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9 May 2007 : Column 241W—continued
Deputy Prime Minister
Environment: Technology
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether his Department plans to publish proposals on environmental technology and its employment potential. [125934]
The Deputy Prime Minister: I am deputy chair of the Cabinet Committee on Energy and the Environment, which develops the Government’s energy and environmental policies, monitors the impact on sustainable development of the Government’s policies, and considers issues of climate change, security of supply and affordability of energy.
The UK environmental goods and services industry is strong, well established and diverse, employing approximately 400,000 people in around 17,000 companies, with an estimated annual turnover of £25 billion. A recent joint report by the Department for Trade and Industry and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, ‘A Study of the Emerging Markets in the Environmental Sector’, estimates that this turnover will increase to more than £34 billion by 2010 and £46 billion by 2015. This is available on the DTI website at:
A Commission on Environmental Markets and Economic Performance was established in November last year and will publish its report in the spring. It will make recommendations on how the UK can make the most of the opportunity that environmental protection can present for wealth creation and employment growth. The Commission is jointly chaired by the Secretaries of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and for Trade and Industry, and its membership is drawn from business, non-governmental organisations, academia, trade unions and public-sector organisations.
Duchy of Lancaster
Departments: India
Mr. Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Ministers in her Department have visited India in the last 12 months; on how many occasions each Minister visited India; and what the length was of each visit. [135538]
Hilary Armstrong: This Government publish an annual list of Cabinet Ministers’ travel overseas costing over £500 along with the total cost of all ministerial travel. Information for 2005-06 was published on 26 July 2006 and is available in the Library for the reference of members. Information for 2006-07 is currently in the process of being collected and will be published as soon as it is ready.
All travel is in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.
Departments: Sexual Harassment
David Simpson:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many complaints of sexual
harassment have been investigated in her office in the last 12 months; and how many complaints have been upheld. [135377]
Hilary Armstrong: In order to protect the confidentiality of individuals, it is standard Government practice not to publish records relating to five or fewer individuals.
Departments: Sick Leave
David Simpson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people took sick leave for stress in the Prime Minister’s Office in the last 12 months; and what percentage of the total staff number this represents. [135468]
Hilary Armstrong: The Prime Minister’s Office forms part of the Cabinet Office.
In order to protect the confidentiality of individuals, it is standard Government practice not to publish records relating to five or fewer individuals.
Voluntary Work: Young People
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the total value in grants made by the v organisation has been to date, broken down by type of grant; and if she will make a statement. [136373]
Edward Miliband: Between May 2006 and May 2007 v has made grants totalling £13 million to projects in order to provide volunteering opportunities for over 59,000 young people. The grants provided for 22,000 short-term volunteering opportunities, 13,000 part-time, 1,200 full-time and 23,000 through volunteer development teams which work with statutory bodies to enable them to create volunteering opportunities for young people.
A further 55,000 volunteering opportunities have been created through match funding and partnerships with the private sector.
Mrs. Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much the v organisation has spent on (a) staff, (b) administration, (c) marketing, (d) branding, (e) communications and (f) web design and maintenance; and if she will make a statement. [136374]
Edward Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member of Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 18 January 2007, Official Report, columns 1312-13W and on 1 February 2007, Official Report, column 468W.
Full details of the organisations expenditure will be included in its annual report, which will be published later this year.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Children
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there were of under-age purchasers of alcohol in each year for which figures are available. [134854]
Mr. Coaker: Data extracted from the court proceedings database held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform showing the number of defendants prosecuted for being under-age purchasers of alcohol from 1995 to 2005 in England and Wales is shown in the following table. Court proceedings data for 2006 will be available in the autumn of 2007.
As an alternative to court proceedings, the offence under section 149(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 of buying or attempting to buy alcohol by person under 18 can attract a Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND). The offence was added to the scheme in 2005 and there were 21 Penalty Notices issued that year. The provisional figure for 2006 shows that 70 Penalty Notices were issued during that year.
Asylum
Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average processing time is for a claim by an asylum seeker or refugee with extraordinary leave to remain for indefinite leave to remain; and how many such claims are in process as of 17 April. [131843]
Mr. Byrne: As of April 2007, there are just under 6,000 such applications(1)( )awaiting decision. An expanded team is working to clear these cases as quickly as possible.
The Border and Immigration Agency does not record average processing time.
The data are not provided under the national statistics protocols. They have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
(1) Figures rounded to the nearest 100.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria his Department uses for granting people political asylum in the UK. [132659]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 23 April 2007]: The Border and Immigration Agency uses the criteria laid down in the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, as interpreted in Council Directive 2004/83/EC of the European Union. These criteria are set out in the Refugee or Person in Need of International Protection (Qualification) Regulations 2006 (SI 2006 No.2525) and in the Immigration Rules (in particular the Statement of changes Cm 6918 of 18 September 2006), to which decision makers have regard when granting people political asylum in the UK.
The criteria are detailed and explained in the Asylum Policy Instruction “Assessing the Claim”, which can be found on the website of the Border and Immigration Agency at
http://www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/documents/asylum policyinstructions/
Asylum: Deportation
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people had their deportations from the UK stopped in 2006 because their destination was deemed too dangerous, broken down by country of origin. [132599]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is unavailable and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Border and Immigration Agency
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how much his Department has spent on the transition of the immigration and nationality directorate to the Border and Immigration Agency; [132574]
(2) how much his Department has spent on the regionalisation of the Border and Immigration Agency. [132596]
Mr. Byrne: Both the regionalisation of the Border and Immigration Agency and the transition to full agency status are ongoing projects which are at early stages. It is expected that both the regionalisation and transition to shadow agency status will be delivered within the current resources available to the department.
Deportation
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice is given to deportation escorts on the tightness of handcuffs on deportees; and if he will make a statement. [134973]
Mr. Byrne: All immigration escorting staff are trained in the application of handcuffs.
They are taught that handcuffs must be checked for security and comfort on application and then periodically whilst they remain in place. The handcuffs should ensure effective security but not be overly constrictive so that the skin is not pinched or circulation restricted.
Drugs: Misuse
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people reported drug use in the London borough of Bexley in each of the last three years. [135993]
Mr. Coaker: The main source of estimates of self-reported drug use is the British Crime Survey (BCS) but this provides information at the national and regional level only. However, the Home Office has commissioned a research study to provide estimates of the number of problematic opiate and crack cocaine users at local and national level. The results of the first year of this three-year study estimated that there were about 593 problem drug users (probable range 447 to 907) in Bexley Drug Action Team area in 2004-05. There are no comparable estimates available for previous years but this research project will produce estimates for 2005-06 and 2006-07 in the future.
Human Trafficking
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of women who have been trafficked into the UK for each of the last three years for which figures are available. [135283]
Mr. Coaker: The nature of the crime makes it difficult to make an accurate assessment of the extent of the problem although intelligence suggests there has been an increase on the trafficking problem over the last two or three years. In order to understand the situation better the Serious Organised Crime Agency, along with the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre is working to improve intelligence collection as a priority and this features strongly in the national intelligence requirements for 2006-07 and 2007-08.
However, emerging findings from a Home Office research paper due to be published this year estimate that at any one time in 2003 there were in the region of 4,000 female victims of trafficking for prostitution in the UK.
Illegal Immigrants
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants were referred by police forces to the Border and Immigration Agency in each year between 1997 and 2006; and how many were subsequently deported in each year. [132825]
Mr. Byrne: This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Immigration and asylum statistics, including removals and deportations can be found at
Immigrants
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent estimate is of the number of irregular migrants who are in the UK who are in employment. [134815]
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 January 2007, Official Report, column 1698W.
Immigration: Applications
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects a decision to be made on the application of Satpal Ghusar (reference G1002712) for indefinite leave to remain in the UK. [134134]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 26 April 2007]: It would not be appropriate for me to comment on individual cases in the House, but I will write to the hon. Member on the subject that she has raised.
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