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21 July 2008 : Column 959W—continued
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average waiting time was at immigration for non-EEA citizens entering the UK via London Gatwick South Terminal in the first six months of 2007. [164049]
Mr. Byrne: The UK Border Agency did not commence collating queue performance information in its current format until August 2007. It is therefore not possible to provide the average waiting time for non-EEA citizens entering the UK via London Gatwick South Terminal in the first six months of 2007. Please find following, however, a table providing the most up-to-date queue performance at major London airports, including Gatwick, for the month of May.
The UK Border Agency recognises that it has a responsibility to process genuine passengers without delay but the safety and security of the public remains a priority.
There are currently arrangements in place at most ports to benchmark performance. Gatwick is among those airports that are currently using a 45 minutes (non-EEA) and 25 minutes (EEA) queuing time as such a benchmark. This is the maximum wait time in which
we aim to process passengers and in turn informs staff deployment as well as informing considerations on further investment.
We are clear that the average queuing times are well within these benchmarks but we will continue to work on reducing the occasions where those figures are exceeded.
| Queuing times during May 2008 for London airports | ||||
| Location | Heathrow | Gatwick | Stansted | London City( 1) |
| (1) London city operates single queues but these are predominantly EEA passengers. | ||||
Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many educational establishments are expected to be involved as sponsors under the proposed points-based immigration system. [197758]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 31 March 2008]: As the new licensing regime for colleges has not started, it is not possible to predict how many will pass.
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a foreign international in the UK may apply to immigrate under the points-based system while remaining in the UK. [218251]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 14 July 2008]: A foreign-national who is in the UK may be given permission to stay under the points based system if he or she is here in an immigration category from which the immigration rules allow “switching” into the part of the new system that the applicant wants to join.
For example, someone who is currently here as a work permit holder or student and wishes to switch into the highly skilled tier of PBS (Tier 1 (General)) may do so, provided he or she meets the other requirements of the immigration rules. But someone who has entered the country as a visitor or illegally may not. Full details may be found in part 6a of the immigration rules, available on the UK Border Agency website.
Immigration: Appeals
Mike Gapes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals against immigration decisions were allowed by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in each of the last three years; in how many of these cases the UK Border Agency and its predecessor (a) issued status documents and (b) made the appropriate passport endorsement within (i)
one month, (ii) three months (iii) six months and (iv) were the six months of the determination; and if she will make a statement. [202221]
Mr. Byrne: The figures for the number of appeals against immigration decisions allowed at the first substantive immigration judge hearing are given as follows.
The figures are rounded to the nearest 10. The figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are the latest provisional information from the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal’s database.
Managed migration figures include all immigration decisions where the applicant is already in the United Kingdom. Entry clearance figures include all immigration decisions where the appellant is outside the United Kingdom but exclude applications for visit visas.
Information on the length of time taken to issues status documents and make the appropriate passport endorsements in each case are not routinely kept and the cost would be disproportionate to provide the information requested.
| Managed migration | Entry clearance | |
Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what target time her Department sets for the issue of status documents following a determination by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal to allow an appeal against (a) a decision to refuse indefinite leave to remain, (b) an entry clearance officer’s decision to refuse entry clearance to join a spouse in the UK and (c) an entry clearance officer’s decision to refuse an application for a visit visa; what the average time for the issue of such documents in each circumstance was in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement. [202223]
Mr. Byrne: The Secretary of State for the Home Department does not set a target for the issue of status documents following an allowed appeal against (a) a decision to refuse indefinite leave to remain or (b) an entry clearance officer’s decision to refuse entry clearance to join a spouse in the UK or (c) an entry clearance officer’s decision to refuse an application for a visit visa.
Information on the time taken between promulgation of an appeal determination and the issue of status papers or a visa, or the relevant endorsement of a passport in each individual case is not routinely kept by either the Appeals Implementation Unit nor UK Visas and the cost would be disproportionate to provide the information requested.
Immigration: Children
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children who are British citizens are in immigration detention; and for how long they have been there. [207583]
Mr. Byrne
[holding answer 4 June 2008]: There were no children with British citizenship in any immigration removal centre as at Thursday, 22 May 2008. The UK
Border Agency does not detain children who are British citizens. However, where a foreign national subject to enforced removal is parent to a child with British citizenship, it is possible for that child to accompany the parent through the enforcement process on a voluntary basis. Such situations are not common and would only occur where deemed to be in the child's best interests with all parties in agreement and the parent providing consent. The child's status in the removal centre would effectively be that of a guest.
Immigration: Latin America
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with her EU counterparts on removal of people without documents to Latin America; and if she will make a statement. [217789]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 14 July 2008]: UK Border Agency officials meet with European Union (EU) colleagues on a regular basis within EU working group frameworks to discuss returns management issues. There has been no formal discussion in recent time on removal of people without documents to Latin America, and as far as we are aware none are planned.
Immigration: Standards
Mr. Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) targets have been set, (b) guidance issued and (c) objectives determined in relation to (i) the time to be taken for processing applications for leave to remain and (ii) information on the progress of such applications to be passed to the applicant, broken down by each stage of the consideration process; and if she will make a statement. [218905]
Mr. Byrne: Service standards in relation to processing of applications for further leave to remain and settlement in the United Kingdom are published on the UK Border Agency (UKBA) website at:
UKBA staff work to these standards and managers report on these standards to Ministers on a regular basis. These standards are only applicable to applications made by those with valid leave at the time of the application.
Applicants receive an acknowledgment letter on receipt of their application which sets out the service standards. Information on processing times is also available to applicants on the UKBA website.
Information on the progress of cases is not provided routinely to applicants at each stage of the consideration process but applicants can contact the Agency for progress on their applications via the Immigration Enquiry Bureau (IEB) or by letter.
Metropolitan Police: Uniforms
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the percentage of Metropolitan Police officers who are (a) in uniform and (b) in plain clothes at any one time. [218994]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 15 July 2008]: The deployment of officers to uniform and non-uniformed functions is an operational matter for the Commissioner.
Offenders: Deportation
Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there are any exceptions to the rule which provides that a person deported from the UK having been convicted of a criminal offence may not return within 10 years. [218479]
Mr. Byrne: The only exceptions to the rule are where refusal to revoke the deportation order would breach our international obligations under the Human Rights Convention or the Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.
Office of the Surveillance Commissioners: Inspections
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 23 October 2007, Official Report, column 202W, on the Office of the Surveillance Commissioners: Inspections, which local authorities were inspected. [218289]
Mr. McNulty: The figures provided by the independent Office of Surveillance Commissioners on its inspections of local councils are published in its annual reports. It is not their practice to publish a more detailed breakdown or identify particular councils.
Olympic Games
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials from her Department plan to attend the Beijing Olympic Games; to what purpose in each case; and what estimate she has made of the cost. [212111]
Mr. Byrne: No Home Ministers will attend the Beijing Olympic Games. The number of Government officials attending has not yet been finalised.
Personal Injury
Mr. Hayes:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the highest 10 payments made by her Department in settlement of personal injury claims brought against it were over the last 12 months for which figures are available; which of those cases
were (a) contested and (b) uncontested by the Department; and what the nature of the incident was in each case. [216685]
Mr. Byrne: During the period 1 July 2007-30 June 2008, the Home Office, including the UK Border Agency, the Identity and Passport Service and the Criminal Records Bureau, settled a total often personal injury claims, with the total compensation awarded amounting to £165,727.68.
The claims are broken down in the following table.
| Personal injury claims from 1 July 2007 to 30 July 2008 | ||
| Nature of incident/claim | Contested | Compensation (£) |
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