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Removals, voluntary departures and assisted returns( 1) of asylum applicants( 2) , excluding dependants, nationals of Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea and Iran quarter 1 to quarter 3, 2006( 3,4)
Number of principal applicants
Nationality	Q12006	Q22006	Q3 2006	Q1-Q3 total
Democratic Republic of Congo
Total principal asylum applicants removed(2)	25	35	30	85
Of whom:
removed to Democratic Republic of Congo	15	20	20	50
removed to other and destination unknown	10	15	10	35
Persons removed and voluntary departures(5,6)	15	20	25	60
Of whom:
removed to Democratic Republic of Congo	10	10	15	40
removed to other and destination unknown	5	10	5	20
Persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes(7)	5	15	5	25
Of whom:
removed to Democratic Republic of Congo	5	10	*	15
removed to other and destination unknown	5	5	5	10
Eritrea
Total principal asylum applicants removed(2)	65	105	140	310
Of whom:
removed to Eritrea	*	—	—	*
removed to other and destination unknown	65	105	140	310
Persons removed and voluntary departures(5,6)	65	105	135	310
Of whom:
removed to Eritrea	*	—	—	*
removed to other and destination unknown	65	105	135	310
Persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes(7)	—	—	*	*
Of whom:
removed to Eritrea	—	—	—	—
removed to other and destination unknown	—	—	*	*
Iran
Total principal asylum applicants removed(2)	165	195	135	495
Of whom:
removed to Iran	95	115	85	295
removed to other and destination unknown	75	80	50	200
Persons removed and voluntary departures(5,6)	75	65	75	210
Of whom:
removed to Iran	30	30	35	95
removed to other and destination unknown	45	35	40	115
Persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes(7)	95	130	60	285
Of whom:
removed to Iran	65	85	50	200
removed to other and destination unknown	30	45	10	85
(1) Includes enforced removals, persons departing ‘voluntarily’ after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration and those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2) Figures rounded to the nearest five, with — = 0, * = one or two, and may not sum due to rounding. (3) Persons who had sought asylum at some stage, excluding dependants. (4) Provisional figures. (5) Includes persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them and those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (6) Excludes Assisted Voluntary Returns. (7 )Persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. May include some cases where enforcement action has been initiated.

Border Control

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many security staff are
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engaged in border control activities at regional airports in the West Midlands. [107774]

Mr. Byrne: A total of 203 immigration and nationality directorate border control operational staff are currently deployed within the Midlands region to meet all services requiring immigration control. Operational staff comprise of assistant immigration officers, immigration officers, chief immigration officers and Her Majesty's inspectors. Staffing levels are constantly reviewed based on volume of traffic and risk assessments and the number of staff at any given location can change.

BrakeCare Bereavement Packs

Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State forthe Home Department what the reasons were for withdrawing funding for the BrakeCare bereavement pack in 2007; and what related services for road crash victims are available. [103815]

Mr. Sutcliffe: The Government are funding the BrakeCare guide for bereaved families and friends in 2006 and are actively considering possible future funding routes, including the victim’s fund.

The code of practice for victims of crime includes an obligation on the police to provide close relatives of a victim of road death with timely information about their case and an enhanced service. The core funding provided to victim support allows them to provide a witness service in all Crown and magistrates courts. If a road traffic incident involves a court case, the victim or their family can access this support. Other voluntary groups, including Brake, RoadPeace and the Campaign Against Drinking and Driving, also provide support and advice to serious road crash victims.

CCTV

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CCTV cameras there are in each police authority area, broken down by those that are primarily used for the detection of (a) criminal activity and (b) motoring offences. [106910]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 4 December 2006]: The Home Office does not collect figures for the number of CCTV cameras in each police authority area.

Correspondence

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of Statefor the Home Department how many items of correspondence have been received by his Department since 5 May 2005; and what percentage of correspondence received in that period was answered within 15 days of receipt. [102023]

Mr. Byrne: Between 5 May 2005 and 22 October 2006, the Home Office's correspondence tracking system shows that 120,219 items of correspondence were received. This number does not include letters or emails addressed to individuals by name, which are passed directly to the addressee for reply and are not recorded or managed on the central system. The
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number also excludes correspondence sent to the Identity and Passport Service since 1 April 2006; letters from members of the public to Immigration and Nationality Directorate and Her Majesty's Prison Service; or correspondence received as part of an organised campaign.

The following table gives a breakdown of the totals received in each month, and for each area of the Department for which records are held. In thecurrent calendar year 92 per cent. of ministerial
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correspondence received in the Home Office, not including IND and agencies, has been replied to within 15 working days—up from 78 per cent. in 2005.In October 2006, 97 per cent. of ministerial correspondence received by this central Home Office was replied to within 15 days. In all other areas, where the target is 20 working days, performance over the specified period was 81 per cent. The percentage of all correspondence answered in 15 working days was61 per cent.

Month	Ministerial correspondence (central Home Office only—15 working day target)	Letters from members of the public (central Home Office only—20 working day target)	E-mails from members of the public (central Home Office only—20 working day target)	Ministerial correspondence (IND only—20 working day target)	Official replies to MPs (IND only—20 working day target)	Ministerial correspondence (Her Majesty's Prison Service—20 working day target)	Total
2005
May	220	804	454	756	1,393	28	3,655
June	1,047	1,597	940	1,526	2,802	38	7,950
July	973	1,531	908	1,472	2,671	28	7,583
August	726	1,494	919	1,288	2,309	37	6,773
September	600	1,146	1,192	1,364	2,176	43	6,521
October	779	1,216	1,378	1,314	2,267	40	6,994
November	928	1,421	1,496	1,541	2,460	50	7,896
December	843	999	1,003	1,223	1,903	58	6,029
2006
January	709	1,985	1,352	1,060	2,369	48	7,523
February	799	1,639	1,484	1,141	2,386	60	7,509
March	1,033	1,427	1,740	1,431	2,685	51	8,367
April	653	962	1,187	1,090	2,056	42	5,990
May	733	964	1,331	1,308	2,398	44	6,778
June	724	1,254	1,227	1,413	2,436	40	7,094
July	802	1,640	989	1,255	2,254	75	7,015
August	601	1,145	1,013	942	2,036	41	5,778
September	762	856	965	1,038	2,105	42	5,768
October	918	727	896	778	1,623	54	4,996
Total	13,850	22,807	20,474	21,940	40,329	819	120,219
Replied to in 15 working days (percentage)	92	70	75	48	46	81	61
Replied to in 20 working days (percentage)	n/a	92	92	74	69	94	81

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