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12 Jun 2008 : Column 462W—continued
Working Tax Credit
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which 35 areas have been selected for the working tax credit take-up campaign. [209847]
Jane Kennedy: The areas targeted for the November 2007 working tax credit campaign were:
Carmarthenshire
Ceredigion
Clackmannanshire
Cleveland
Cornwall
Cumbria
Derbyshire
Devon
Dumfries and Galloway
Dundee City
Durham
Eilean Siar
Greater Glasgow
Gwynedd
East Sussex
East Yorkshire
Greater London
Greater Manchester
Isle of Wight
Lancashire
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Merseyside
Norfolk
Northern Ireland
Northumberland
North Yorkshire
Nottinghamshire
Pembrokeshire
South Wales (Glamorgan and Gwent)
South Yorkshire
Staffordshire
Suffolk
Tyne and Wear
West Midlands.
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the number of people who are eligible for working tax credit but have not applied for it. [210250]
Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the number of households entitled to but not claiming working tax credits in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are published in Table 1 of the HMRC publications ‘Child and Working Tax Credit Take-up rates’, for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
Fuels
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people have been (a) charged with and (b) convicted of the distribution or sale of illegal fuel in the last 12 months. [210053]
Kitty Ussher: In the last 12 months, eight people have been convicted of hydrocarbon oils fraud in Northern Ireland. In that period, six have been arrested in relation to suspected hydrocarbon oils fraud in cases which are being dealt with by information and summons.
In the same period, in mainland Great Britain, one case involving four defendants has reached the prosecution stage.
The number of people convicted in relation to hydrocarbon oils fraud in mainland Great Britain and Northern Ireland during the period 2007-08 will be published in the HMRC autumn performance report 2008, later this year.
Criminal investigation and prosecution for hydrocarbon oils offences form only one part of HMRC’s overall approach to tackling oils fraud, together with the investigation/prosecution of wider oils excise offences, combined with a strong regulatory control system and the civil penalties regime.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Children
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how levels of child binge drinking are measured; and how these levels have changed over the last five years. [208777]
Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
There is no agreed definition of binge drinking for young people. The smoking, drinking and drug use survey of secondary school children in England provides national estimates of the proportions of young people aged 11 to 15 who smoke, drink alcohol or take illegal drugs. We have used those data between 2001 and 2006 to summarise the units of alcohol consumed by young people in the previous seven days.
| Units of alcohol consumed in last seven days by pupils in the SDD survey, 2001-06 | ||||||
| Percentage | ||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
|
More than 0 but less than four units of alcohol drunk in last week | ||||||
Data taken from the smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2001-06 surveys published by the NHS information Centre and Department of Health.
The table shows the percentage of young people not drinking any alcohol in the last seven days has increased over the last five years, from 77.2 per cent. in 2001 to 82.6 per cent. in 2006. Also the percentage of
pupils drinking less than eight units has similarly decreased from 13.2 per cent. in 2001 to 9.3 per cent. in 2006. However the percentage of pupils drinking eight or more units in the last seven days has remained fairly stable between 2001 and 2006.
Alcoholic Drinks: Crime
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) males and (b) females aged (i) under 16, (ii) 16 to 19, (iii) 20 to 25, (iv) 26 to 30, (v) 31 to 40, (vi) 41 to 50, (vii) 51 to 60 and (viii) 61 and over have been cautioned, proceeded against or received a penalty notice for disorder for being drunk and disorderly in each of the last three years, broken down by police force area. [203254]
Mr. Coaker: The number of (a) males and (b) females aged (i) under 16, (ii) 16 to 19, (iii) 20 to 25, (iv) 26 to 30, (v) 31 to 40, (vi) 41 to 50, (vii) 51 to 60 and (viii) 61 and over that have been cautioned, proceeded against or received a penalty notice for disorder for being drunk and disorderly in each of the last three years, broken down by police force area has been provided in the tables placed in the House Library.
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to tackle binge drinking among adults. [206022]
Mr. Coaker: The Government take the issue of binge drinking very seriously. In ‘Safe. Sensible. Social. The next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy’, the Government set out their plans to tackle binge drinking, particularly focusing on the 18 to 24 age group. The Government are committed to challenging the binge drinking culture through a sustained national campaign to reduce the acceptability of public drunkenness and to increase the awareness of the health harms associated with excessive drinking. The ‘Know Your Limits’ campaign started in June 2008, and aims to raise the public’s knowledge of units of alcohol to ensure that everyone has the information they need to estimate more accurately how much they drink. The Government will also build on the ‘Know Your Limits’ campaign to raise awareness of the risks of harmful drinking, and will target information and advice towards people who drink at harmful levels, and their families and friends.
The Government will also continue to take tough enforcement action against those individuals who exhibit unacceptable behaviour while intoxicated. The Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 brought in a range of additional measures to tackle alcohol related crime and disorder, including directions to leave which enable the police to ban a person from a locality for a maximum of 48 hours. The Government have also funded four alcohol arrest referral pilots which target alcohol related offenders with the aim of providing interventions to drive home messages about alcohol and risks and to promote behaviour change. The pilots will be extended to a number of other areas by the end of 2008.
Asylum
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2008, Official Report, column 1297W, on asylum, if she will give a breakdown by nationality of the asylum claimants who received leave to remain as a result of grant of (a) asylum, (b) humanitarian protection and (c) discretionary leave in the categories (i) Europe other, (ii) Americas other, (iii) Africa other, (iv) Middle East other and (v) Asia other; and how many dependants received leave to remain in each of these categories and nationalities. [198258]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 1 April 2008]: The available information is given in the tables placed in the House Library.
Information on asylum decisions, including dependants, by nationality is published annually. Copies of asylum statistics publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
Asylum: Iraq
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Iraqi citizens who applied for asylum as a result of their work for UK forces in Iraq had been granted asylum by 31 March 2008. [209081]
Mr. Byrne: Information on the reasons for grants of asylum is not collated centrally. Establishing how many Iraqi citizens were granted asylum as a result of their work for the UK forces could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Under the separate scheme of assistance for locally engaged Iraqi staff, published by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in his written ministerial statements of 9 October 2007, Official Report, columns 27WS-28WS, and 30 October 2007, Official Report, columns 30WS-33WS, certain Iraqi citizens are eligible for assistance as a result of their work for UK forces in Iraq. This scheme provides for individuals who meet the published criteria to qualify for a financial package, indefinite leave to enter the UK, or resettlement to the UK under the Gateway refugee resettlement programme for eligible staff: it does not represent a grant of asylum. Under immigration rules, asylum cannot be claimed from abroad.
Asylum: Uzbekistan
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan; and what account she has taken of those representations in the Government's policy on asylum seekers from that country. [209717]
Mr. Byrne:
Representations were received from a number of Members in light of a recent individual Uzbeki asylum case asking the Home Office to refrain from removing all failed asylum seekers to Uzbekistan. We closely monitor conditions in Uzbekistan and recognise
that there are some individuals who are able to demonstrate a need for international protection. We do not, however, consider that each and every Uzbeki who applies for asylum is in need of international protection. As with all other asylum claims, Uzbeki asylum claims are considered very carefully on their individual merits against the background of the latest country information.
Border and Immigration Agency: Pay
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in the Border and Immigration Agency were given performance-related bonuses or cash payments over £10,000 in each of the last five years; and how much was paid in such payments in each such year. [205454]
Mr. Byrne: There are no records of staff members being paid bonuses in excess of £10,000 in 2004-05 and 2005-06. One member of staff received performance-related bonus of £12,197 in 2006-07. Data on performance-related bonus payments paid in previously years are not centrally recorded and can be provided only at a disproportionate cost. Data are not yet available on bonus payments for 2007-08.
e-Borders: Channel Tunnel
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received from businesses involved with operations through the Channel Tunnel about the introduction of e-Borders; and if she will make a statement. [209083]
Mr. Byrne: Representations have been received from a number of businesses which include Eurotunnel, the British Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Tour Operators.
The Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) consultation held from 1 August 2007 to 24 October 2007 also had responses from across industry (including Eurotunnel) and subsequently elements of the RIA were amended to reflect the concerns of industry.
The e-Borders programme continues to engage with the industry to resolve the concerns and to develop a solution which both improves security at the UK border and takes account of the business needs of industry.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the effect on the time taken for travellers to travel through the Channel Tunnel of the introduction of e-borders. [209084]
Mr. Byrne: The e-Borders Programme is committed to working with Eurotunnel and other stakeholders to develop a solution which both improves security at the UK border, and takes account of industry business needs.
An assessment of the impact on travellers will form part of the constructive engagement taking place between the programme and the industry in the development of a range of potential solutions that will permit the operation of a secure, comprehensive and flexible border control.
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