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2 Jun 2008 : Column 733W—continued
Identity Cards
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) foreign nationals and (b) British citizens will be required to carry identity cards on their person. [206514]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 19 May 2008]: There will be no requirement to carry identity cards on the person.
Illegal Immigrants
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures her Department has in place for processing suspected illegal immigrants when the immigration detention estate is unable to provide accommodation. [202575]
Mr. Byrne: If the immigration detention estate is unable to provide accommodation, alternatives to detention are considered for those who are liable to detention. This includes reporting conditions which restricts an individual’s place of residence, employment or occupation, physically reporting to a police or an immigration reporting centre and electronic monitoring.
Electronic monitoring currently takes two forms: telephone reporting, using voice recognition techniques, and tagging. These are used, in combination with face to face contact at immigration reporting centres, to improve compliance with the requirements the UK Border Agency places on people to remain in contact.
Further information on detention and alternatives to detention can be found in chapter 55 of the Enforcement Instructions and Guidance available to view at:
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice is given to police forces in England and Wales on managing illegal immigrants; how many illegal immigrants were released by police in England and Wales and directed towards the nearest immigration centre in (a) the last year for which figures are available and (b) each of the previous 10 years; what estimate she has made of the number of illegal immigrants released by police in England and Wales and sent to an immigration centre who then failed to attend in each year; and how many illegal immigrants were detained by police forces in England and Wales in each year. [202717]
Mr. Byrne: The UK Border Agency (UKBA) works in partnership with the police with whom they have agreements in place on handling illegal immigrants. Following arrest, the UKBA are committed to responding to all confirmed drops of illegal immigrants as a matter of priority.
Information on the number of illegal immigrants released and detained by the police in England and Wales is not collated centrally and could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
Immigration: Housing
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2008, Official Report, column 804W, on immigration: housing, what conditions are attached to tenancies created by the transfer of existing properties to the private rented market; what requirements there are on private sector providers who undertake such tenancies; and if she will make a statement. [196770]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 25 March 2008]: The conditions attached to tenancies created by the transfer of properties to the private rented sector is a contractual matter between a private sector provider and the local authority concerned and is commercial in confidence.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer the letter of 28 February 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton, with regard to Mr. Floyd B. Smith. [203889]
Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 28 April 2008.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 9 April 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Ms R. Hughes. [206964]
Jacqui Smith: A reply was sent on 20 May 2008.
Migration: Statistics
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to improve her Department's information and data on (a) gross and net flows of immigration and (b) the geographical distribution of the immigrant population. [206846]
Mr. Watson: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 2 June 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what steps will be taken to improve information on the flows and the geographical distribution of international migration. (206846)
Much work has already been carried out to improve these statistics. The sample size of the International Passenger Survey was increased to collect more information on the flows of emigrants. Improvements to the methodology used for distributing migrants to the local authority level in the mid year population estimates were implemented (based principally on use of household and port survey sources in combination at regional level and IPS questions on length of stay). These changes were implemented in the mid-2006 population estimates issued in August 2007 and were used to revise previously published estimates for 2002 to 2005. They also fed into subsequent ONS population and labour market statistics (e.g. 2006-based National Population Projections, 2006-based Subnational Population Projections to be published in June 2008 and Labour Force survey reweightings issued in May 2008).
On 4 February 2008, the Minister for Local Government announced to the House that a cross-Government programme would be put in place to improve population and migration statistics, driven by senior officials from central Government and the Local Government Association, and led by the National Statistician. It will take forward the recommendations of the 2006 interdepartmental Task Force on Migration Statistics.
A specific objective of the work programme relates to gaining better information on migrants as they enter or leave the country, and therefore making improvements to gross and net migration flows. This work includes:
improvements to port surveys to ensure they are more focussed on collecting migration information, cover more emigrant flows, and involve more of the ports that migrants typically arrive at or depart from,
a longer term aim of using data from the new e-borders programme (and other controlled migration systems) that will collect detailed administrative data on migrants.
The programme also includes research relating to improving the geographic distribution of migration within the UK, for example:
improving the statistical methodology of population estimation to take into account administrative sources that provide a more timely picture of the distribution of migrant populations than the 2001 Census,
developing methods for sharing key administrative data sources such as the Department for Work and Pensions data on benefits and the Department for Children, Schools and Families Schools Census data,
developing new and timely indicators of the impact of migration at the local level.
This is high priority work for the ONS and other government departments and is being progressed with due pace.
Missing Persons
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people reported missing were subsequently found to have been missing as a result of (a) abduction and (b) being the victim of another criminal offence in each year since 1997; and how many of these were not found until their death. [204137]
Jacqui Smith: Statistics on the number and circumstances of people who are reported missing are not collected centrally. Research has shown that the vast majority of missing persons return safely soon after going missing and the overall proportion of missing persons who are found to have been the victim of homicide is very low.
Figures on child abduction are collated by the Home Office and the figures for the last five years are given in the following table. It is not possible, however, to correlate these with the overall number of missing people.
| Number of abductions (including attempts) | |
Of those people that go missing, it is not possible to determine how many are victims of other crimes. The Children's Society report “Stepping Up: The Future of
Runaways Services August 2007” explains the risks faced by young people who go missing. The Parents and Abducted Children Together (PACT) report entitled “Every Five Minutes” also includes an overview of the risks faced by children who go missing.
The national Missing Persons Bureau (MPB) will seek to develop national information to support local police operations. One of the priorities for the MPB is to carry out a strategic assessment on the missing person phenomenon and to produce a "problem profile", thereby establishing a baseline on which to formulate, develop and measure future policy initiatives in close consultation with the missing persons Strategic Oversight Group.
Money Laundering
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the recommendations of the SARS review published by Sir Stephen Lander in March 2006 have been implemented. [205774]
Jacqui Smith: The first Annual Report of the Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) Regime, published on 28 November 2007, gives an account of progress made against the recommendations of Sir Stephen Lander's Review by regime participants. The Financial Intelligence Unit, located within the Serious Organised Crime Agency, successfully addressed all 24 recommendations.
Offenders: Deportation
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 25 April 2008, Official Report, column 2341W, on offenders: deportation, how many of the 250 sentence-expired foreign prisoners from countries where difficulties arise in enforcing removal had been serving a sentence for an offence of a violent or sexual nature; and how many have been detained under immigration powers following the expiry of their sentence for more than (a) 12 months, (b) two years and (c) three years. [203356]
Mr. Byrne:
Centrally collated information for foreign national prisoners where deportation action or removal is being pursued will only list the latest offence. It would be necessary to examine individual case files to
ascertain whether the individual has previously been convicted of violent or sexual offences, which could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the UK Border Agency advised the Home Affairs Committee in her letter of 18 February that all of the 250 foreign national prisoners that are detained awaiting deportation action and are from countries where there are difficulties in enforcing removal have been detained under immigration powers for nine months or more. The longest any individual has been detained under immigration legislation powers is around two years.
Olympic Games 2012: Security
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make an assessment of the armed protection that will need to be provided for participants and other visitors during the London Olympic Games; and what estimate has been made of the cost of such provision. [201886]
Jacqui Smith: The development of the Olympic Security Programme is led by the Olympic Security Directorate, located within the Metropolitan Police Service, but reporting functionally to the Home Office Olympic Security Director. Protective security, including the consideration of armed protection requirements, is a key part of the planning process that is being undertaken. Any such requirements will be subject to the delivery and approval of a costed security plan being prepared by the Olympic Security Directorate. Provision will be met from within the maximum funding envelope of £600 million.
However, we do not comment upon protective security arrangements and their associated costs for categories of individuals as to do so could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect security of those concerned.
Police
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2007, Official Report, columns 972-4W, on police, if she will update the information in the answer with the most recent figures. [201602]
Mr. McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.
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