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4 Feb 2008 : Column 804W—continued

Asylum: Deportation

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many attempts to deport asylum seekers failed because the receiving country refused to accept them in each of the last five years; [181490]

(2) how many attempts to deport asylum seekers failed because the receiving country refused to accept them after the flight had left the UK in each of the last five years. [181857]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 24 January 2008]: The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.

Biometrics: National Identity Register

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether foreign nationals who require a biometric immigration document will have their details entered onto the National Identity Register. [181669]

Meg Hillier: Foreign nationals’ details will not be recorded on the National Identity Register until biometric immigration documents are designated under the Identity Cards Act 2006.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which pieces of information to be included on identity cards for British nationals are included on biometric immigration documents for foreign nationals; and if she will make a statement. [181670]

Meg Hillier: The precise information to be recorded on an identity card issued to British citizens will be prescribed in regulations to be approved by Parliament under section 6 of the Identity Cards Act 2006. There will be some core identity information that will be common to both the identity card for British citizens and the biometric immigration document for foreign nationals, such as photograph of the holder, name and date of birth. However, the biometric immigration document will also include details of the holder’s immigration status, as well as whether employment is allowed or restricted, and if the holder is entitled to public funds, which would not appear on the cards for British citizens.


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Crimes of Violence

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) violent and (b) other crimes were recorded in (i) North Yorkshire and (ii) city of York constituency in each of the last 10 years. [183420]

Mr. Coaker: The available information is given in the table. Violence against the person data for the city of York are only available from 1999-2000 and other crimes data from 2000-01.

Violence against the person and other crimes recorded by the police
Area and year Violence against the person Other crimes Total crimes

North Yorkshire

1997(1)

2,425

47,827

50,252

1998-99

4,827

50,482

55,309

1999-2000

5,101

48,453

53,554

2000-01

4,895

46,637

51,532

2001-02(2)

5,624

53,501

59,125

2002-03(2)

8,108

59,131

67,239

2003-04

9,610

61,863

71,473

2004-05

12,045

49,570

61,615

2005-06

11,473

47,377

58,850

2006-07

10,087

44,439

54,526

City of York

1997

(3)

(3)

(3)

1998-99

(3)

(3)

(3)

1999-2000

1,650

(3)

(3)

2000-01

1,504

17,787

19,291

2001-02(2)

1,656

21,234

22,890

2002-03(2)

2,575

23,055

25,630

2003-04

3,459

25,888

29,347

2004-05

4,000

19,080

23,080

2005-06

3,810

18,974

22,784

2006-07

3,285

17,650

20,935

(1 )Using the expanded coverage and revised counting rules which came into force on 1 April 1998.
(2 )The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced on 1 April 2002. Figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.
(3 )Not available.

Databases: Genetics

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many requests have been made to chief constables for the removal of (a) DNA and (b) police national computer records since 2006; and how many of these requests have been granted. [169352]

Meg Hillier: There are no central records of the number of requests made to chief officers for the removal of DNA, fingerprints and police national computer records and the number which have been granted since 2006. Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, the decision on whether to agree to a request from an individual to have their DNA profile, fingerprints and associated records removed from police databases lies with the chief officer of the force which took the DNA sample and fingerprint records.


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Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment her Department has made of the likely period of time it will take a police constable to check a person’s identity against the National Identity Register when it becomes operational; [171054]

(2) what assessment her Department has made of the technology requirements needed by police forces to check a person’s identity against the National Identity Register when it becomes available; and if she will make a statement; [171055]

(3) how many police stations her Department expects to have technology and equipment to allow officers access to the National Identity Register when it is first introduced. [171056]

Meg Hillier: It is estimated that police checks against the NIR will take only a short time, similar to current checks against police databases, to fit in with the operational requirements of the police. The exact amount of time taken will vary, depending on the nature of the check carried out, but routine identity verification should take a matter of seconds.

The exact technical details of how identity checks will be made have yet to be negotiated, precise details will be determined by the chosen supplier and the police during the development of the Scheme.

When the Scheme is first introduced the number of checks required by the police will be limited but will increase as the Scheme grows. Consequently, in the beginning there will be a limited number of police stations that have technology and equipment to allow officers to make identity checks against the National Identity Register. As rollout continues it will be a matter for the police to determine their requirement for equipment as the Scheme rolls out.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people arrested but not subsequently convicted had their details (a) entered onto and (b) subsequently removed from the National DNA Database in each year since its creation. [177436]

Meg Hillier: The National DNA Database (NDNAD) records the DNA profiles for particular individuals. It does not hold data on arrest and criminal records. To provide figures for the number of people arrested but not convicted which were (a) entered onto and (b) removed from the National DNA Database could be done at disproportionate cost only.

Domestic Violence: Crime Prevention

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to help reduce levels of domestic violence. [179634]

Mr. Coaker: A key objective of the cross-Government National Delivery Plan for domestic violence is to reduce the prevalence of domestic violence through actions to: increase the early identification of (and interventions with) victims of domestic violence; ensure that effective advice and support is provided to victims of domestic
4 Feb 2008 : Column 807W
violence; improve the criminal justice response to domestic violence; and managing perpetrators of domestic violence to reduce risk.

Key aspects of the Government's work have included:

The Government have provided funding to specialist domestic violence courts, multi-agency risk assessment conferences and independent domestic violence advisers within Wirral and across Merseyside.

This work is already having a significant impact nationally: according to the British Crime Survey there has been a 59 per cent. decrease in the prevalence of domestic violence between 1995 and 2006-07.

Domestic Violence: Finance

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding allocated to domestic violence prevention programmes in (a) England and Wales, (b) Teesside and (c) Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland in each of the last five years. [179604]

Mr. Coaker: The national domestic violence budgets contribute towards the delivery of the cross-Government National Delivery Plan for Domestic Violence, which focuses on a range of key work objectives covering early intervention and prevention through to support for victims and the management of perpetrators of domestic violence.

The allocated budget for England and Wales since 2003-04 was as follows:

In addition to this, the Supporting People programme provides housing-related support for victims and their children. The following allocations were made in the last four years:

£ million

2003-04

57

2004-05

56.9

2005-06

59.3

2006-07

61.6


The following funding has been received by Teesside, Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland in each of the last five years:


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