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Fixed Penalty Notices
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices were not paid in Lancashire in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005. [54659]
Paul Goggins: The only data available at this time comes from the penalty notices for disorder database held by the RDS-OCJR. It shows that of the 5,077 penalty notices issued in Lancashire in 2004, 2,666 were reported as not being paid in full, and provisional data from January to October 2005 shows that of the 8,699 penalty notices issued in Lancashire in 2004, 4,592 were reported as not being paid in full.
The latest available information collected by the RDS-OCJR on the number of fixed penalty notices for motoring offences is for 2002 and can be found within the Home Office publication, 'Offences relating to motor vehicles England and Wales 2003, Supplementary tables 2003', Tables 21 (a) to 21 (c) refers. Copy is available in the Library and can also be accessed on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics (RDS) website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.htm.
2003 data will be available in the 2004 publication due at the end of March 2006. 2004 data will be available in the 2005 publication due early in 2007.
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Under the Road Traffic Act 1991, Decriminalised Parking Enforcement (DPE) powers allow local authorities to take over responsibility for enforcing parking contraventions from the police. 2003 data on penalty charge notices (PCNs) from individual local authorities operating decriminalised parking enforcement can also be found in the above mentioned publication, tables 22(a) to 22(b) refers.
Identity Cards
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his oral statement of 13 February 2006, Official Report, column 1171, on identity cards, what the evidential basis was for his statement that a number of countries, including the US, propose to have 13 sets of biometric data per person on a centrally held database. [57293]
Andy Burnham: I am clear from discussions with my opposite numbers internationally that a number of other countries, including the United States are likely to move to using 13 biometrics in due course, based on face fingerprints and iris biometrics. The use of multiple biometrics has been accepted in principle in the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Blueprint for machine readable travel documents which has been accepted by the 188 ICAO contracting states and includes the face as the primary mandatory biometric and iris or fingerprints as secondary and optional biometrics.
The United States already has one of the leading biometric systems to identify visitors, the US VISIT" system. When announced in April 2003, it was made clear that it would use biometrics which could include facial image, fingerprints and iris images. Although it currently requires all foreign visitors to the United States to enrol facial image and two index fingerprints on entry, the United States Secretary of Homeland Security said in July 2005 that, in the future, first-time visitors to the United States will be enrolled in the US VISIT" system by submitting 10 fingerprints. 10 fingerprint biometrics will also be used in the US in the Registered Traveller Program" which has piloted the use of fingerprint and iris biometrics along the lines of our own Iris Recognition Immigration System (IRIS) to allow for fast track immigration clearance of registered passengers.
International Organisation for Migration
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people are registered with the International Organisation for Migration and awaiting voluntary return under the voluntary assisted return and reintegration programme, broken down by nationality. [57161]
Mr. McNulty:
The number of people, split by nationality, who have applied for, been approved and are waiting return under VARRP (Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme) are listed in the following table. This information is correct as on 8 March.
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Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long, on average, the International Organisation for Migration is taking to complete arrangements for voluntary return under the voluntary assisted return and reintegration programme in the case of applicants from (a) Iraq, (b) the Democratic Republic of Congo, (c) Eritrea, (d) Ethiopia, (e) Somalia, (f) Iran and (g) all nationalities. [57162]
Mr. McNulty: There is not an average amount of time that it takes IOM to complete the arrangement for voluntary return to any country since the time of departure is dependant on when the applicant wishes to leave the UK.
IOM send all applications for voluntary return to IND within 24 hours of IOM receiving them. IND then approves or rejects applications within five working days. From the date that IND approves an application, the applicants have three months in which to leave the UK, this applies to all nationalities except Iraqis who have six months in which to leave the UK.
The returnee informs IOM of when they wish to return which may be within days or it may at the end of the three month period. This period of time enables the returnee to choose when they wish to travel to take account of their own personal preferences, circumstances and put their affairs in order.
Parliamentary Questions
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to questions (a) 50928, (b) 50948, (c) 50322 and (d) 50261 on identity cards. [54258]
Andy Burnham: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers given on the following dates:
People Trafficking
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to combat the trafficking of young women from Eastern Europe for the purposes of the sex industry in Cambridgeshire; and if he will make a statement. [55737]
Paul Goggins: The Government have a comprehensive strategy to combat human trafficking which includes legislation, effective law enforcement, international cooperation, prevention measures and support for victims.
The Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office are both involved in capacity building projects and awareness raising campaigns on trafficking in source and transit countries in Eastern Europe to prevent women being trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation. In addition, we are currently drawing up a joint action plan with Lithuania.
Whilst I cannot comment on any operational activity that Cambridgeshire police may currently be engaged in, the police in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in February launched Operation Pentameter, a co-ordinated national campaign which is focussed on dealing with the criminal organisations that profit from human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
Police (Drug Testing Equipment)
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of drug testing equipment supplied by companies other than Cozart Bioscience Ltd. [40320]
Paul Goggins: A competition under the EU directives resulted in the award of a contract in December 2003 for the provision of oral fluid drug testing kits used in police custody suites. As part of the competition process, a paper evaluation made of technical specifications for systems submitted by bidders resulted in contract award to Cozart plc. No further assessments were undertaken.
A competition under the EU directives resulting in the award of two framework agreements for the provision of oral fluid drug testing kits and associated confirmatory drug testing services to National Probation Service areas was concluded in July 2005. The two successful companies were Cozart plc and SureScreen Diagnostics Ltd.
As part of the evaluation process leading to the award of these frameworks, individual test kit samples and equipment together with technical data on the kits were submitted, by all" bidders, for assessment, to determine whether they met the technical requirements as set out in the competition specification. As part of the evaluation process there was no requirement for samples to be submitted for field tests.
An assessment undertaken by the National Offender Management Service concluded that oral fluid testing (all variations on that theme) currently did not meet requirements for drug testing in prisons.
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