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16 Jan 2006 : Column 1141W—continued
Rental Costs
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid by the Immigration and Nationality Service in rent for properties (a) in total, (b) in each (i) region and (ii) nation of the UK and (c) in London in 2004–05. [39162]
Mr. McNulty: The information is as follows.
The total amount paid by the Immigration and Nationality Service in rent for properties was £34,666,400 broken down as follows:
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid in rent for properties by the (a) Forensic Science Service, (b) Criminal Records Bureau and (c) UK Passport Service in 2004–05; and how much was paid in (i) each (A) region and (B) nation of the UK and (ii) London. [39164]
Mr. Charles Clarke: Rental payments made by Forensic Science Service, Criminal Records Bureau and UK Passport Service during financial year 2004–05 are given in the following table:
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The FSS provide services to England and Wales, CRB to England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and UKPS provides services to the whole of the United Kingdom.
Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid by the Prisons Service in rent for properties in 2004–05; and how much was paid in (a) each (i) region and (ii) nation of the UK and (b) London. [39168]
Fiona Mactaggart: Rent paid by the public sector Prison Service in England and Wales on properties in 2004–05 was as follows:
The Prison Service does not pay rent on its London headquarters buildings, as these form part of the Home Office estate. Rent paid to other Government Departments has been excluded. Data for the South West region includes rent paid for the mooring of the floating facility Weare. The Prison Service does not rent property in Wales. Information about properties in Scotland and Northern Ireland may be obtained from the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office respectively.
Rural Police Stations
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of rural police stations in England are permanently manned. [39735]
Hazel Blears: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Serious Organised Crime Agency
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role the Serious and Organised Crime Agency plays in countering (a) terrorism and (b) domestic extremism. [40554]
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Paul Goggins: The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) will have the function of preventing and detecting serious organised crime and contributing to the reduction of such crime and of the harm it causes.
Its main priorities will be those serious organised crime threats identified by the UK threat assessment, which are trafficking in Class A drugs, organised illegal immigration, fraud, money laundering, criminal use of firearms and e-crime. SOCA will not have a direct role in countering terrorism and domestic extremism, although it may provide support to those agencies which do have responsibility for these areas.
Mr. Gauke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency. [40559]
Paul Goggins: The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) will not come into existence until 1 April 2006. The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 requires SOCA to produce an Annual Plan and an Annual Report.
Sex Abuse
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department (a) has had and (b) plans to have with (i) voluntary organisations and (ii) other departments on raising awareness in school age children of how to report incidents of sexual abuse. [38563]
Paul Goggins: As part of the stocktake on the Sexual Offences Act 2003, my officials have contacted a number of organisations and sought their views on the operation of the Act. Officials also hosted a number of meetings with representatives from the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and non-governmental organisations (NGO) representing people with learning difficulties and adult victims of sexual assault. The need to increase the reporting of offending was raised during these discussions. The specific issue of increasing reporting by child victims of sexual abuse has been raised during the stocktake and is something my officials will take forward with child protection NGOs and other Government Departments in the spring of this year.
Skilled Migrants
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what projections he has made of the number of immigrants likely to be admitted to the United Kingdom each year under the terms of his tier 2 (skilled migrants) category. [36944]
Mr. McNulty: The intention in designing the new system to ensure that those who can contribute most to the UK are selected for entry and that the country takes in the people our economy needs at any one time.
In a flexible and dynamic labour market like the UK it is impractical to forecast the number of people the UK will need. We want to design a system which is flexible enough to respond to the needs of the labour market and any changes to it. Tier two is an employer-led route, so the numbers of migrants who enter under that route will depend on how many skilled migrants employers want
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to sponsor, subject to ensuring where appropriate that the domestic UK and EU labour force is not displaced by migrant labour.
Firm proposals and a plan for implementation of the new system will be published later this year in response to the consultation exercise which ran from 19 July to 7 November.
Terrorism
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been arrested under anti-terrorist legislation in each of the last 24 months; and for what period each was held before (a) being charged and (b) being released without charge. [40599]
Hazel Blears: Statistics on arrests and charges under the Terrorism Act 2000, from 11 September 2001 until 30 September 2005 are available on the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism-act/. These are compiled from recent police records and are therefore subject to change as cases go through the system.
The statistics you have requested are not available in the format you have requested. The following table provides information on those held for a period in excess of seven days for 2004 and 2005. The maximum period of detention pre-charge following an arrest under the Terrorism Act 2000 was extended to 14 days with effect from 20 January 2004. Between that date and 4 September 2005, 357 people were arrested of whom 36 have been held for in excess of seven days. The breakdown of these cases is detailed in the following table.
Mr. Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been held under anti-terrorism legislation since 2001; and under which Act each was held. [40651]
Hazel Blears:
Detention under anti-terrorism legislation is provided for following an arrest under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. The latest figures for
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arrests are published on the Home Office website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/security/terrorism-and-the-law/terrorism-act.
These statistics have been supplied by the police. They are compiled from recent police records and are therefore subject to adjustment as cases go through the system. These statistics reflect the operation of specific terrorism legislation. It is important to remember that it is, and will continue to be the case, that terrorist suspects are dealt with by the most appropriate legal means. This could be the legislation for murder, grievous bodily harm or the use of firearms or explosives which are all outside the scope of the Terrorism Act.
In addition 17 people were certified under Part four of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act (ATCSA) 2001. Of these, 16 were certified and detained, and one certified but detained under other powers. Sections 21–32 of the ATCSA 2001 were repealed on 11 March 2005 when the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 came into force.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of interrogation has been for suspects questioned under anti-terrorism legislation in each of the last 24 months. [40593]
Hazel Blears: The maximum period of detention pre-charge following an arrest under the Terrorism Act 2000 was extended to 14 days with effect from 20 January 2004. Between that date and 4 September 2005, 357 people were arrested of whom 36 have been held for in excess of seven days. The breakdown of these cases is detailed in the following table. Details of the length of time questioning took place for each of these cases is not collated centrally.
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