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9 Jan 2007 : Column 531W—continued
Compensation Payments
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much in compensation payments was paid by his Department in 2005-06; and what the reason for the payment was in each case. [108204]
Mr. Byrne: An answer could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Cyber-terrorism
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether data is shared between the Serious Organised Crime Agency’s e-crime unit and the National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre. [108703]
Mr. Coaker: Information is shared regularly between NISCC and SOCA’s e-crime unit.
Additionally, a member of e-crime is seconded to work with NISCC. NISCC is a full participating member of the National e-Crime Strategy Group (NESG), chaired by SOCA, which draws together law enforcement in its widest sense to contribute to setting and sharing best practice. There are also regular meetings at management level between both organisations.
Departmental Computer Data
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any of his Department's (a) computer data and (b) computer backup data is stored with online data storage providers. [108330]
Mr. Byrne: The Home Office does store both data and back-up data with online data storage providers. Currently this includes an e-procurement tendering portal solution and a staff competency assessment system.
The Home Office has agreed process and procedures for handling this data, including notification to staff of use, with the respective hosting companies and all data stored on-line is protected within these commercial agreements.
Drug Users: Peterborough
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug users are registered with the Peterborough drug intervention programme; and if he will make a statement. [112867]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 8 January 2007]: Peterborough is a Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) “intensive” area—which means that all aspects of the programme are in place there. These include drug testing for heroin and crack/cocaine following arrest for “trigger offences”, or any offence where a police officer of inspector rank or above suspects the misuse of such drugs caused or contributed to the offence. For those who test positive there is a requirement to attend an initial assessment with a drugs worker and, where applicable, restrictions on bail are used to encourage offenders to address their drug misuse problems. Other features of the programme are the case management of offenders and the brokering of access to other service such as housing or training support.
The DIP management information system indicates that, in September 2006, the cumulative caseload for Peterborough Drug Action Team area stood at 99 clients. In this context, being on the caseload means that individuals are being case-managed by drug workers, having been assessed as requiring interventions which are agreed in a specific care plan. The drugs worker will ensure that there is at all times co-ordination of the care plan. In addition to drug treatment this may include support with issues relating to accommodation, finances and rebuilding family relationships. The cumulative caseload will change as new clients are engaged and existing ones no longer require management or are temporarily suspended while their management is supervised elsewhere.
Drug-related crime is falling. Acquisitive crime, to which drug-related crime makes a substantial contribution, fell by almost 16 per cent. between April 4 and March 6.
Fireworks Act
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been under the Fireworks Act 2003; and what representations he has received on behalf of animal owners concerned about the impact of fireworks. [113595]
Mr. Coaker: Information from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform on the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court, for offences under the Fireworks Act 2003 in England and Wales 2005, can be viewed in the following table.
In addition, penalty notices for disorder (PND) can be issued for a range of offences under the Fireworks Act 2003. The offences of breach of the fireworks curfew, possession of category four fireworks, and possession by a person under 18 of an adult firework were added to the PND scheme on 11 October 2004. Persons committing these offences can receive a fixed
penalty of £80. The number of persons issued with penalty notices for disorder for firework offences in England and Wales in 2005, and provisional data for January to June 2006, can also be viewed in the following table.
DEFRA has received various correspondence from animal owners concerned about the impact of fireworks.
Foreign Prisoners
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the letter of 12 December 2006 from the Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to the Chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee on foreign prisoners and deportation, what the prior convictions were of the 216 foreign prisoners in respect of whom a decision not to pursue deportation has been made. [110286]
John Reid: Information on all prior convictions for each of the 216 foreign national prisoners referred to in the Director General's letter of 12 December 2006 is not held centrally and could be obtained only by searching individual records at a disproportionate cost.
Gershon Review
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much in efficiency savings was made in his Department and its associated public bodies as a result of the Gershon Review; and if he will make a statement. [108358]
Mr. Byrne: My Department reported estimated gains of £1,972 million, of which £1,318 is cashable to the Home Affairs Committee on 12 December 2006. This means that we have achieved our target to achieve £1,970 million by 2007-08 as described in the Gershon Review.
The Home Office remains committed to delivering value for money including through improvements in front line delivery, better procurement and more effective support services; and improving internal processes and driving productivity in the HQ.
Harmondsworth Centre
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration detainees held other than at Harmondsworth and assessed as (a) low, (b) medium and (c) high risk were bailed as a result of the disturbances at Harmondsworth on 30 November; and with how many the Immigration and Nationality Directorate has now lost contact. [109602]
John Reid: Following the Harmondsworth disturbances a relocation of low risk detainees within the detention estate took place and a total of fifty non-Harmondsworth detainees were granted bail after appropriate assessment. No breaches of reporting conditions have been advised to date.
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the private contractor running Harmondsworth Immigration Detention Centre is financially liable for (a) damage caused to the facility in the disturbances on 29 November and (b) costs incurred by the Home Office in bringing the disturbances under control. [109609]
John Reid: Harmondsworth IRC is fully insured. Harmondsworth Detention Services Ltd., which operates the Centre under contract with the Secretary of State for the Home Department, is liable for a share of the policy deductible. I am considering any potential liabilities of the Contractor and the insurers in relation to the costs of bringing the disturbance under control.
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were on duty at Harmondsworth Immigration Detention Centre on (a) 28 and (b) 29 November; and how many (i) Home Office and (ii) police staff were used to bring the disturbances under control. [109610]
John Reid: The number of contractor staff on duty between 19:30 on 28 November and 06:00 on 29 November was 76. The number of Immigration Service staff on duty at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre on 28 November was seven and on the 29 November it was nine.
A total of 224 HM Prison Service staff were deployed to bring the disturbance under control and a number of Metropolitan Police officers were involved in both securing the perimeter of the building and escorting detainees from the centre once the disturbance was brought under control.
Human Trafficking
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU nationals were (a) convicted in England and Wales for (i) trafficking and (ii) facilitating illegal entry and (b) deported without
charge following investigations into such activity in each of the last three years. [112672]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 19 December 2006]: To date we have seen 30 convictions for trafficking for sexual exploitation under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in England and Wales. Four of these convictions have involved EU nationals.
At the present time, IND-UKIS Border Control has no centrally collated data on the numbers of EU nationals convicted for facilitating illegal entry. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
EEA nationals cannot be deported without charge as EEA nationals and their dependants are exempt from administrative removal under section 10 of the 1999 Immigration Act.
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2006 to the hon. Member for Ochil and South Perthshire, Official Report, columns 833-4W, on people trafficking, when he expects a decision to be made on whether the Government will sign the European Convention on action against trafficking in human beings; and if he will make a statement. [113115]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 8 January 2007]: The UK fully supports the multiple aims of the Convention and participated actively in the negotiations.
The Home Secretary is at present giving the matter his fullest consideration and will be writing to colleagues in Government in the near future. There are no time limits within which signature must take place.
The UK Government are firmly committed to tackling trafficking in human beings, domestically and internationally. Plans were published in November for a new joint venture between SOCA and the Immigration Service to tackle organised immigration crime and we have recently established a new UK Human Trafficking Centre to coordinate action in this area.
Immigration and Nationality Directorate
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees were dismissed for incompetence at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in each of the last five years, broken down by grade. [112734]
John Reid: The number of staff who have been dismissed under our performance management procedures since 1 January 2005 is four, broken down by grade in the following table.
Data prior to January 2005 is not available.
| Number of staff | |
Leave to Remain
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will break down by nationality the number of persons granted indefinite leave to remain under the family indefinite leave to remain exercise announced by his predecessor on 24 October 2003. [109910]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 19 December 2006]: The following table shows the top 20 nationalities of persons granted indefinite leave to remain under the terms of the family indefinite leave to remain exercise as at 30 September 2006, which is the latest date for which information has been published.
Further information on the Family ILR exercise is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin, Asylum Statistics United Kingdom.
Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
| Grants of ILR issued under the IND Family ILR exercise as at 30 September 2006 ( 1,2) , by Nationality | |
| Nationality | Grants of ILR issued |
| (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5. (2) Main asylum applicant only. | |
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