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21 Jan 2008 : Column 1771W—continued
Identity Cards: Foreigners
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she expects the target to roll out identity cards to non-EEA foreign nationals by the end of 2008 to be met. [166090]
Jacqui Smith: Yes. The UK Borders Act confirms the introduction of ID cards for foreign nationals from 2008, and we are on target.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether identity cards issued to foreign nationals will contain information on their right to work in the UK. [166095]
Immigration Controls
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the proportion of (a) inward migration and (b) employment-related inward migration which would have been covered by the points-based system in the most recent year for which figures are available. [177461]
Mr. Byrne: Persons from outside the European economic area wishing to come to the UK to work or study and their dependants will need to apply under the points-based system once it is introduced.
Immigration: Children
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to improve the publication of the statistics on children being held in immigration removal centres to ensure that interested parties are able to see how many children are held, and how long they have been held for; and if she will make a statement. [172613]
Mr. Byrne: The Home Office publishes a quarterly snapshot of people detained solely under Immigration Act powers on the last Saturday of each quarter, including a breakdown of children by length of detention. The latest published information pertains to people detained as at 29 September 2007.
Published statistics on immigration and asylum are also available from the Library of the House.
The Border and Immigration Agency is reviewing what statistics are published (all aspects of the statistics, not only statistics on children). A consultation document was issued on 6 December and a copy can be found at
Immigration: Deportation
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of removal following the legacy exercise fell into each category of
removal including (a) enforced removals, (b) persons leaving voluntarily after enforcement action against them and (c) persons leaving under assisted voluntary return programmes. [177336]
Mr. Byrne: We do not hold this information in this format and to obtain it would entail work being carried out at a disproportionate cost.
Immigration: EC Countries
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Government’s policy is on whether the UK should join the (a) Schengen area and (b) Schengen visa system in the future. [177355]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 10 January 2008]: The UK is not a member of the Schengen area as we believe that maintaining our frontier controls, including a national visa system, is the most effective way to combat illegal migration and transnational crime. We work closely with our EU partners to ensure there is effective management of the migration into the EU.
Immigration: Kosovo
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what percentage of applicants for British citizenship from Kosovo were (a) refused and (b) found not to be of Kosovan origin in the latest period for which figures are available; [177557]
(2) what percentage of applications for British citizenship from Kosovans made since 2000 were processed within (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) one year; and if she will make a statement. [177558]
Mr. Byrne: Out of the total number of people with their nationality recorded as Kosovan that were decided in 2007, 22.5 per cent. were refused. There is no record held of the number of individuals who have applied and subsequently been found not to be of Kosovan origin, and this information could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
Please see the following table which shows the processing times of files from Kosovo.
The information has been provided from local management information and is not a National Statistic. As such, it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change.
| Processing times of people recorded as Kosovan | ||||
| Cases created | Percentage within three months | Percentage within six months | Percentage within one year | |
| Notes: 1. The information has been provided from local management information and is not a National Statistic. As such, it should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change. 2. Cases created in year rounded to nearest 5. 3. Local management information can only be obtained from the end of 2001, therefore figures only show complete years 2002 to 2007. 4. Applications relate to those cases with their nationality recorded as Kosovan. 5. These figure are based upon the number of cases created in the year. | ||||
Immigration: Sri Lanka
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from Sri Lanka have been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK in the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [179403]
Mr. Byrne: Statistics on Sri Lankan nationals granted settlement (indefinite leave to enter or remain), 1996 to 2006, are published in Table 5.7 in the Command Paper “Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2006”. This publication may be obtained from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website:
Immigration: Work Permits
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent in relation to appeals against decisions not to grant people work permits (a) in total, (b) on legal counsel and (c) on immigration tribunal staffing, administration and accommodation costs in the last 12 months. [178537]
Mr. Byrne: Within the immigration rules there is no right of appeal against the refusal to issue a work permit and as such information on work permit appeals is not available. If a work permit is refused, the applicant can apply for a review of the case. The purpose and scope of the review is to consider whether the correct administrative procedures have been followed in reaching a decision on the application.
Independent Police Complaints Commission
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) under what legislation the awarding of compensation to complainants whose complaints have been upheld by the Independent Police Complaints Commission is regulated; what recent representations she has received about the operation of this legislation; and if she will make a statement; [177567]
(2) what guidance she (a) has issued and (b) plans to issue to police forces in England and Wales about the awarding of compensation to complainants whose complaints have been upheld by the Independent Police Complaints Commission; what recent representations she has received about the issue; and if she will make a statement. [177568]
Mr. McNulty: Under Section 88 of the Police Act 1996, any decision to award compensation following inappropriate police conduct, including following a complaint upheld by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, is a matter for the chief officer of the force. No representations have been received.
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislation regulates the Independent Police Complaints Commission; what amendments have been made to, and what recent representations she has received about the operation of this legislation; what (a) statutory instruments, (b) departmental circulars and (c) other documents she (i)
has issued and (ii) plans to issue in the next 12 months consequential to the provisions of this legislation; and if she will make a statement. [177569]
Mr. McNulty: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) was established under the Police Reform Act 2002, with a remit covering complaints and conduct matters involving persons serving with the police service in England and Wales. The IPCC came into operation on 1 April 2004.
The following regulations were made under the Police Reform Act 2002 in bringing the IPCC into operation:
the Police (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/643), amended by S.I. 2006/1406;
the IPCC (Staff Conduct) Regulations 2004 S.I. 2004/660;
IPCC (Transitional Provisions) Order 2004 S.I. 2004/671;
the IPCC (Forces maintained otherwise than under Police Authorities) Order 2004 S.I. 2004/672 (relating to the MoD police and BTP).
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (Investigatory Powers) Order 2004 S.I. 2004/815 modifies, in relation to the functions of the IPCC,
Part 3 of the Police Act 1997 (authorisations to interfere with property);
Parts 2 (intrusive surveillance) and 4 (Tribunal) of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
Schedule 12 to the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 amended the Police Reform Act 2002, extending the IPCC’s remit to cover death and serious injury matters, and to cover complaints against the Serious Organised Crime Agency.
The Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 and the Revenue and Customs (Complaints and Misconduct) Regulations 2005 (S.I. 2005/3311) as amended by S.I. 2006/1748 made under the 2005 Act extended the IPCC’s remit in relation to the Commissioners and officers of HM Revenue and Customs.
The Police and Justice Act 2006 will extend the IPCC’s jurisdiction to cover specified enforcement functions of immigration officers.
A Statutory Order was laid before Parliament on 5 June 2007 for the purpose of applying the Official Secrets Act to IPCC commissioners and staff.
Further legislation changes affecting the IPCC will be made as part of the introduction of a new simplified and modernised police misconduct system. However, no further regulatory changes are envisaged in the next 12 months.
Intelligence Services: Disclosure of Information
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures exist for former agents of the United Kingdom intelligence services to make complaints about alleged operational misconduct practised and directed by officers of the intelligence services responsible for recruiting them. [179734]
Mr. McNulty: It is open to anyone who is aggrieved by conduct they believe has been taken against them or their property by, or on behalf of, the intelligence services to complain to the independent Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT). Anyone who suspects criminal wrongdoing should inform the police.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when a reply will be sent to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire’s letter to the Minister of State, dated 27 November 2007, on behalf of a constituent about the deportation of asylum seekers to Uzbekistan. [178023]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 14 January 2008]: The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency responded to the hon. Member for West Worcestershire’s letter on 11 January 2008.
Metropolitan Police: Legal Costs
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department in total on defending actions brought against the Metropolitan police by victims of crime in each year since 2001. [180908]
Mr. McNulty: Defending actions brought against the Metropolitan police is a matter for the Metropolitan police and the Metropolitan Police Authority.
Pakistan: Arrests
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she received from the Government of Pakistan on (a) Hyrbyair Marri and (b) Faiz Baluch prior to their arrest in the UK. [177813]
Mr. McNulty: The Home Office does not comment on individual cases.
Passports
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to require UK citizens resident in Northern Ireland to carry and show their passports when travelling to the rest of the UK. [175651]
Mr. McNulty: There are no plans to require Northern Ireland citizens to carry and show passports when travelling to the rest of the United Kingdom.
Section 14 of the Police and Justice Act 2006 introduced a new power that will allow the police to capture passenger, crew and service information on air and sea journeys within the United Kingdom. The intention is that the power will be brought into force by secondary legislation in 2008. The specific police requirements under this power, which will include details of the routes affected and data required, are still under discussion within Government. Once the proposals have been finalised they will be subject to a 12-week public consultation.
It is expected that this police power will only apply to air and sea routes between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Passengers will not be required to use passports, but may be required to produce one of several types of documentation when travelling, to enable the carrier to meet the requirements of a police request.
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