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2 Mar 2007 : Column 1548Wcontinued
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what representations have been made to foreign police authorities to further the recapture of escaped prisoner Mark Ryder; [114243]
(2) what assessment he has made of how the convicted prisoner Mark Ryder, who escaped from HMP Highpoint, was able to leave the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement; [114244]
(3) what checks are in place at British borders to prevent escaped prisoners from leaving the UK; and
what further steps he plans to take to prevent escaped prisoners leaving the UK. [114242]
Mr. Byrne: Following the securing of a European arrest warrant, Mark Ryder was arrested at an address in Spain on 21 December 2006. He was surrendered to British authorities on 17 January 2007. It has not yet been possible to interview him to ascertain the means by which he fled the United Kingdom.
The police act on specific intelligence where it is available to detain those who seek to leave the country without having permission to do so. Targeted embarkation controls continue to take place at major ports. Where embarkation controls are in place, immigration officers check documents and identity against the immigration database to identify failed asylum seekers and other immigration offenders who are leaving the UK and refer to other law enforcement agencies as appropriate.
The e-Borders Programme, scheduled to commence in 2008, will strengthen and modernise our border control and provide an electronic record of those entering and leaving the UK.
Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what controls will be put in place to ensure that Bulgarian and Romanian self-employed workers seeking work in the UK (a) in the construction industry and (b) in other sectors meet the criteria of being genuinely self-employed. [108771]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 13 December 2007]: We cannot place restrictions on EEA nationals that are genuinely self-employed. However, we will expect Bulgarian and Romanian nationals working in a self-employed capacity to be able to demonstrate that they are genuinely self-employed if they are challenged. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has provided immigration officials with training and guidance to assist with identification of those who are and are not genuinely self-employed, in the construction industry and other sectors. There is ongoing liaison between HMRC and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) to establish how HMRC Status Inspectors can provide further support to IND in determining employment status.
Where it is established that a Romanian or Bulgarian national is not genuinely self-employed and is therefore working in the UK illegally, the individual will be liable to prosecution. Individuals may be offered the opportunity to discharge their liability to prosecution through the payment of a fixed penalty of £1,000. Employers will face a maximum fine upon conviction of £5,000 per worker.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners were held in each prison in Wales on 23 November, broken down by nationality. [104551]
Mr. Byrne:
Information on the number of foreign national prisoners held in each prison establishment in Wales can be found in the following table. The data, which are obtained from the prison IT system, are not
shown separately by nationality, because the numbers are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed.
These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and although shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.
Foreign National prisoners held in Prison Establishments in Wales, 31 December 2006 | |
Number | |
Note: The data, which are obtained from the prison IT system, are not shown separately because the numbers are small and the accuracy at this level of detail cannot be guaranteed. |
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in his Department were temporarily redeployed following the discovery of case files of criminals convicted abroad which had not been entered on the police national computer; and which duties they were redeployed from and to. [111249]
Mr. Byrne: We have established a task force (the Overseas Crime Task Force) to meet the immediate demand for information and management surrounding the recent media stories on the Home Office's handling of notifications, by other countries, of criminal convictions for UK citizens. The task force comprises 10 members of staff who were drawn from the Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group, Human Resources, the Performance and Reform Directorate and the Communication Directorate.
In addition an inquiry team has been set up to establish the circumstances around the handling by Home Office officials of the notifications. The inquiry team comprises three members of staff who have been drawn from the Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group, Human Resources, and the Performance and Reform Directorate with administrative support.
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan. [123637]
Hilary Benn: DFID has not itself carried out a detailed assessment of the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan to date as we are able to closely monitor the assessments made by the Government of Afghanistan and the UN. We are then able to judge how best to respond to these assessments.
For example, the Government of Afghanistan and the UN jointly launched a drought appeal in October 2006. The drought is predominantly in the northern areas and is affecting 2.5 million people. DFID contributed £1 million towards drought mitigation. This is for water and sanitation projects in the most affected areas, implemented by NGOs working with the Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), the main Government partner of the UN drought appeal.
DFID monitors the situation in Helmand particularly carefully. The UN has estimated that around 2,800 families have been displaced. The UK-led Helmand Provincial reconstruction team have responded by providing assistance to Internally displaced persons in the province. This includes 30,000 funding for food aid and essential items like soap and blankets for these displaced families. We are currently assured that basic needs are being met and UK officials in the Helmand PRT continue to monitor the situation closely.
Derek Conway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with (a) the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, (b) the World Food Programme and (c) the European Commission on embezzlement of international aid in the Tindouf camps in Algeria. [123700]
Mr. Thomas: The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Food Programme (WFP) or the European Commission on embezzlement of international aid in the Tindouf camps in Algeria.
The refugee camps in this area were established in 1975. The European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) is the main donor. An audit in 2003 revealed some irregularities, which were discussed with EU member states at Humanitarian Aid Committee meetings in 2003 and 2004.
ECHO has contributed £18.3 million since 2004, primarily through UNHCR and WFP, and has been monitoring its programmes closely through its office in Algiers. These agencies have told us there have been no further problems.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much development aid was provided to China in 2005-06. [123386]
Mr. Thomas: UK Bilateral Aid to China in the fiscal year 2005-06 was £36.9 million. The full breakdown of Bilateral Aid is published in Table 12.3 of Statistics on International Development 2001/02-2005/06, a copy of which is available in the Library.
In addition the UK imputed shares of Multilateral Expenditure to China was £22.5 million in 2004, the last year for which data are available.
Mark Simmonds:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding and
resources (a) were allocated to the Global Conflict Prevention Pool in each of the last five financial years and (b) are planned to be allocated in each of the next three financial years. [124131]
Mr. Thomas: The following table shows the total amount spent by the Global Conflict Prevention Pool over the last five financial years, and allocations for the current and next year. The pool also holds an £8 million reserve, which may be spent over the next financial year 2007-08. Funding for the three years from 2008-09 to 2010-11 will be agreed as part of the Governments Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.
Financial Year | £ million |
Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what databases are controlled by his Department and its agencies; and what percentage of the data in each database he estimates is inaccurate or out of date. [124031]
Mr. Thomas: The following databases are operated by external organisations on behalf of DFID:
1. The Research 4 Development (R4D) portal and database of DFID-funded research, operated for DFID by the Communication and Information Management Resource Centre (CIMRC) consortium.
2. The NARSIS database of DFID-funded projects with natural resources components, operated for DFID by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS).
3. The Infrastructure Connect database of DFID-funded research engineering and infrastructure projects, operated for DFID by the CIMRC consortium.
In addition, DFID makes data available to the international AIDA directory of development projects and activities operated by the Development Gateway Foundation.
DFID also maintains a number of databases of financial, human resources, document management and other information which are used for internal administration purposes.
DFID has not carried out any studies of the accuracy or currency of any of these databases, so it would not be possible to provide the estimates requested without incurring disproportionate cost.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent on (a) involuntary and (b) voluntary staff exit schemes in (i) his Department and (ii) each agency of the Department in each year since 1997-98; how much is planned to be spent for 2007-08; and if he will make a statement. [123929]
Mr. Thomas: Since 1997, DFID has had no involuntary redundancies, but there have been voluntary early departures. The net annual spend by DFID in each year since 1997 is as follows. DFID has no agencies.
Cost (£) | |
(1) Estimated costs based on expenditure from existing commitments |
These costs are based on all early retirees and their ongoing annual costs. They include the initial lump sum cost on departure and the annual compensation payments paid to staff until they qualify for their normal pension at age 60.
DFID is in the early stages of a new round of voluntary early departures. The closing date for applications is 4 April 2007.
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has given to the Global Health Workforce Initiative; what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the spending of those funds; and if he will make a statement. [124342]
Mr. Thomas: The Global Health Workforce Alliance (GHWA) was launched at the World Health Assembly in May 2006. The objectives of the GHWA are to accelerate country actions and help solve global problems in the current crisis in human resources for health. The Department for International Development (DFID) announced on 13 February 2007 that it will provide £1 million over two years to support GHWA. This support is subject to performance against key objectives. DFID will work closely with GHWA to ensure that it meets its objectives and that these funds are used effectively.
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of statements by the Madagascan Foreign Minister that Madagascar needs more than $242 million to recover from cyclone damage; and what funds he has pledged to aid this recovery since November 2006. [124057]
Mr. Thomas:
DFID is keeping in close touch with the European Commission Humanitarian Office (ECHO), which has sent a humanitarian adviser to assess the effect of the cyclone damage in Madagascar. We are expecting that ECHO will provide assistance to those most directly affected by cyclone damage once a full assessment of immediate needs has been made. The UK has not as yet pledged any funds directly to Madagascar
to address cyclone damage, but contributes 17 per cent. to the ECHO budget, which will be drawn upon for the EUs response. The appeal made by the Foreign Minster goes beyond these more immediate needs and is linked to a wider range of rehabilitation needs including agriculture and infrastructure repairs.
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