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16 Jun 2008 : Column 671W—continued
Asylum: Housing
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2008, Official Report, column 611W, on Immigration: Housing, what schemes to help prevent homelessness have been included in the reimbursement package in respect of individuals and families dealt with under the legacy exercise; what the budget is for such schemes; how much has been paid to local authorities by way of reimbursement; and which local authorities have (a) submitted claims and (b) been reimbursed. [208770]
Mr. Byrne: The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has worked with local authorities to develop local solutions to mitigate any potential impacts of the work to clear the backlog of older cases. The precise nature of any schemes adopted by authorities is a commercial matter between them and the providers with whom they deal.
There is no separate budget for any element of the support being offered to local authorities as a result of the legacy exercise. UKBA is expected to contain expenditure on such support within its overall budget for accommodating asylum-seekers.
No amounts have yet been paid to local authorities. The following authorities have registered claims at 3 June:
Barnsley
Blackburn
Bolton
Bradford
Bury
Calderdale
Cardiff
Derby
Glasgow
Hounslow Leeds
Leicester
Manchester
Newport (Gwent)
North Tyneside
Oldham
Rochdale
Rotherham
Sandwell
Sheffield.
The Home Affairs Select Committee is due to be updated with progress on work to clear the backlog of older cases later this month.
British Nationality: Assessments
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made by the Government to evaluate the testing arrangements for new citizens through the Life in the UK test. [210021]
Mr. Byrne: We are currently considering the most appropriate way to assess the arrangements for migrants to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of life in the UK and of the language with citizenship courses that new citizens with less developed language skills are encouraged to undertake. We attach great importance to these policies and want to take the time to ensure that they are properly evaluated.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much revenue was received from people taking the Life in the UK test in each year since its introduction. [210469]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 12 June 2008]: Candidates taking the Life in the UK test pay a fee of £34. This is calculated on a cost recovery basis and is not therefore designed to generate revenue for the Government.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of applicants have failed the Life in the UK test at least once in each of the last three years; and how many times on average an applicant took the Life in the UK test before passing in each year. [210470]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 12 June 2008]: Applicants may take the test as many times as they wish. We do not routinely collect information on the number of times a person goes through the system and this information would be available only at a disproportionate cost.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward plans to review the Life in the UK test. [210590]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 12 June 2008]: We are currently considering the most appropriate way to assess the arrangements for migrants to demonstrate sufficient knowledge of life in the UK and of the language with citizenship courses that new citizens with less developed language skills are encouraged to undertake. We attach great importance to these policies and want to take the time to ensure that they are properly evaluated.
Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre. [209621]
Mr. Coaker: The Home Office fully supports the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) and recognises the successes it has achieved. We look forward to the continued success of the organisation.
Civil Defence
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what strategy her Department has established to deal with a chemical or biological attack on the UK; and if she will make a statement. [209348]
Mr. McNulty: The Government’s Counter Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST), published in July 2006, includes planning for chemical and biological attacks. This is predominately taken forward through the ‘Prepare’ strand of CONTEST via the cross-government Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear (CBRN) Resilience Programme.
The CBRN Resilience Programme aims to ensure that the response to a CBRN incident is as quick and effective as possible in order to save lives and minimise any impact on property or the environment. As such, plans to deal with chemical or biological incidents include procedures which cover:
identifying the source of the threat;
giving advice to victims caught in the area and to others worried about contamination;
arranging urgent medical attention for casualties; and
decontaminating victims and the area itself.
The Government are committed to ensuring that the emergency services have the most appropriate equipment and training to respond to such an incident. Planning is underpinned by a CBRN Science and Technology Programme which is focused on developing the necessary capabilities and providing evidence to assist with policy and planning decisions.
Additional information on the CBRN Resilience Programme and recent developments in this area are available on the Home Office website at:
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the threat of a chemical or biological attack on the UK. [209349]
Mr. McNulty: The Government have a risk assessment process which identifies risks (including those from chemical or biological attacks) to the UK as a whole over a five year period. This process, managed by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat in the Cabinet Office, draws on relevant information and expertise from across Government. In the interests of national security, specific details are not made publicly available.
Crimes of Violence
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps the Government have taken to stop the spread of gang violence. [209166]
Mr. Coaker
[holding answer 10 June 2008]: In September 2007, I set up the Tackling Gangs Action Programme to focus renewed action in neighbourhoods within Birmingham, Liverpool, London and Manchester where guns and gangs have caused serious harm. It committed £1.5 million of funds to build on enforcement, community reassurance, risk management and Third
Sector delivery. A practical guide to local authorities was published in May and a further £1 million will be allocated for enforcement, intelligence, safeguarding and prevention, and community reassurance.
Departmental Translation Services
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by her Department on translation and interpretation services in 2007-08, broken down by language. [205182]
Mr. Byrne: We are unable to answer this question on the grounds of disproportionate cost.
Deportation
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on deporting citizens of other EU member states; in what circumstances are such citizens deported from the UK; and how many deportations have taken place in the last 12 months. [210397]
Mr. Byrne: We have made it perfectly clear that our objective is that foreign national prisoners should face deportation, when they meet the relevant criteria, and that deportation should happen as early as possible in their sentence. Any European Economic Area national who has committed a crime in the UK and received a recommendation for deportation at the time of sentencing or received a custodial sentence of 24 months or more will be considered for deportation action. The UK Border Agency will continue to take a robust approach in considering and, where international obligations allow, pursuing the deportation of EEA nationals.
The Agency deported or removed a record 4,200 foreign national prisoners in 2007. It continues to deport increasing numbers of EEA nationals who have committed crimes within the UK, having deported or removed over 500 last year.
Female Genital Mutilation
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people in England and Wales at risk of being subjected to female genital mutilation. [210933]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
“A Statistical Study to Estimate the Prevalence of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in England and Wales”, funded by this Department, was published by Forward in October 2007. Copies of this publication have been placed in the Library.
Data about the numbers of girls and women admitted to hospital or killed as a result of this crime are not available centrally.
Note:
Type III FGM is described as excision of part or all of the external genitalia and stitching/narrowing of the vaginal opening (infibulation). Type II FGM is described as excision of the clitoris with partial or total removal of the labia minora.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action her Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to issue guidance to the police on dealing with cases of female genital mutilation. [211044]
Mr. Coaker: In 2004, the Home Office issued a circular to all chief officers of police in England and Wales providing guidance on the investigation of cases of female genital mutilation (FGM) under the provisions of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.
In April 2008, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) revised and re-issued its practice guidance on investigating domestic abuse, which includes dealing with cases of FGM.
Over the last few months, the Home Office has also been working closely with ACPO to develop an honour-based action plan that will cover specific areas; adopting a co-ordinated community response to prevent and reduce honour-based violence, ensuring that all reports of honour-based violence are investigated, facilitating effective accountability of offenders through the criminal justice system and increasing awareness. We will be reporting progress on this work on a regular basis.
Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of women and girls taken abroad each year for the purposes of female genital mutilation. [211046]
Mr. Coaker: Data on the number of girls taken abroad each year for the purposes of female genital mutilation (FGM) are not routinely collected by this Department.
However, an estimate on the number of girls under 15 who are at risk of FGM in the UK was published in a research study conducted by the Foundation for Women’s Health and Development (FORWARD) in October 2007. The study found that there are over 20,000 girls who are at risk or may have undergone FGM living in the UK.
Fireworks: Lancashire
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests there were for misuse of fireworks in (a) Ribble Valley constituency, (b) Lancashire and (c) England in each of the last three years. [210910]
Mr. Coaker [holding answer 13 June 2008]: The arrests collection undertaken by the Ministry of Justice provides data on persons arrested for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only. Summary offences on the misuse of fireworks do not form part of this collection.
The Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005 extended the list of offences under section 1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 to allow the police to stop and search for prohibited fireworks. From information reported centrally on the number of resultant arrests we are not able to identify specific offences for which an arrest has been made.
Foreign Workers: Domestic Service
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2008, Official Report, column 1489W, on foreign workers: domestic service, if she will take steps to reconsider the proposal that migrant domestic workers must stay with the employer to whom the visa has been granted. [209868]
Mr. Byrne: Foreign workers engaged as domestic workers in private households can currently change employers.
Research and analysis in respect of these current provisions for domestic workers is under way and will shortly be published. In light of its findings we will consider separately, with interested parties, how best to achieve protection for any person, irrespective of how they entered the UK, who is found to be a victim of trafficking.
Heathrow Airport: Security
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of international passengers who have been processed incorrectly through domestic arrival gates at Heathrow Terminal 5 in the most recent period for which figures are available. [209268]
Mr. Byrne: The UK Border Agency is aware of five occasions when some passengers from international flights entered the domestic arrivals area at Heathrow Terminal 5. These instances occurred in the Terminal's first month of operation and there have been no further incidents in the following weeks. Not all of the passengers on the flights involved were misdirected. The total number who entered the domestic arrivals process was 232.
All of these incidents were a result of human error on the part of the employees of either British Airways or the British Airports Authority. When notified of these events UKBA staff worked closely with the airport operator to secure the domestic arrivals area and to redirect the passengers to the appropriate area.
On two occasions this was completely successful, but on the other three occasions a number of individuals left the domestic area prior to the error being identified. On these occasions, further checks were made which satisfied UKBA staff that the individuals who had entered did not present a known risk to the UK.
After each incident a review was conducted with both the British Airports Authority and British Airways and these reviews identified a number of ways to prevent such events from re-occurring. Since these steps were implemented the UKBA has monitored their effectiveness, to ensure that further misdirections do not occur. In addition UKBA, the British Airports Authority and British Airways are continuing to carry out regular reviews.
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many international flights landing at Heathrow Terminal 5 have included passengers subsequently incorrectly processed through domestic arrival gates. [209269]
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