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Departments: Data Protection

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times his Department was found to have been in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998 in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [139214]

Mr. Byrne: The definition of ‘found to have been in breach’ can be broad. Depending on their nature, breaches by Government Departments of the Data Protection Act 1998 can be dealt with by the Information Commissioner, the Courts or by Departments at an informal local level.


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The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Epilepsy

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people with epilepsy are employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [139098]

Mr. Byrne: Although the Home Office has a figure of the number of people it employs who have declared a disability, this is not broken down into specific types such as epilepsy.

The department has a disability awareness guide for managers and colleagues of staff with epilepsy which was produced in consultation with the National Society for Epilepsy. The guide gives advice on best practice on working with staff with epilepsy as well as pointers on where to go for further advice and information.

Departments: Greater London

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's responsibilities are with respect to London; what responsibilities he holds jointly with the Mayor of London; and if he will make a statement. [138515]

Mr. Byrne: The Home Office is responsible for leading a national effort to protect the public from terror, crime and antisocial behaviour. We secure our borders and welcome legal migrants and visitors. We safeguard identity and citizenship. We help build the security, justice and respect that enable people to prosper in a free and tolerant society. These responsibilities are primarily national and therefore include London.

There are no functions under the GLA Act 1999 that the Home Office shares specifically with the Mayor of London. The GLA Act 1999 did, however, in amending the Police Act 1996, empower the Secretary of State (in this case the Home Secretary) to recommend the appointment of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to the Queen (s. 9B of the 1996 Act), recommend the appointment of the Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to the Queen (s. 9D of the 1996 Act) and appoint one member of the Metropolitan Police Authority (para 3 (2) of schedule 2A to the 1996 Act). (The revisions made to the 1996 Act by the Police and Justice Act 2006 also provide for one member of that Authority to be appointed by the Secretary of State). In addition the GLA Act 1999 enables the Home Secretary to set a greater component budget requirement for the Metropolitan Police Authority to restore or maintain an efficient and effective police force (s.95 of the 1999 Act).

Departments: Pay

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid in bonuses to members of his Department in the last year for which figures are available; how many people received bonuses; on what basis those bonuses were paid; and if he will make a statement. [139190]


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Mr. Byrne: Where it is available, the information requested is recorded in the following tables.

Within the Home Office and its agencies there are separate arrangements for awarding bonuses. Staff may receive annual, appraisal-related awards based on their exceptional contribution throughout the year, or special bonuses for exceptional, specific work. Senior civil servants can be awarded bonuses as set out in the Senior Salaries Review Body report number 62.

2005-06

Amount paid (£)

3,612,916

Number paid

5,014

Total staff (headcount)

25,343

Notes:
1. The data for appraisal-related bonus payments is included only for Home Office HQ and Border and Immigration Agency (BIA).
2. The table does not include:
The data for the public sector Prison Service is excluded as it can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Identity and Passport Agency (IPS) does not run an appraisal-related bonus scheme.
3. Data for special bonus payments is included only for the senior civil service (for the whole Department and its agencies) and IPS for certain bonuses where information is available
4. Data recorded for performance appraisal payments relates to the previous reporting year and not the financial year in which the bonuses themselves were paid.
5. Staffing data is for those in Home Office HQ and BIA and all senior civil servants in the Department and its agencies, including IPS.

Departments: Private Finance Initiative

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total value of private finance initiative projects included in his Department's balance sheet (a) is in 2007 and (b) was in each of the last five years, broken down by project. [137804]

Mr. Byrne: Nil. All the Department's PFI deals are off balance sheet.

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what value of annual private finance initiative payments by his Department was classified as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable in each of the last five years, broken down by project. [137806]

Mr. Byrne: All payments made under PFI are identifiable. Prior to a PFI contract being signed the profile of unitary charge payments is agreed between the contractor and the public sector, subject to the operation of the payment mechanism.

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what value of annual private finance initiative (PFI) payments was (a) to repay capital and (b) expenditure on other parts of each PFI contract in each of the last five years, broken down by project. [137807]

Mr. Byrne: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.


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Deportations: Iran

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were requested to complete an application for a travel document from the Iranian embassy with a view to deportation in each of the last five years; how many have done so; and if he will make a statement. [140161]

Mr. Byrne: The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost. On 19 February the chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency wrote to the Home Affairs Committee to provide the most recent information available on the deportation of foreign national prisoners. A copy of this letter is available from the Library of the House.

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were deported to Iran in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [140160]

Mr. Byrne: Information on the destination of persons removed from the UK has only been recorded since the start of 2004.

The number of persons removed from the UK to Iran was 265 in 2004 and 435 in 2005. These figures include people departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them and people leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. 2005 removal figures also include those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. These figures have been rounded to the nearest five.

The number of persons removed from the UK in 2006 will be published in August on the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:

Foreign Workers: Yorkshire

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from other EU countries are working in (a) West and (b) North Yorkshire, broken down by country of origin. [139589]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 4 June 2007]: The information requested could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.

Available information on workers from EU countries is contained in the Accession Monitoring Report and the Bulgarian and Romanian Accession Report.

Both reports provide some detailed information by region but not for the specific areas requested.

Both reports are available on the Border and Immigration Agency website by following the links:


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Forensic Science Service

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance has been issued to police forces in England and Wales with regard to the use of the Forensic Science Service for forensic work; and if he will place such guidance in the Library. [140853]

Mr. McNulty: The Forensic Science Service is one of a number of providers of forensic science to the police service. It is a matter for individual forces to determine which providers to employ. No specific guidance has been issued on the use of the Forensic Science Service.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police forces in England and Wales are discouraged from sending more than 60 per cent. of their forensic work to the Forensic Science Service. [140716]

Mr. McNulty: The procurement of forensic science services is a matter for individual police forces. The Forensic Science Service is one of a number of service providers in the market. It is open to forces to decide what proportion of their requirement should be awarded to the Forensic Science Service.

Freedom of Information

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs on the application of Freedom of Information regulations to private companies performing public services. [120359]

Mr. Byrne: In the course of official business I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a wide range of issues.

Health Professions: Foreign Workers

Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work permits have been issued for (a) doctors and (b) nurses and auxiliary nurses from (i) Nigeria, (ii) Ghana and (iii) other African countries since 2005. [139543]

Mr. Byrne: Table 1 shows the number of work permit applications which were approved for overseas nationals, in the period 1 January 2005 to 31 March 2007 from (a) Ghana, (b) Nigeria and (c) other African countries.

The list details countries that have been included in the category entitled “Other African Countries”.

There have been no approvals for African countries for auxiliary nurses.

The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.


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Table 1
Doctor Nurse Total

Ghana

34

969

1,003

Nigeria

211

1,854

2,065

Other African countries

921

9,743

10,664

Total

1,166

12,566

13,732


African Countries other than Nigeria and Ghana includes:

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