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3 Apr 2008 : Column 1315W—continued
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contracts were awarded by her Department to (a) KPMG, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (c) Ernst and Young, (d) McKinsey, (e) Deloitte and (f) any other consultancy firms in each of the last 12 months; and what the (i) purpose and (ii) value was of each of these contracts. [196563]
Mr. Byrne: The Home Department engages consultancy firms to support and augment civil servants in the delivery of a specific range of work, including large IT development programmes and, where more cost effective, longer term service delivery programmes.
The Department's expenditure on these services is allocated across a wide range of firms, from small, specialist companies with niche expertise and few employees, to global multinational organisations offering a broad spectrum and substantial depth of consultancy expertise.
The Department awards contracts in competition according to the EU procurement directives based on value for money. The Department uses OGC framework agreements where appropriate. The use of external consultants provides the Department with specialist knowledge, skill, capacity and technical expertise that would not otherwise be available. Some expenditure is on consultants to whom we have outsourced services, such as IT.
The Department does not hold a central record of individual contracts with external consultants. To provide information on what contracts were awarded by the Department to (a) KPMG, (b) PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Young, McKinsey, (e) Deloitte and (f) any other consultancy firms in each of the last 12 months would incur disproportionate cost.
The (i) purpose of the contracts is the provision of advice, guidance, training and operational development and support in a broad range of areas from business change to technical development.
The latest information held by the Home Department on the (ii) value of the total spend with the named companies relates to the FY 2006-07 and is as follows:
| Home Office including agencies 2006-07 | £ |
The latest information held on the Department's total consultancy spend inclusive of that with the named companies above for the FY 2006-07 is as follows:
| £ | |||
| Financial year | HO headquarters | IPS | Total spend |
Departmental Recruitment
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the policy of British jobs for British workers will affect her Department’s recruitment policy. [179876]
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to the House by the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 3 March 2008, Official Report, column 2206W.
Departmental Sustainable Development
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department plans to publish its sustainable operations policy statement. [195868]
Mr. Byrne: In order to meet the requirements of the sustainable operations in Government targets a new sustainable operations policy statement has been prepared and will be issued in the next few months following approval by the relevant Home Office Boards.
Detention Centres: Offenders
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many time-served foreign national prisoners being held in immigration removal centres were convicted of (a) Class A drug trafficking, (b) terrorist offences and (c) violent offences. [196841]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Drug Seizures
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the proportion of drugs seized by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in 2006-07 that were ultimately destined for the UK. [195706]
Jacqui Smith: SOCA’s 2006-07 annual report detailed the total volume of Class A drugs seizures in which the agency was involved. No attempt was made to estimate what percentage of these seizures were ultimately destined for the UK, as such estimates would be subjective and likely to be inaccurate.
Drug Seizures: Cannabis
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much cannabis was seized by the Serious and Organised Crime Agency in 2006-07. [195538]
Jacqui Smith: The amount of cannabis seized by the Serious Organised Crime Agency as a result of UK-based operations in 2006-07 was as follows:
| Kg | |
Entry Clearances: Kenya
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people seeking to enter the UK from (a) Kenya and (b) South Africa have been refused entry due to confirmed or suspected cases of tuberculosis in the last 12 months. [197735]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 31 March 2008]: The Border and Immigration Agency does not collect statistics on the numbers of passengers who are refused leave to enter as a result of having tuberculosis.
Foreign Workers
Mr. Soames:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what arrangements unskilled or low-skilled migrants from outside the EU were allowed to migrate to the UK in 2007; what maximum stay in the UK was permitted under each arrangement; how many migrants entered the UK under each arrangement in 2007; and what will happen to these
arrangements when the points-based migration system becomes fully operational. [196519]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 25 March 2008]: In 2007, 60 per cent. of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme (SAWS) quota (16,250) could be filled through applications from outside the European Union, the remainder through applications from Romania or Bulgaria. The maximum stay permitted under SAWS is six months. From 2008, applications to SAWS are accepted only from Romania and Bulgaria. SAWS will be phased out by 2010.
Domestic workers in private households may accompany their employer to the UK. Leave may be granted for a period of 12 months initially, with the possibility to extend and apply for settlement once they have spent a continuous period of five years in the UK in this capacity. The latest published figure is that 12,500 entered in 2006.
There are no plans for a separate route for overseas domestic workers in private households, under the points-based system.
Low skilled schemes will be catered for under tier 3 of the points-based system. However, tier 3 is currently suspended and will remain so as long as labour market restrictions are in place for Romania and Bulgaria.
Frontiers: Security
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) discussions there have been on and (b) consideration has been given to the merits of setting up an e-borders system around the Common Travel Area. [168411]
Mr. Byrne: We continue to work closely with the Government of the Republic of Ireland on operational, policy and legislative issues that affect the common travel area (CTA), including on the implementation of the e-Borders programme which is a key part of the Government's plans for securing our borders.
As set out in our ‘Securing the UK Border’ strategy, March 2007, the CTA presents immigration risks and we are reviewing the rules and operation of the CTA to explore how border security can be strengthened. Monitoring all major air and sea movements across CTA borders via e-Borders by 2011 is one of the measures we are taking to strengthen operation of the CTA. The results of the review will be announced in due course.
Genetics: Databases
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many DNA samples from the National DNA database have been used for each research project undertaken using data from the National DNA database to date; and if she will make a statement. [182636]
Meg Hillier: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 281W.
Homicide: Greater London
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many homicides were recorded by the Metropolitan police in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2006-07. [196838]
Jacqui Smith: Available Home Office data are from the homicide index and relate to offences currently recorded as homicide. As at 12 November 2007, when recording closed down for the purpose of analysis, the Metropolitan police service had recorded 178 homicides in 2000-01 and 167 in 2006-07. These are not necessarily the years in which the incidents took place or the years in which any court decisions were made. Figures will change as subsequent court hearings take place or other information is received.
Human Trafficking
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to assist trafficked persons discovered during Pentameter 1. [198248]
Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
Operation Pentameter 1 recovered 88 possible victims. Victims were assisted into support services or returned to their country of origin. During the campaign specific guidance was given to police officers on appropriate victim care and police forces were asked to scope local service provision to help develop local strategies and partnerships.
Identity Cards: Banks
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she and Ministers in her Department have had with representatives of high street banks on identity cards in the last 12 months; and what was the date of each such meeting. [187426]
Jacqui Smith: There have been no ministerial meetings on identity cards with representatives from the banking sector within the last 12 months.
Police Custody: Expenditure
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how much her Department has been invoiced for costs incurred under Operation Safeguard, since the start of 2008, broken down by police force; and if she will make a statement. [197311]
Mr. Straw: I have been asked to reply.
Police forces invoice in arrears for the cost of holding prisoners under Operation Safeguard.
The following table shows the amounts invoiced by police forces this year up to 27 March. Some of the costs relate to Safeguard use in 2007.
| Police authority | Total invoiced (£) |
Police cells have been used to hold prisoners before. They were used to hold prisoners regularly from 1982 until 1993, and from 1994-95. They were also used from July to November 2002. Their use peaked in 1988, and peaked again in 1990-92, when more than 1,000 prisoners a night were being regularly held in police cells.
Police Stations
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 February 2008, Official Report, columns 994-5W, on police stations, for what reasons changes in the use of police buildings have made it difficult to obtain comprehensive information as to the number of police stations in use. [186931]
Jacqui Smith: The use of police stations has changed in recent years to reflect more flexible modern policing. Many forces have now devised innovative ways of increasing their accessibility to members of the public by using other more modern methods of interaction, such as police shops in high streets, police kiosks and by use of mobile police stations—particularly in rural areas.
The management of the police estate and allocation of resources are matters for each police authority and the chief officer, who are responsible for assessing local needs.
Police: Dismissal
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of police officers in each force were dismissed through the incapability procedure in each year since 1997. [197294]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not centrally collected as part of the police personnel statistics series.
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