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26 Mar 2007 : Column 1261W—continued
Pakistan: Entry Clearances
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether HM High Commission, Islamabad, has received the decision papers from the Immigration Appeals Tribunal in respect of cases VA/08797/2006, VA/08788/2006 and VA/08793/2006 concerning Mr F. A., Mrs R. B. and Miss M. M., relatives of Mrs N. S. of Aylesbury. [127745]
Dr. Howells: The determinations in respect of the cases of Mr. F A, Mrs. R. B. and Miss M. M. were received in our High Commission in Islamabad in October and November 2006. These cases were part of the backlog of allowed appeal cases, but the papers have now been linked with their files and passed to a casework officer for a brief review before the applicants are contacted and invited to submit their passports so that their visas can be issued.
The Visa Section in Islamabad aim for this to be done within the next week.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many refused immigration applications are awaiting review by entry clearance managers at HM High Commission, Islamabad. [127748]
Dr. Howells: All refused applications are reviewed by an entry clearance manager within 24 hours.
Pakistan: Religious Persons
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many imams were granted entry clearance from Pakistan to carry out religious duties in the UK in each year since 1995. [129064]
Dr. Howells: The information requested by my hon. Friend is listed as follows:
| Visas granted to Imams from Pakistan 1995-2006 | |
| Number | |
Paramjeet Singh
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations she has received on the case of Mr Paramjeet Singh, arrested in India on 23 December 2006; and what action she has taken following Paramjeet Singh's arrest. [129232]
Dr. Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has received a number of letters from hon. Members about Mr. Singh's case.
Officials from our High Commission in New Delhi sought consular access as soon as we were notified of his arrest. We visited Mr. Singh in prison on 30 December 2006 and again on 22 February. We will continue to provide Mr. Singh and his family with appropriate consular assistance.
Saudi Arabia
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when she last met her counterpart in Saudi Arabia. [129857]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last met Prince Saud, her Saudi counterpart, in Paris on 25 January.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in Saudi Arabia. [129858]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last spoke to Prince Saud, the Saudi Foreign Minister, on 21 March. They discussed regional issues related to the forthcoming Arab League Summit in Riyadh.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether she plans to visit Saudi Arabia in the near future. [129859]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary had planned to visit Saudi Arabia from 21-22 March. However, because of preparations for the Arab League summit next week, it was agreed that the visit should be postponed. We hope that the visit will be reinstated soon.
Constitutional Affairs
Community Court Schemes
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment she has made of the Community Court schemes in Salford and Liverpool. [128166]
Ms Harman: Both the Liverpool and Salford Community Justice schemes have been undergoing extensive quantative and qualitative evaluations. It is anticipated that the final reports will be published in May. Community justice makes a key contribution to the Government’s Respect Action Plan, which was published in January 2006. It aims to strengthen the links between the courts, the criminal justice system and the local community so that local people’s confidence in the work of the courts and the wider criminal justice system increases. As the Lord Chancellor said in his written ministerial statement of 27 November 2006, the Government are now establishing 10 further community justice initiatives. The aim of this next phase of community justice work is to provide further learning and best practice so that in the long term the principles of community justice are applied in the courts and the criminal justice system throughout England and Wales.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the most recent re-offending rates are in England and Wales; and what the re-offending rates have been from the Community Court schemes in Salford and Liverpool. [128167]
Ms Harman: Figures from November 2006 from the Home Office put the most recent re-offending rate for England and Wales at 57.6 per cent. This is measured for adult offenders over two years following the date of release from prison or sentence to a community order. Since it is less than two years since the launch of both Liverpool and Salford, these figures are not yet available.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the most recent attendance rate by the accused at court is in England and Wales; and what the rate has been at the Community Court schemes in Salford and Liverpool. [128168]
Ms Harman: The Home Office Criminal Statistics Bulletin 2005 states that, nationally, 8 per cent. of adult defendants fail to appear in the magistrates court. Figures for 2006 are not yet available. Figures for the Community Justice Centre in Liverpool, which opened in September 2005, show that in 2006, 20 per cent. of adult and 15 per cent. of youth offenders failed to attend court. The Liverpool Community Justice Centre has a different caseload, however, to a normal magistrates court and also sits as a Crown court. These figures are not collected at Salford magistrates court.
Coroners: Armed Forces
Robert Key: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans she has to transfer funds from HM Coroner for Oxfordshire to HM Coroner for Wiltshire following the decision to transfer cases of multiple military deaths overseas from RAF Brize Norton to RAF Lyneham; and if she will make a statement. [129138]
Ms Harman: The exceptional funds provided to the Oxfordshire coroner were to clear a backlog of inquests which had developed. I will continue to regularly review progress regarding these inquests.
Robert Key: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what new arrangements she plans to make to fund HM Coroners following her decision to transfer responsibility for coroners inquests from Oxfordshire to the home counties of individual deceased military personnel; and if she will make a statement. [129139]
Ms Harman: I will reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Robert Key: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the additional costs falling on HM Coroner for Wiltshire arising from the transfer of cases of multiple military deaths overseas from Oxfordshire to Wiltshire. [129140]
Ms Harman: We have no costings for the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner handling potential multiple inquests of fatalities repatriated to RAF Lyneham.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many military inquests were conducted in (a) Oxfordshire and (b) Wiltshire in each of the last five years. [129631]
Ms Harman: We are seeking the relevant information from the Oxfordshire coroner. The Wiltshire coroner's office has advised that five military inquests were held in 2002, eight were held in 2003 (of which one remains outstanding), none in 2004, six in 2005 and two in 2006.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what extra funding and staffing has been given to the Oxfordshire Coroner to assist with the cost of military inquests incurred due to the use of RAF Brize Norton for the repatriation of bodies; and what additional resources will be given to the Wiltshire Coroner when those duties are transferred to RAF Lyneham on 1 April. [129632]
Ms Harman: To clear the backlog of military inquests the Oxfordshire coroner has been provided with the funding authority to employ three additional assistant deputy coroners, three additional coroner's officers, one additional administrative officer and recording equipment to enable two courts to run simultaneously. To date, the Department for Constitutional Affairs has received invoices totalling £115,000 for this additional resource. It is not planned to provide additional resources to the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner who we understand intends to transfer as many of the military inquests as he can to the coroners nearest to the bereaved family. I will continue to regularly review the progress of military inquests.
Courts: Security
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what funding her Department provided for security in courts in each year since 2001. [129150]
Ms Harman: Between 2001 and the creation of Her Majesty's Courts Service in 2005 my Department provided funding, either directly or as capital grant or resource funding, to all courts in England and Wales. Due to the nature of this allocation method, to determine what funding was provided for security in courts for each year would incur a disproportionate cost.
Post 2005, all budgets were and continue to be devolved to the seven regions which comprise Her Majesty's Courts Service and funding for security is not recorded separately. To extract security costs from the general planned maintenance budget and other provisions in courts in England and Wales would incur a disproportionate cost to collate.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps her Department has taken to improve security at courts in England and Wales since 2001. [129151]
Ms Harman: My Department continually reviews the security arrangements at courts in England and Wales to ensure that appropriate security measures are in place. Since 2001, my Department has sought to ensure that those measures achieve and continue to achieve the necessary levels of protection through a process of risk management.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many security staff are employed at (a) High Court premises and (b) Crown court premises in England and Wales. [129152]
Ms Harman: My Department currently employ 60 security staff in the High Court and 306 in Crown courts throughout England and Wales. To ensure that there is no double counting, a separate figure has not been provided for locations when a High Court judge is on circuit, as they sit in existing Crown high court locations.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment has been made of security arrangements at courts in England and Wales following recent bombings of courts sittings in terrorism trials in Pakistan. [129153]
Ms Harman: Her Majesty's Courts Service, an Executive Agency of the Department for Constitutional Affairs, continually review the security arrangements of courts in England and Wales. The risks posed to all court buildings, staff and court users are assessed to ensure that appropriate measures are in place and that those measures are achieving the correct levels of protection through a process of risk management.
Departments: Advertising
Mike Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the Department’s total spending was on advertising and promotional campaigns in each year since 1997; and what the cost of each campaign was, broken down by costs relating to (a) television, (b) radio and (c) print media. [128062]
Ms Harman: Since its inception in June 2003, the Department for Constitutional Affairs has conducted the following advertising:
a regional poster campaign on buses to promote recruitment to the lay magistracy
a national campaign to promote recruitment to the lay magistracy
radio and press adverts to target court fine defaulters (under the title Operation Payback)
press adverts to promote voting fraud prevention
invitations in the legal press to comment on Lord Carter's Review of Legal Aid Procurement
a campaign in London to encourage voter registration by 18 to 24-year-olds
My Department has not conducted any television advertising since June 2003.
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