were detained, is shown in the table.
Information on the total number of persons detained under Immigration Act powers are published on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
(30) Figures rounded to the nearest five, with * = 1 or 2, and exclude persons detained in police cells and those in dual detention.
(31) Persons detained under Immigration Act powers who are recorded as having sought asylum at some stage.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the quality assurance systems for management of the asylum process, referred to on page 107 of the 2005 departmental report. [26644]
Mr. McNulty:
A comprehensive Decision Quality Action Plan is in place to address identified needs for improvement in the quality of initial asylum decisions. Additionally, we are working closely with the UNHCR,
14 Nov 2005 : Column 974W
through the Quality Initiative Project, to further improve the decision-making processes. Information on the quality of initial asylum decisions is published annually. Information relating to asylum decisions in 2004 was published in the annual bulletin Asylum Statistics 2004. Copies are available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html>
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum applications are being considered through fast-track detained processes. [26669]
Mr. McNulty: Information on the percentage of asylum claims being considered through fast-track detained processes is not currently available. However, the maximum capacity of the detained fast track is approximately 988 a month.
Information on cases accepted at Oakington Reception Centre and Harmondsworth Fast Track are published quarterly and annually. Copies of which are available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Mr. McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dawn raids have been undertaken in asylum cases in Scotland in each of the last four years. [25314]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 3 November 2005]: Records relating to the number of enforcement visits conducted are only readily available since 1 April 2005.
Between 1 April 2005 and 30 September 2005 records show that 112 enforcement home visits were conducted in Scotland. The vast majority of these relate to failed asylum seekers. The times when the actual visits conducted will occur after the teams have commenced their duties and this will vary from operation to operation.
Enforcement operations are intelligence led. The time at which they are conducted is decided on a case by case basis and is designed to give maximum opportunity of locating the individual.
Mr. Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of people who have settled permanently (a) legally and (b) illegally in the UK in each year since 1980. [25448]
Mr. McNulty: Statistics on persons granted settlement in the United Kingdom since 1960 was published in Table 5.6 of the annual Command Paper Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2003". Copies are available from the Library of the House and on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
The 2004 edition is due to be published on 22 November 2005.
No government has ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who settle in the UK illegally, during the course of a year.
14 Nov 2005 : Column 975W
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the level of working by illegal immigrants in the Kettering constituency. [17680]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 14 October 2005]: Information on the numbers or level of illegal migrants working in the Kettering area is not available. It is not possible to collect data on illegal migrants as by their very nature they remain hidden.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employers have been prosecuted for employing illegal immigrants in each year since 1997. [21841]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Information on the number of persons proceeded against under section 8 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1996 for employing a person subject to immigration control is published annually in the Control of Immigration Command Paper. The 2004 Command Paper, which will contain the number of persons proceeded against in 2004 will be published on 22 November.
The published statistics are available on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website:
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |