| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
3 May 2007 : Column 1874W—continued
Asylum
Mr. Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the date of application was of each claim for an extension of discretionary leave decided in the week beginning (a) 23 October 2006, (b) 30 October 2006, (c) 6 November 2006, (d) 13 November 2006, (e) 20 November 2006, (f) 27 November 2006, (g) 4 December 2006, (h) 11 December 2006 and (i) 18 December 2006. [133451]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested cannot be provided except by examining individual case records at disproportionate cost.
Asylum: Finance
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support is provided to failed asylum seekers. [134954]
Mr. Byrne: Families with children in their household when their asylum claims are finally determined continue to be eligible for asylum support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 until they leave the UK or the youngest child reaches 18.
Support under section four of the 1999 Act is available for failed asylum seekers who have a temporary barrier to removal and who meet the eligibility criteria. Those supported are provided with accommodation and vouchers or supermarket payment cards to purchase food and essential toiletries. This is a limited form of support to meet essential needs as failed asylum seekers are expected to leave the UK.
Some failed asylum seekers may be entitled to support from a local authority under section 21 of the National Assistance Act 1948.
Crime: Statistics
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to issue a public response to the recommendations put forward in the Smith Review of crime statistics; and if he will make a statement. [133677]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 24 April 2007]: Recommendations from the Smith Review are being considered by the Crime Statistics Development Programme Board (CSDPB) which was established in January 2007. The CSDPB comprises representatives from the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), the Association of Police Authorities (APA), the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and the Royal Statistical Society (RSS).
The Home Office plans to issue a formal response to the Smith Review when the annual statistical bulletin on crime in England and Wales is published on 19 July 2007.
Departments: Departmental Reorganisation
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department’s office space on 2 Marsham Street will be shared with the Ministry of Justice. [134307]
Mr. Byrne: It is intended that a small number of staff will move to Selborne House on 9 May. However the overwhelming majority of staff transferring to the Ministry of Justice and presently housed in 2 Marsham Street will remain there after 9 May.
Departments: Olympic Games
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's first estimate was of the total contribution to be made from his departmental budget towards the costs of hosting the Olympic Games; and what his Department's latest estimate is of that cost. [133296]
Mr. Byrne: We are in discussion with the Metropolitan Police Service and other relevant Departments and agencies about the costs of ensuring a safe and secure Olympic Games. We have provided the Metropolitan Police Service and other affected police forces with up to £4.6 million in 2007-08 to enable planning and preparation. Once firm proposals and costings are available, they will be evaluated by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary before being considered by the Home Secretary. We will inform Parliament of the outcome of this process when it has concluded.
Departments: Oral Questions
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many questions tabled by hon. and right hon. Members to his Department for oral answer have been transferred to other departments since May 2005. [133798]
Mr. McNulty: Since the start of this parliamentary Session the Home Office has transferred a total of three oral questions to other Departments. Details of oral questions transferred since May 2005 are not held centrally.
Deportation
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is considering deportation proceedings in the case of (a) Antonio Mia and (b) Shpetim Bujaj. [134880]
Mr. Byrne: I am not able to comment on individual cases within the House.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many allegations of assault have been made against deportation escorts in each of the last five years; and what the result has been of police investigations of allegations. [134974]
Mr. Byrne: We do not differentiate between escorts involving detainees who are subject to a deportation order and those who are subject to administrative removal. The figures given therefore cover all immigration escorts for the given periods. The figures for 2002 are not readily available and provision of these figures would be at disproportionate cost.
In the following years the figures are as follows:
| Number | |
All of the assault allegations received by the Border and Immigration Agency were reported to the police. None of the police investigations has resulted in charges against the escorts.
East Midlands Special Operations Unit
David Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will continue to provide
funding for the East Midlands Special Operations Unit. [134793]
Mr. McNulty: Following a similar amount in 2006-07, we are planning to make £8 million available in 2007-08 to help tackle the police’s response to level two crime. Recommendations on the allocation of the money will be a matter for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).
Entry Clearances
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when his Department plans to decide whether to grant entry clearance to Iram Aziz Awan (reference 1070351). [134313]
Dr. Howells: I have been asked to reply.
Ms Awan applied for entry clearance to the UK on 23 August 2005. Her application was refused with a right of appeal on 24 August 2005. According to records held at the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT), an appeal was received on 31 October 2005; however, this was outside the 28-day time limit from the date of refusal and was therefore dismissed by the AIT on 31 January 2006. We now consider this application to be closed.
Immigration Controls
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of applications for indefinite leave to remain were decided within (a) three weeks and (b) 13 weeks in 2006-07. [134118]
Mr. Byrne: Information in this format is not kept by the Border and Immigration Agency and could be obtained by examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time taken to process an application for further leave to remain from an applicant who had overstayed on a visa was in the most recent period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [135332]
Mr. Byrne: The requested information is not available and could only be obtained by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking following the publication of his Department's Review of Home Office Publications of Control of Immigration Statistics. [102561]
Mr. Byrne: The implementation plan for the National Statistics Quality Review on Command Paper “Control of Immigration Statistics: United Kingdom” publications report was published on the Office for National Statistics and Home Office websites on 16 January 2007 on the following links:
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions his Department has had with representatives of foreign governments on the implications of the proposed new points-based immigration system. [134355]
Mr. Byrne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office have held two events for the London based diplomatic community to brief them on the points-based immigration system. A Migration Workshop was held on 29 September 2005 and a Migration Seminar took place on 24 March 2006. The foreign press based in London were briefed by Lord Triesman and my hon. Friend the Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety on 7 March 2006.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to implement the new points-based immigration system retrospectively. [134356]
Mr. Byrne: The points-based system (PBS) will not be introduced retrospectively. Anyone who is granted permission to come to, or stay in, the UK under the system that exists now will keep that permission when the PBS is introduced.
Anyone applying for further permission to stay here after the introduction of PBS will need to meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules as they are at the time he makes that application. This means that a migrant who came here under a category of the Immigration Rules that has since become part of the PBS will need to meet the PBS requirements in order to stay here when his initial permission runs out.
This is the approach that we have always taken to applications under the Immigration Rules.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of immigration systems used in other countries. [134357]
Mr. Byrne: We always look to learn from our international partners and meet regularly with them to share best practice. During the design of the points based system for managed migration, we examined how points based systems operated in other countries.
BIA officials regularly meet international partners. We are involved in the General Directors Immigration Services Conference (GDISC), a network of directors of immigration services across Europe and also the Four Countries Conference which includes Australia, Canada and the USA.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely impact of the new points-based immigration system on the (a) lower-skilled and (b) unskilled job sectors. [134358]
Mr. Byrne:
Tier three of the points based system will provide for the introduction of quota-based schemes to meet labour shortages at low skill levels if these are needed. It will be for the Migration Advisory Committee to make an assessment of whether such schemes will in the future be needed to meet labour
needs in any particular sector. Such schemes will not be introduced while restrictions on Bulgarian and Romanian nationals’ access to low skilled employment in the United Kingdom remain in force.
Immigration and Nationality Directorate: Correspondence
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters from hon. Members, Peers and members of the devolved assemblies were received by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in each year from 2003 to 2006. [135057]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 30 April 2007]: The Border and Immigration Agency received 26,577 such letters in 2003, 38,015 letters in 2004, 41,086 letters in 2005 and 41,534 in 2006
Immigration: EU Enlargement
Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he plans to provide specific information for Scottish local authorities to clarify their duties for homeless EU2 migrants; [127307]
(2) whether he plans to make available to local authorities in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland information regarding their duties towards EU2 migrants; [127308]
(3) what steps are being taken to clarify to local authorities the entitlement of EU2 migrants for local authority services, including housing and social services and homelessness assistance, across the UK. [127310]
Mr. Byrne: Local authorities’ responsibilities towards Bulgarian and Romanian nationals are similar to those for other EEA nationals, except with regard to employment, where restrictions have been maintained. Guidance on the rights and responsibilities with respect to work and employment is available on the IND website:
The Scottish Executive has issued a statutory code of guidance to local authorities on EU nationals’ eligibility for homelessness assistance in Scotland. This guidance can be accessed via the Scotland Executive website:
The Home Office has not received any requests from local authorities with respect to the employment of Bulgarian and Romanian nationals. Guidance on eligibility for homelessness assistance is available from the Department for Communities and Local Government (which applies to England) and the Scottish Executive. Guidance on entitlement to benefits is available from the Department for Work and Pensions.
The Department for Communities and Local Government is working with the Improvement and Development Agency to share good practice on migration from the EU. A national event was held for local authorities in England on 21 March and a good practice toolkit will be issued in May 2007.
Immigration: Northern Ireland
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were granted leave to remain in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months. [133623]
Mr. Byrne: There were 810 people(1) who were granted leave to remain in Northern Ireland between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2007.
(1) The aforementioned data is not provided under the National Statistics protocols. It shows volumes of applicants granted leave to remain decisions (regardless of application type) made within General Group in Managed Migration. It has been derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |