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Port Security
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 July 2006, Official Report, column 1676W, on port security, for how long each day the port of Swansea has immigration, customs and security services present; and which ports' immigration, customs and security teams provide an out-of-hours service to the port of Swansea. [86449]
Mr. Byrne: Small ports, like Swansea, are staffed in a targeted way based on risk and supported by reliable intelligence. It is believed to be the most effective method of countering the overall threat, and the best use of the finite staff resources.
This information cannot be disclosed as this would provide information of value to those seeking to circumvent HM Revenue & Customs' controls, thereby prejudicing the prevention and detection of crime.
Prisoners
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many British criminals sentenced to custody abroad have been deported to the UK after sentence in each of the last five years. [68802]
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South West Devon (Mr. Streeter) on 19 June 2006, Official Report, column 1670W.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2005, Official Report, column 57W, on prisoners, if he will confirm that the figures provided for 2004-05 are for the first three quarters of the year; and when the figures for January to March 2005 will be available. [30985]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The figures in respect of prisoners released on parole licence were the figures for the whole year as reported by the Parole Board in its annual report 2004-05. The Parole Board has confirmed that it has not been notified of any further charges since the answer was laid.
The figures in respect of prisoners released on to the home detention curfew scheme were the figures for the year as a whole as notified to the Home Office at the point the question was laid. Data in respect of re-offending on the home detention curfew scheme are changing constantly as new information is received. This is because notifications of further offences either by the police or other criminal justice agencies is supplemented by a quarterly interrogation of the police national computer or through notification of acquittals or withdrawal of charges.
The total number of charges as currently notified to the Home Office in respect of prisoners on the home detention curfew scheme for the whole of the year 2004-05 is 1,313. This figure is likely to be further amended as new information is received.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people, who were later found not to be guilty of the offences for which they were imprisoned, were imprisoned in England and Wales in each year since 1998. [49865]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate costs.
Prisons
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the relative efficiency of the Prison Service and the private sector in delivering penal services; and if he will make a statement. [48507]
Mr. Sutcliffe: The relative efficiency of public sector and private sector delivery of penal services has been assessed through market testing. Each of the four prisons which had been managed by the private sector after opening in the early 1990s was market tested before the expiry of their contracts. In the case of two, Blakenhurst and Buckley Hall, the management was won by the Prison Service. The private sector retained the management of the other two, Doncaster and Wolds. In addition the Prison Service managed Manchester in accordance with a service level agreement (SLA) following a market test after it re-opened in 1994. The management was market tested again, in 2000, and the Prison Service won the competition and was awarded a new SLA.
The individual efficiency of all prisons, including the nine prisons designed, constructed, managed and financed under the private finance initiative, is assessed quarterly through the performance rating system which comprises a raft of performance measures such as cost performance and findings from external inspections.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are used to determine whether a prison is meeting the obligations contained in its service level agreement. [63294]
Mr. Byrne: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) requires Service Providers to deliver high quality services as specified in the Service Level Agreement (SLA), including high performance against an operational requirements specification. Each SLA contains a Performance Measurement System (PMS) that is designed to measure the Service Providers’ delivery of the operational requirements in key areas over an agreed period.
Compliance with the requirements of the SLA includes achieving all Service Delivery Targets and providing NOMS with quality assurance systems, principally through a comprehensive self-audit programme supplemented with a range of policy documents and procedural guidance to staff; together with a meetings structure that ensures performance, standards and contractual compliance is achieved.
Private Finance Initiative
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what total amount private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible which went over budget did so in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [83649]
Mr. Byrne: I am advised that none of the private finance initiative projects for which the Home Department is responsible went over budget in the last five years.
Public Bodies (Reorganisation)
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he plans to take to ensure that the consultation on non-departmental public bodies includes Welsh organisations. [88175]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 25 July 2006]: In the Home Office Action Plan, From Improvement to Transformation, we announced an in-depth review of the Home Office's non-departmental public bodies. We have already written to the bodies concerned and we aim to consult as widely as possible when we begin to develop our proposals.
Public Information
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on his Department's public relations and information services in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [48957]
Mr. Byrne: Information services are defined as websites and phone lines set up for campaigns. The following table shows expenditure on phone lines established for campaigns.
| Phone line information service expenditure by year | |||
| £ | |||
| Police recruitment | Car security | Year of the volunteer | |
To obtain the information regarding websites would incur disproportionate costs.
Public relations are handled by the Department's press office—costs for the last five years are in the following table.
Questionnaires
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) questionnaires, (b) statistical inquiries and (c) investigations have been carried out wholly or partly at public expense on behalf of or by his Department or public bodies for which he is responsible in each year since 1997; and what the (i) nature, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost was in each case. [83177]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Russian Orchestras
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the cost of visas and work permits for visiting orchestras from Russia; and if he will make a statement. [72174]
Mr. Byrne: Proposals for recovering, through fees and charges, the costs of the new Points Based System are at an early stage of development. Alongside developing these, we have continued to engage with key stakeholders, including representatives from the Arts and Entertainment sector and are aware of the issues surrounding touring groups such as visiting orchestras. We will be undertaking a public consultation on fees and charges in the autumn.
Science Applications International Corporation
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total value was of contracts entered into by his Department with Science Applications International Corporation in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [87567]
Mr. Byrne: From available records, the total value of contracts entered into by the Home Department with Science Applications International Corporation in each year since 1997 is as follows:
| Total value of contracts (£) | |
| (1)
Value includes a contract initially entered with another company that
was subsequently acquired by
SAIC. | |
Security Industry
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are in place to ensure that persons applying for a security licence from the Security Industry Authority are not asylum seekers. [75665]
Mr. Byrne: Employers have clear legal responsibilities under the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 which makes it a criminal offence to employ a person who is subject to immigration control unless that person has permission to work in the UK. The possession of a Security Industry Authority licence does not give a person a right to work in the UK, and employers are still expected to assure themselves that their employees have the necessary permission.
Security Service Personnel
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment the Government have made of the incidence of security service personnel (a) infiltrating terrorist groups and (b) colluding in paramilitary killings; and if he will make a statement. [61774]
Mr. McNulty: The longstanding practice of successive governments is not to comment on the work of the security and intelligence agencies. The agencies operate within the law. Any person may complain to the Independent Investigatory Powers Tribunal if he or she is aggrieved by anything they believe has been done to them or their property by the agencies. The tribunal has full powers to investigate and order such remedial measures as it sees fit.
Select Committee Recommendations
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what actions have been taken by his Department to implement Home Affairs Select Committee recommendations since the 2001-02 Session; and if he will make a statement. [77773]
Mr. Byrne: The Home Office regularly reports its progress on accepted recommendations to the Home Affairs Committee.
The latest report, “Memorandum from the Home Office: progress in implementing accepted Committee recommendations 2001-05”, was published by the Home Affairs Committee on 26 May 2006. A copy is available in the House Library and on the Home Affairs website at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmhaff/1007/100702.htm
Somalia
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support his Department has provided for Somali community groups in each of the past five years; what support is planned for 2006-07; and if he will make a statement. [84957]
Mr.
Byrne: The grants presented in the following table have
been provided by the Home Office, through the Immigration and
Nationality Directorate or its former Communities Group (now part of
the
Department for Communities and Local Government) to Somali community
organisations over the past five years or will be provided in
2006-07:
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