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16 Oct 2008 : Column 1434W—continued
Deportation: Offenders
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which sections of the UK Border Act relating to the deportation of foreign national prisoners (a) had and (b) had not been commenced on 30 September 2008; and the provisions of which sections are in active use. [226015]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 14 October 2008]: UK Borders Act 2007 Commencement Order No. 3, came into force on 1 August 2008. This order commenced the following provisions which are now in active use.
(a) the provisions set out in Section 32-38 (inclusive) in respect of a person to whom Condition 1 (within the meaning of section 32 of that Act) applies; and
(b) section 39 (consequential amendments).
Detention Centres
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many mobile detention centres her Department was operating on 30 September 2008. [225927]
Mr. Woolas: A mobile detention facility pilot consisting of a single vehicle started in Northampton on 30 September and will last for five weeks. This pilot will cover the full range of operational scenarios to test operational capability within the UK and how it complements, or adds to the existing fleet of vehicles available to United Kingdom Border Agency enforcement officers.
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the first pilot of the use of mobile detention vans by the Border Agency. [225989]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 13 October 2008]: A first pilot of a mobile detention solution ended in January 2008. It focused on the needs of immigration officers operating at small ports without short term holding facilities. The deployment in Poole and Newhaven was used to hold people discovered in vehicle searches as a more secure alternative to transporting them to police stations.
The integration of customs and immigration activity at ports as part of the creation of the United Kingdom Border Agency has led to a review of existing port holding facilities. That will inform a future decision on the deployment of any future mobile capability.
During the course of the pilot, the merit of using this type of facility for both pre-planned enforcement operations and to apprehend illegal immigrants was also considered. As a result, the need for a revised vehicle specification was identified to provide the additional flexibility required by UKBA's operational enforcement officers.
Using the revised specification, a second mobile detention pilot started in the Northampton area on 30 September 2008.
Domestic Violence
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of the incidence of domestic violence in (a) rural and (b) urban areas. [225880]
Mr. Alan Campbell: As part of a statutory performance indicator, data on the number of domestic violence incidents reported to the police in England and Wales is collected annually. The most recent available figures for 2006-07 were collected under the police performance assessment framework.
The figures, broken down by (a) rural and (b) urban police force areas in England and Wales in accordance with the ACORN (a classification of residential neighbourhoods) are outlined in the following table.
| D omestic violence incidents — 2006-07 | |
| Force area | Number r eported |
| (1) Most rural (2) Most urban | |
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of domestic violence were reported to the police in each police force area in England and Wales in each of the last five years. [225881]
Mr. Alan Campbell: From the information collected centrally on recorded crime, it is not possible to identify recorded cases of domestic violence. Such offences are not specifically defined by law and details of the individual circumstances of offences are not collected.
The British Crime Survey (BCS) routinely provides information on the number of incidents of domestic violence in England and Wales but it is not possible to break the statistics down by police force area.
Drinking Banning Orders
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drinking banning orders have been granted under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. [226017]
Mr. Alan Campbell: None. Drinking banning orders have not yet been commenced under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. The implementation of DBOs has been delayed in the light of recent developments; an improvement in alcohol-related disorder problems and the Government’s Alcohol Strategy which sets out the way forward for tackling alcohol misuse. We will need to monitor the situation and take stock at a later date on whether, in the light of this, there is still a need for DBOs.
Driving Offences
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were stopped by police for driving an unsafe car which did not comply with MOT requirements in (a) Wales and (b) each region of England in (i) each of the last 10 years and (ii) 2008. [227074]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Information on such stops is not recorded centrally.
Available information on court proceedings, issue of fixed penalty notices, Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme notices and written warnings in respect of vehicle test and condition offences is contained in the Ministry of Justice Statistical Bulletin "Motoring Offences and Breath Test Statistics, England and Wales 2006" and its associated Supplementary Tables. The documents are available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
Drugs: Crime
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the prevalence of incidents involving the use of covert administration of scopolamine derivatives in connection with crimes of assault. [226710]
Mr. Alan Campbell: No assessment has been made on this matter.
Entry Clearances
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visas issued by posts abroad were revoked in each of the last five years. [226062]
Mr. Woolas:
A visa may be revoked by the visa-issuing post overseas under paragraph 30A of the Immigration Rules if (a) false representations were made or material facts not disclosed for the purpose of obtaining the visa, or (b) a change of circumstances since the visa was issued has removed the basis of the holder's claim to be admitted to the UK, or (c) the holder's exclusion from the UK would be conducive to the public good. Apart from multiple entry visit visas, a visa may only be revoked before the holder has travelled to the UK. (A
visa may also be cancelled by the visa-issuing post for administrative reasons, e.g. where a mistake has been made).
An Immigration Officer at a UK port may refuse Leave to Enter to the holder of a valid visa for any of the above reasons under paragraph 321 of the Immigration Rules. Such a refusal would invalidate the visa. Leave to Enter which is in force may also be curtailed or cancelled for similar reasons under paragraphs 321A-323 of the rules.
We can only gather information about revoked visas at disproportionate cost because it cannot be retrieved centrally for technical reasons. Local searches could be initiated if a particular country is specified.
Entry Clearances: Belarus
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Belarusian nationals are on the Government's list of those denied entry to the UK. [226455]
Mr. Woolas: The UK Border Agency maintains a watchlist of information and intelligence which is used to inform decisions. It is longstanding policy not to disclose the specific data held on this watchlist or the source of the data on it.
The UK does comply with the travel ban imposed by the EU against certain officials of Belarus. The details of those subject to an EU travel ban are published by the EU on their Common Foreign and Security Policy website.
Homicide
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of gang-related homicides in each of the last three years. [226022]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Available data were published in table 1.06 of “Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2005-06” which was released as an internet-only Home Office Statistical Bulletin on 25 January 2007. At that time there were 10 homicides currently recorded under the apparent principal circumstance category of ‘attributed to gang warfare, feud or faction fighting’ for 2003-04, nine for 2004-05 and seven for 2005-06. However, with the introduction of a new database in March 2007, comparable data for 2006-07 are not available. It is hoped that figures for 2007-08 will be available after the next annual homicide chapter is published in January 2009.
Identity Cards: Finance
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has paid to (a) public relations and advertising companies, (b) consultants and (c) other firms for advice on identity cards and identity management in each of the last five years. [223840]
Meg Hillier: I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 6 March 2008, Official Report, column 2691W, to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban).
Immigrants: Marriage
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to issue guidance on the UK Borders Agency website on the implications of the House of Lords judgements in the cases of Metock and of Baiai. [224696]
Mr. Woolas: The UK Border Agency is implementing the ECJ judgment in the case of Metock, which relates to the conditions under which European economic area (EEA) nationals' direct family members can reside in the UK. Updated guidance will be published shortly. The UK Border Agency's processes for assessing applications from those in the UK are already compliant with the Metock ruling.
The House of Lords judgment of 30 July in the cases of R (on the application of Baiai and others) v. Secretary of State for the Home Department concerns the Certificate of Approval scheme under section 19 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc) Act 2004 which was developed as a way of combating sham marriages. The UK Border Agency is considering the full implications of this judgment and will publish appropriate guidance once that consideration is completed.
Immigration
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of projected levels on net migration into the UK over the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 25 years; from which countries arrivals are expected; and if she will make a statement. [226841]
Kevin Brennan: 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 October 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what recent estimate has been made of projected levels of net migration into the UK over the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 25 years; from which countries arrivals are expected. (226841)
National population projections are normally produced every two years. The latest (2006-based) national population projections were published by the Office for National Statistics in October 2007 and the next (2008-based) set are planned for publication in October 2009.
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