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21 Jan 2008 : Column 1757W—continued
Asylum: Entry Clearances
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 261W, on asylum: entry clearances, whether the number of asylum applicants granted discretionary leave to remain in each of the categories set out in criteria for granting discretionary leave is recorded by her Department. [179815]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 17 January 2008]: Grants of discretionary leave (DL) are recorded on individual files. Information is collated on the total number of grants of DL and the number of grants of DL made at initial decision on applications by unaccompanied asylum-seeking children aged 17 and under at the time of decision, but not by sub-category. Information at sub-category level can be obtained only by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
Asylum: Housing
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were supported in National Asylum Support Service and Border and Immigration Agency accommodation in (a) Newcastle and (b) the north-east in each quarter of (i) 2005, (ii) 2006 and (ii) 2007. [178190]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 15 January 2008]: The numbers of asylum seekers in receipt of support, broken down by Government office region and local authority, are published on a quarterly and annual basis. Copies of these publications are available from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at
Further breakdowns of those in receipt of support by parliamentary constituency are available from the Library of the House.
Asylum: Newcastle City Council
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what National Asylum Support Services contract costs were paid to Newcastle city council in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06 and (c) 2006-07; and how much is expected to be paid in 2007-08. [178068]
Mr. Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) has in place a contract with NECARS (the North East Consortium for Asylum and Refugee Support) for which the lead authority is Newcastle city council. The BIA does not hold a separate contract for asylum support with Newcastle city council.
Asylum: North Shields
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers were asked to report to North Shields immigration office in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007. [178067]
Mr. Byrne: This information is not centrally recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Asylum: Somalia
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers of each age group and sex were returned to Somalia in the six months from 1 July 2007; what her policy is on returning women and children to Somalia; and what areas in Somalia are considered safe for return. [177821]
Mr. Byrne: A breakdown of removals to Somalia according to age and sex is set out in the following table. Information relating to the number of asylum applicants removed from the UK during the last quarter of 2007 will be published shortly in the Asylum Statistics: 4th Quarter 2007 bulletin, copies of which will be available from the House Library.
All returns to Somalia, including returns of women and children, are assessed on their individual merits against the background of the latest country information and will only take place when it is established that there are no protection needs.
Those without any legal basis of stay in the UK may also return voluntarily to Somalia. There are scheduled air services to a number of destinations in Somalia—Mogadishu, Bosasso, Hargeisa, Berbera, Burao and Galcaiyo.
| Removals, voluntary departures and assisted returns( 1) of asylum applicants, including dependants, to Somalia, July to September 2007( 2) | |||
| Number of removals | |||
| Gender | |||
| Age of applicant at removal date | Male | Female | Total |
| (1) Includes enforced removals, persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration and those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest five (— = 0, * = 1 or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. Note: Persons who had sought asylum at some stage, including dependants. | |||
Burglary: Schools
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many thefts of IT equipment were reported in schools in Essex in each of the last three years. [179236]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Community Support Officers
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the retention level of police community support officers was in each police authority area in each year since 2002-03. [179303]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 15 January 2008]: Information on the retention rate of police community support officers is a matter for each police authority and chief constable.
Crime Prevention: Young People
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) methods and (b) technologies her Department has recommended to (i) police forces and (ii) local authorities for controlling the unlawful assembly of young people. [177990]
Mr. McNulty: The Government have provided police and local authorities with a number of legislative options to maintain public order on our streets. The use of tactics, methods and technologies to control the unlawful assembly of young people, working within these legislative options, are operational matters for the police working with local authorities.
Crime: Internet
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans the Government have to ratify the Council of Europe convention on cybercrime; and if she will make a statement. [167533]
Mr. Coaker: The Government remain committed to ratifying the Council of Europe convention on cybercrime, which we signed in 2001. The Government intend to begin the work of ratifying the convention in April 2008.
Crime: Surrey
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many crimes involving the fraudulent use of credit or debit cards in Surrey were (a) reported and (b) successfully detected in each of the last five years for which figures are available; [178095]
(2) how many thefts were reported in Surrey in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what percentage were successfully detected; [178098]
(3) what the detection rate for domestic burglary was in Surrey in each of the last six years. [178099]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Table 1: Cheque and credit card fraud offences and theft offences recorded and detected in Surrey | ||||
| Cheque and credit card fraud | All theft offences | |||
| Recorded | Number detected | Recorded | Percentage detected | |
| (1) The Fraud Act 2006 commenced on 15 January 2007, altering the definition and coverage of fraud and forgery offences. At that time, the counting of cheque and plastic card fraud changed to a “per account” basis rather than a “per transaction” basis. | ||||
| Table 2: Detection rate for domestic burglary offences recorded by the police in Surrey | |
| Percentage detected | |
Crimes of Violence
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) violence against the person, (b) criminal damage and (c) drug-related offences have been recorded in Tamworth since 2000. [179383]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Selected offences recorded by the police in Tamworth | |||
| Violence against the person | Criminal damage | Drug offences | |
| (1) The national crime recording standard was introduced in April 2002. Figures before and after that date are not directly comparable. | |||
Crimes of Violence: Elderly People
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many elderly people in Teesside reported being a victim of violent crime in (a) Teesside and (b) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland in each of the last 10 years. [179612]
Mr. Coaker: The information requested is not available.
Police recorded crime statistics are available at police force and local authority area level, but details relating to the age of victims of crime is not collected. The British Crime Survey does collect this information and can provide the data at national level, but not at police force or local authority area level.
Criminal Proceedings: Disclosure of Information
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list the codes of practice issued under the (a) Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and (b) Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 on the disclosure of information to defendants; what changes have been made to each since their original publication date; which have been subject to (i) a review and (ii) a public consultation by her Department; and if she will make a statement. [176104]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is as follows:
The following Codes of Practice have been issued under the provisions of section 60 and Part VI of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. These are:
Code A: Stop and Search introduced 1 January 1986 SI 1985/1937
Code B: Entry search and seizure introduced 1 January 1986 SI 1985/1937
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