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22 July 2008 : Column 1344W—continued
Entry Clearances: Foreign Workers
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff her Department employs processing applications for licences to sponsor migrants; and what she expects the average processing time to be for an application made in (a) May, (b) June, (c) July, (d) August, (e) September, (f) October, (g) November and (h) December 2008. [208990]
Mr. Byrne: In total 50 staff will consider applications for sponsor licensing.
No service level agreements for processing applications have been agreed. We will however shortly publish “Service Level Agreements”, which will provide key stakeholders with the assurance that their applications will be dealt with in a timely manner.
Entry Clearances: Iran
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for visas from Iranian citizens have been made in each of the last 36 months; and what percentage of applications in each month was successful. [219629]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 17 July 2008]: The information requested is given in the following table.
| Applications received from Iranian citizens | Percentage issued | |
| Source: Central Reference System | ||
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2008, Official Report, column 1443W, on entry clearances: overseas students, whether her figures take account of gap year students entering the UK on (a) EU passports and (b) ancestor visas. [220804]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 21 July 2008]: The numbers provided in my answer of 8 July 2008, Official Report, column 1443W, related only to visas issued in the entry category “Gap Year Entrant for Work in Schools”. UK ancestry is a separate entry category for persons aged 17 or over who intend to take or seek employment in the UK. Persons admitted in this category are allowed to stay for an initial period of five years, after which they may apply for indefinite leave to remain. Unlike the gap year entry category, the UK ancestry route is therefore not restricted to young persons who only wish to spend a limited period of time working in the UK.
I also confirm that the numbers given do not include EU nationals who have the right of free movement and residence in all member states.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2008, Official Report, columns 1443-4W, on entry clearances: overseas students, what allowance has been made for gap year students wishing to take a second working holiday after university. [220861]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 21 July 2008]: Participants will be allowed one period of stay of up to two years under the terms of the new youth mobility scheme. Young people who have previously spent time in the UK on one of our existing youth mobility-type arrangements, except for the working holidaymaker scheme but including the gap year entrants concession, will be eligible to apply to enter under the new youth mobility scheme where they can demonstrate they meet its requirements.
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 July 2008, Official Report, columns 1443-4W, on entry clearances: overseas students, what arrangements have been made for gap year students who are 17 years of age on entry to the UK but have their 18th birthday during their stay. [220862]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 21 July 2008]: The concession for gap year entrants allows applicants to be aged 17, 18 or 19 when they apply under the concession. A participant in the scheme can enter and remain in the UK for up to 12 months on a gap year entry clearance, and this is not affected by any birthday he may have while in the UK. These conditions will continue to apply to any participants in possession of valid gap year entrant entry clearances when the scheme is abolished later this year prior to the launch of the new youth mobility scheme under the points-based system.
Entry Clearances: Pakistan
Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of overstay were recorded against recipients of temporary visas issued in Pakistan between April 2006 and March 2007. [198342]
Mr. Byrne:
No Government have ever been able to produce an accurate figure for the number of people who are in the country illegally and this includes overstayers
who have received temporary visas issued in Pakistan. By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately and that remains the case.
Exit controls were phased out from 1994. As part of the Government’s 10-point plan for delivery, by Christmas 2008 the majority of foreign nationals will be counted in and out of the country. This will build on the successes of our early testing of the e-Borders programme (Project Semaphore) which already covers over 30 million passenger movements and has led to 18,000 alerts and more than 1,500 arrests.
This is part of a sweeping programme of reform to border protection which also includes the global roll-out of fingerprint visas, compulsory watch-list checks for all travellers from high-risk countries before they land in Britain and ID cards for foreign nationals.
Essex Police Authority
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) discussions she has had with and (b) representations she has received from the Essex police authority since January 2008 on the report on sustainable policing produced by the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities; and if she will make a statement. [217738]
Mr. McNulty: None. The case made in Sustainable Policing was taken into account in developing the final police grant settlement tabled by my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary on 4 February.
Essex Police Authority: Finance
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent on (a) involuntary and (b) voluntary exit schemes at Essex police authority for staff at each grade in each year since 1997-98; how much is planned to be spent in 2008-09; and if she will make a statement. [217733]
Mr. McNulty: The Home Office does not hold information relating to how much was spent on exit schemes at the Essex police authority since 1997-98.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) discussions she has had with and (b) representations she has received from the Essex police authority on (i) overspend and (ii) underspend by the authority since January 2008; what reply was given to such representations; and if she will make a statement. [217739]
Mr. McNulty: We have not received any representations nor held any discussions with Essex police authority on overspends or underspends.
Decisions on the distribution of resources are matters for the chief officer and the police authority. It is a legal requirement for the police authority to set balanced budgets taking into account any use of reserves.
Essex Police Authority: Job Satisfaction
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of levels of job satisfaction of Essex police authority's staff in each year since 1997; what assessment she has
made of trends in such levels; if she will place in the Library copies of such assessments; and if she will make a statement. [217736]
Mr. McNulty: The Home Office does not hold information relating to the levels of job satisfaction of Essex police authority's staff.
Essex Police Authority: Manpower
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) civilian staff were employed by Essex police authority and its predecessor bodies in (i) 1979, (ii) 1989, (iii) 1999 and (iv) each year since 2001, broken down by (A) age and (B) sex. [217741]
Mr. McNulty: The available information about the number of personnel in the Essex police is set out in the following tables. Historical data on police staff at force level are not available before 1986 and were not collected by gender until 1995. Data on age are only available from March 2003 and in the format set out at the table.
| Table 1: Essex police—officers and staff by gender( 1) | ||||
| Police officers | Police staff | |||
| As at 31 March | Male | Female | Male | Female |
| (1) All figures are full-time equivalent. (2) Data were not collected by gender for police staff until 1995. | ||||
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