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3 Mar 2008 : Column 2082W—continued
Border and Immigration Agency: Middle East
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employees of the UK Border and Immigration Agency were stationed in the Middle East in each month since October 2007. [189948]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Number | |||||
| 1 October 2007 | 1 November 2007 | 1 December 2007 | 1 January 2008 | 27 February 2008 | |
British Crime Survey
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to extend the British Crime Survey to children under 16 years. [185286]
Jacqui Smith: Extending the British Crime Survey to cover crimes experienced by children under 16 years was a recommendation of the independent review of crime statistics led by Professor Adrian Smith. In response to the Smith review the Home Office commissioned methodological work to consider the feasibility of including children within the BCS and an announcement will be made in due course.
British Nationality: Assessments
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people took citizenship tests in (a) St. Albans, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) England and Wales in each of the last three years; what the average pass rate was in each year; and if she will make a statement. [189482]
Mr. Byrne: Test results are recorded against the test centre and Government office region where the test is taken, but it is not possible to provide a breakdown of the figures for St. Albans or Hertfordshire.
Candidates may take the test at any test centre and it is known that many candidates take the test at a location convenient to their place of employment rather than their place of residence.
There are two test centres in Hertfordshire, Watford and Stevenage, which fall within the Eastern Government region.
The figures for tests taken in centres in England and Wales are as follows:
| Life in the UK tests | |||
| 2005 (October to December) | 2006 | 2007 | |
Deportation: Offenders
Ms Dari Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours detainees awaiting deportation spent in police custody in (a) Teesside and (b) England and Wales in 2007. [189326]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
Foreigners: Sports
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she plans to introduce a levy on non-EU competitors participating at British sporting events; and if she will make a statement. [189613]
Mr. Byrne: The visa fee currently payable for a sportsperson from a visa national country coming to participate at a sporting event in the UK is £99. This fee is set at below cost recovery levels.
Genetics: Databases
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the cost to date of removing errors from the National DNA Database. [182352]
Jacqui Smith: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Clegg) on 21 January 2008, Official Report, column 1769W.
Human Trafficking
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2008, Official Report, columns 810-11 on human trafficking, what type of intelligence is expected to be gathered under Operation Pentameter 2; and what progress has been made in this intelligence gathering to date. [186838]
Jacqui Smith: Under Operation Pentameter 2 forces have been requested to submit strategic and tactical intelligence on all forms of human trafficking. The information requested includes information on victims as well as on organised crime groups and their methods of operation.
There has been good progress to date on the collection of this intelligence and following on from the conclusion of this operation the United Kingdom human trafficking centre in conjunction with the Serious Organised Crime Agency will produce an updated strategic assessment of the nature and scale of human trafficking.
Immigration: Deportation
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been removed from the UK under regulation 21 of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006. [190325]
Mr. Byrne: The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee during her appearance before them on 15 January that 4,200 foreign national prisoners were deported or removed from the UK in 2007. Over 500 of these were EEA nationals that were deported from the UK after consideration under regulation 21 of the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006 and the associated case law.
Immigration: Iraq
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqi citizens currently employed by the Ministry of Defence have applied for indefinite leave to enter on an exceptional basis outside the Immigration Rules. [189894]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 28 February 2008]: Staff who are currently employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are not eligible to apply for indefinite leave to enter on an exceptional basis outside the immigration rules; they only become eligible under the scheme of assistance when they are made redundant or forced to resign under exceptional circumstances.
Of those who were employed on or after 8 August 2007, seven members of staff have applied to the MOD for indefinite leave to enter. They are being assisted through the process at the present time.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqi citizens currently employed by the Ministry of Defence have applied for indefinite leave to enter on an exceptional basis outside the immigration rules. [189858]
Mr. Byrne: Staff who are currently employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are not eligible to apply for indefinite leave to enter on an exceptional basis outside the immigration rules; they only become eligible under the scheme of assistance when they are made redundant or forced to resign under exceptional circumstances.
Of those who were employed on or after 8 August 2007, seven members of staff have applied to the MOD for indefinite leave to enter. They are being assisted through the process at the present time.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will reply to the most recent letter from the right hon. Member for Birkenhead on Mr. Eltifat Tahiri Moghanlo of Birkenhead (Home Office Reference M4714/7 T1047133); and if she will make a statement. [188266]
Mr. Byrne: The previous Home Secretary replied to my right hon. Friend’s letter of 26 February 2007 on 12 March 2007 (correspondence reference: M4714/7). The Under-Secretary of State replied to my right hon. Friend’s letter of 16 July 2007 on 13 August 2007 (correspondence reference: M15070/7). The Minister for Borders and Immigration will reply to my right hon. Friend’s further letter of 20 February 2008 shortly.
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to reply substantively to the letter of 20 July 2007 from the hon. Member for Sunderland South on refugee status for Muna Othman Khatab and her family, ref: K1266830. [188658]
Mr. Byrne: The Border and Immigration Agency wrote to my hon. Friend in relation to this matter on 25 February 2008.
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