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25 Apr 2008 : Column 2334W—continued
Departmental Official Hospitality
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department and its agencies on (a) alcohol and (b) entertaining in the last 12 month period for which information is available. [188065]
Mr. Byrne: The Home Office systems do not separately identify the costs requested and they could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However we do retain records for hospitality provided by both civil servants and Ministers. The spend for 2006-07, the last 12 month period for which there are audited figures, was £91,829.
Home Office expenditure on official hospitality and entertainment conforms to departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, which complies with the principles of Government Accounting and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. Hospitality is defined as the provision of food, drink and entertainment of non civil servants where it is beneficial to the interests of the Department.
For the Department's agencies, the Criminal Records Bureau spend on hospitality was nil and the Identity and Passport Service's spend could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Detention Centres: Children
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were held in immigration removal centres at the latest date for which figures are available. [197676]
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 the number of people recorded as being under 18 at the time of the snapshot. The latest published information pertains to persons detained as at 29 December 2007 and is published in the quarterly web-based Asylum Statistics bulletin.
Children are detained only in two limited circumstances: first, as part of a family group whose detention is considered appropriate; second, when unaccompanied, while alternative care arrangements are made (and normally only overnight). While the detention of families with children is very regrettable, it
nevertheless remains necessary in appropriate cases in order to maintain an effective immigration control and to tackle abuses of the asylum and immigration system. We are currently piloting an alternative to detention for families with children at an accommodation centre in Kent.
The number of children detained with their families under Immigration Act powers will change from day to day. However, internal management information shows that, as at 26 March 2008, there were 30 children detained with their families under Immigration Act powers. These figures are not broken down into asylum and non-asylum cases. These individuals were all detained as part of families whose detention, as a group was considered necessary.
Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
Driving Offences
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists were (a) charged with and (b) convicted of (i) failure to accord precedence at pedestrian crossings, (ii) failure to comply with traffic signs, (iii) speeding offences, (iv) driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs, (v) reckless driving and (vi) driving while disqualified in (A) in each police force area and (B) England and Wales in each year since 1997. [200249]
Mr. Coaker: I refer the hon. Member to answer I gave him on 29 November 2007, Official Report, column 664W.
Drugs: Misuse
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of those brought into a police station tested positively for Class A drugs in each year since 1997; and what proportion of those voluntarily agreed to treatment. [200241]
Mr. Coaker: With regard to the percentage of those brought into a police station who test positive for Class A drugs, drug testing of offenders for specified Class A drugs (heroin and cocaine/crack) in police custody came into operation from 2003 across 30 BCUs as part of the drug interventions programme. Since that time the programme has expanded in a phased approach to 66 BCUs in 2004 and some 107 BCUs in 2005.
Only offenders arrested or charged with a “trigger offence”—largely acquisitive crime related offences—are required to provide a sample to be tested for specified Class A drugs.
Between 2003 and 2005 the programme operated drug testing at the point of charge; from 2005 to the present time the programme operated drug testing at the point of arrest. The average rate of positive tests for specified Class A drugs for offenders charged with a trigger offence was:
| Percentage | |
The figure for number of offenders entering treatment through DIP includes individuals from both DIP intensive areas (i.e. the 107 BCUs operating drug testing and related interventions) and the non intensive areas of the programme. Offenders from the DIP non intensive BCUs are not drug tested.
The data on the proportion of those who test positive and voluntarily agree to treatment are not available in the format requested. The drug interventions programme does not routinely hold data on those entering treatment only as a result of a positive drug test.
From 2003 the numbers of offenders entering treatment voluntarily through the drug interventions programme are as follows:
| Number | |
Since the programme began in April 2003 to January 2008, almost 120,000 drug misusing offenders have entered into treatment through DIP.
Entry Clearances: Employment
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2008, Official Report, column 796W, on entry clearances: employment, how many dependants of work permit holders who were aged under 16 years were given leave to enter the UK in each year from 1997 to 2003; and how many were from each of the 20 most numerous nationalities in each of those years. [197600]
Mr. Byrne: The requested figures are in the tables provided.
Home Office Statistical publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
| 1998 | |
| Country of nationality | Aged 15 and under |
| 1999 | |
| Country of nationality | Aged 15 and under |
| 2000 | |
| Country of nationality | Aged 15 and under |
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