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Immigration: Detention Centres

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps her Department has taken to increase capacity in the immigration detention and removal estate; what the planned capacity of the estate is for (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011, (d) 2012 and (e) 2013; and what discussions she has had with (i) the Secretary of State for Justice, (ii) HM Prison Service, (iii) other Government departments, (iv) local authorities and (v) private sector representatives on the acquisition of new sites for the estate. [190149]

Mr. Byrne: As I said in January, we will publish proposals during the course of 2008.

Immigration: Foreign Workers

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of Iraqi citizens of Kurdish ethnicity employed by the Ministry of Defence in Iraq have applied for indefinite leave to enter the UK on an exceptional basis outside the immigration regulations. [191226]


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Mr. Byrne [holding answer 6 March 2008]: The proportion of Iraqi citizens of Kurdish ethnicity employed by the Ministry of Defence in Iraq, who have applied for indefinite leave to enter the UK on an exceptional basis outside the immigration rules, is not known.

Members: Correspondence

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will answer question 172525 tabled by the hon. Member for Southend West on 4 December 2007; what the reason is for the time taken to answer; and if she will make a statement. [182610]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 28 January 2008]: I replied to the hon. Member on 18 February 2008, Official Report , column 429W. The Department makes every effort to answer Members’ questions within the time scales set. However, this is not always possible.

Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 7 January, transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP reference: NEWCASE/410308), about a points-based system for chefs applying for work permits to work in UK restaurants. [191155]

Mr. Byrne: I replied to the hon. Member on 10 March 2008.

Migrant Workers: EC Enlargement

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accession workers cards were issued to (a) Romanians and (b) Bulgarians in 2007. [191193]

Mr. Byrne: The information is as follows.

The data are based on management information, are provisional and may be subject to change. The data are not National Statistics.

The Government publish quarterly figures on applications under the Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006 from Bulgarian and Romanian nationals. The publications provide a breakdown of the various schemes operating under the regulations.

The most recent publications, relating to the last quarter of 2007, were published on 26 February 2008. Each of the quarterly reports from 2007 are available on the Border and Immigration website:

Copies are available in the House Library.

Offenders: Deportation

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 February 2008, Official Report, column 453W, on
11 Mar 2008 : Column 350W
Offenders: Deportation, whether the Government are considering deporting at the start rather than at the completion of a prison sentence for non-UK nationals who are given a custodial sentence. [189321]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 26 February 2008]: The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee in her letter of 20 November 2007 that the Agency was commencing consideration of the majority of foreign national prisoners 12 months before the earliest date of release however there remain cases where that is not possible such as when individuals receive shorter sentences. A copy of this letter is available in the Library of the House.

Following a previous decision made by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal the Border and Immigration Agency is unable to consider a foreign national prisoner for deportation any earlier than 12 to 18 months before their earliest date of release.

Overseas Students: Sponsorship

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what charges there will be to institutions for joining the sponsors register to recruit international students; when the register will be become operational; and when she expects guidance on the accreditation process for membership of the register to be issued. [191605]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 6 March 2008]: To join the sponsor register to recruit international students, institutions will need show that they have been inspected or accredited by an appropriate inspection or accreditation body. Full details of our accreditation policy were published on 27 July 2007. The guidance is also available at the following web link:

and a copy will be placed in the House Library. Institutions will be able to apply for a sponsor licence from the Border and Immigration Agency, in order to sponsor international students, from later this summer.

Police: Information and Communications Technology

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much of the £50 million capital fund for mobile data devices has been spent; and how many devices are in use. [186994]

Mr. McNulty: The allocation of the £50 million capital funding for the provision of this technology will not be available until the start of 2008-09 financial year.

The total number of mobile data devices currently in use is not held centrally as this is a matter for individual police forces.

The Government have, however, already funded a pilot of mobile information systems in six police forces areas and as a result of the pilot the number of
11 Mar 2008 : Column 351W
hand-held computers in use in these police forces is estimated to have risen from 250 at the end of 2006 to 2,500 at the end of 2007.

Following my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s announcement to provide the police service with additional hand-held devices, supported by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary’s £50 million pledge for this technology in September 2007, we expect the total number of hand-held computers in use by the police service to exceed 10,000 by the end of 2008.

The National Policing Improvement Agency is working closely with the Association of Police Authorities and the Association of Chief Police Officers on a Mobile Information Programme, and police forces are preparing their applications for funding in 2008-09 financial year in order to progress this initiative.

Prisoners Release

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2008, Official Report, columns 1437-38W, on prisoners’ release, how many of the prisoners were deported on their release to (a) Jamaica, (b) Nigeria, (c) Vietnam and (d) China. [188862]

Mr. Byrne: The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee during her appearance of 15 January that over 4,200 foreign national prisoners had been deported in 2007.

The information contained in the response provided by the Secretary for Justice to which the hon. Member refers is for 2002 until 2006. Statistics on the deportation of foreign nationals were last published in 2002. Copies of this are available in the Library of the House.

Published information on persons removed as a result of deportation action has not been available from 2003 onwards due to data quality issues. The Border and Immigration Agency is continuing to put in place new systems to improve its data collection for the future in this area. The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency will continue to update the Home Affairs Committee with the most robust and accurate information available as required.


11 Mar 2008 : Column 352W

Prisoners: Extradition

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many prisoners at HM Prison Bullingdon have completed their sentences and are awaiting extradition; [190688]

(2) what the longest period is at HM Prison Bullingdon for which a prisoner who has completed a sentence has been awaiting extradition. [190689]

Meg Hillier: On 10 March 2008, there were no prisoners in HMP Bullingdon who had completed a domestic prison sentence and were awaiting extradition.

Prostitution

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the level of the vice trade in Essex in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement. [190491]

Mr. Coaker: There is no single definition of a vice-related offence, but there are a number of offences which, in some cases, relate to vice.

The Home Office collects statistics on notifiable offences recorded by the police. These offences fall into two categories—those which are indictable or triable either way, and some closely related summary offences. Table 1 gives the numbers of three of the former offences (trafficking for sexual exploitation, exploitation of prostitution and soliciting of women by men) during the last three years in Essex.

Other offences, such as kerb crawling, brothel keeping and offences by prostitutes, do not feature in the recorded crime statistics because they are summary offences. However, the Office for Criminal Justice Reform collects information in the court proceedings database which shows the numbers of people proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts and cautioned for a range of sexual offences. This information for Essex is given in Table 2.

Table 1: Selected sexual offences recorded by the police in Essex
Number of offences
Offence 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

Trafficking for sexual exploitation

0

1

1

Exploitation of prostitutes

7

3

13

Soliciting of women by men

5

5

0



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Table 2: Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts and offenders cautioned for selected sexual offences, Essex police force area, 2004 to 2006( 1, 2)
Proceeded against Found guilty Cautioned
Offence description Principal statute 2004 2005 2006 2004 2005 2006 2004 2005 2006

Procuring female for immoral purposes or using drugs to obtain or facilitate sexual intercourse.

Sexual Offences Act 1956 Secs 2, 3, 4, 22 and 23.

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Detention of female in brothel or other premises.

Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 24.

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Causing or encouraging prostitution etc. of girl under 16 years.

Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 28.

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Man living on earnings of prostitution or exercising control over prostitute. Woman for purpose of gain, exercising control over prostitute.

Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 30, Sec 31.

1

—

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

Procuring, permitting or causing the prostitution etc. of female defective.

Sexual Offences Act 1956 Secs 27, 29, 9.

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Man or woman living wholly or in part on the earnings of male prostitution.

Sexual Offences Act 1967 Sec 5(1).

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Causing or inciting prostitution for gain.

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.52

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Controlling a prostitute for gain.

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.53

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Keeping a brothel used for prostitution

Sexual Offences Act 1956 S.33A as added by Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.55

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

5

Arranging or facilitating the commission of a child sex offence.

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S14

—

—

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

Paying for sex with a female child under 16—no penetration+B346

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.47(1,2,4b)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Paying for sex with a male child under 16—no penetration

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.47(1,2,4b)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Paying for sex with a male child 16 or 17

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.47(1 a,b,ci,2,5)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography—child 13 to 17

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.48(1a,bi,2)

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Controlling a child prostitute or a child involved in pornography—child 13 to 17

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.49(1a,bi,2)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Arranging or facilitating child prostitution or pornography—child 13 to 17

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.50(1a,bi,2)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Causing or inciting child prostitution or pornography—child under 13

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.48(1a,bii,2)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Paying for sex with a female child under 16—penetration

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.47(1a,b,ci,2,4a,6)

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Arrange/facilitate arrival into the UK of a person for sexual exploitation (trafficking)

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.57

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Arrange/facilitate travel within the UK of a person for sexual exploitation (Trafficking)

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.58

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Committing an offence with intent to commit a sexual offence

Sexual Offences Act 2003 S.62

2

—

2

—

—

—

—

—

—

Kerb-crawling.

Sexual Offences Act 1985 Sec 1.

—

1

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

Persistent soliciting of women for the purpose of prostitution.

Sexual Offences Act 1985 Sec 2.

—

—

—

—

—

—

1

1

—

Placing an advertisement relating to prostitution.

Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S.46.

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Offences by prostitutes, common prostitute behaving in a riotous and indecent manner in a public place.

Vagrancy Act 1824 Sec 3.

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Offences by prostitutes: Second conviction as an idle and disorderly person.

Vagrancy Act 1824 Sec 4.

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Common prostitute loitering or soliciting for the purpose of prostitution.

Street Offences Act 1959 Sec 1.

7

5

1

7

4

1

—

—

—

Total

11

6

5

7

5

1

2

1

5

(1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis
(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
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