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20 Oct 2008 : Column 6W—continued
Fire Services
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the latest estimated date is for when each of the nine regional fire control centres will become operational. [226454]
Mr. Khan
[holding answer 13 October 2008]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 2 June 2008, Official Report, column 541W which set out the timetable for the project. Since then, proposed changes to the hardware solution and issues regarding access to the Airwave infrastructure for testing suggest
that some rescheduling of the project may be required. The implications of these points are currently being considered and if timescales do need to change an announcement will be made in due course.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to review the Regional Controls Centre Physical Access Control and Security Policy for Regional Controls document; and if she will make a statement. [227312]
Mr. Khan: The regional control centres buildings are part of the Critical National Infrastructure and have been subject to thorough risk assessments in accordance with Government security policy and guidance as well as ISO 27001/17799 best practice and standards. There are no plans to review the guidance material developed that has been issued covering physical access control and security policy for the regional control centres
We are providing support to the local authority controlling companies who manage the regional control centres and who will create their own access control and security policies based on the guidance material.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how the savings generated by the 2007 National Review of the FiReControl Project Business Case were allocated, broken down by sub-heading; and if she will make a statement. [227350]
Mr. Khan: The savings generated in the FiReControl Full Business Case v1.0, which was published in June 2007, are broken down as follows:
| £ million | |||
| Cost element | Estimated annual operating costs for FiReControl | Current control room annual operating cost estimates | Savings |
Part 2 of the 2008 National Business Case to be published later this year will provide updated information.
Fire Services: Pensions
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the value was of public sector pensions in the fire service in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse was of providing such pensions in each year. [228433]
Mr. Khan: The value of firefighters' pensions(1 )in each of the last five years is as follows
| £ million | |||||
| 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
| (1) These are locally administered schemes and data are provided by fire and rescue authorities. (2) Net of employees' contributions of 11 per cent. of pensionable pay for the 1992 firefighters' pension scheme and 8.5 per cent. for the 2006 new fire-fighters' pension scheme and inward transfers from other pensions schemes (3) Data on employee contributions and transfer values are not collected centrally. | |||||
Floods: Bassetlaw
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what hydrological assessments have been made of the state of water courses and consequential flood risk in rural Bassetlaw since 1978. [225323]
Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
From 1996 the Environment Agency can confirm the following work has been undertaken:
Idle & Torne Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy (CAMS) which was published in March 2007.
Hydrological investigations have been carried out for Anglian Water (by Grontmij) on the River Poulter and River Idle.
Groundwater abstractions operated by Yorkshire Water in the area of the River Idle have been reviewed to ascertain whether they were having an impact on the wellbeing of the River Idle Washlands.
In December 2006 the Environment Agency produced the River Idle Washlands SSSI Water Level Management Plan (WLMP).
The Environment Agency are currently working on the building of a regional groundwater model for the East Midlands Yorkshire Sherwood Sandstone Model. This is due to be completed by the end of this financial year.
Following the flooding of June 2007 the Environment Agency commissioned consultants to produce reports about the events that occurred in Worksop and Retford.
The Environment Agency has carried out the following mapping studies, which include hydrological analyses, within the Bassetlaw constituency:
River Idle Flood Risk Mapping, March 2005
River Maun, Strategic Flood Risk Mapping, March 2007
River Meden, Strategic Flood Risk Mapping, June 2008
River Ryton, Strategic Flood Risk Mapping, March 2008
Tidal Trent Strategy, April 2005
Laneham Beck Strategic Flood Risk Mapping, 2007.
Information on studies carried out pre-1996 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Local Government: Bank Services
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) what advice and when her Department has provided to local authorities on financial investment risk since January 2007; [228446]
(2) on what dates and by whom local authorities were provided with risk advice on investments in 2007 and 2008. [228449]
John Healey: CLG's current guidance on local government investments issued under section 15 of the Local Government Act 2003 is available on the Department's website at:
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have identified a severe short-term financial difficulty as result of the financial collapse of an Icelandic bank; and what assessment she has made of the extent of the difficulty in each case. [228448]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 17 October, Official Report, column 1577W.
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Young People
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) arrested, (b) cautioned and (c) proceeded against for buying or attempting to buy alcohol for someone under age in each of the last three years. [228123]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 17 October 2008]: The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. The offence of buying or attempting to buy alcohol for someone under age is not a notifiable offence and does not form a part of the arrests collection.
In relation to those cautioned and proceeded against for the offence of buying or attempting to buy alcohol for someone under age; I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for Security, Counter-Terrorism, Crime and Policing, my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Coaker) on 23 April 2008, Official Report, column 2146W.
Data for 2007 will be available in November 2008.
Asylum
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has conducted a review of (a) financial and (b) other support provided to people at all stages of the asylum process. [227536]
Mr. Woolas: Asylum seekers who are destitute, or likely to become destitute, are provided with support under sections 95 and 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 from the time they arrive in the UK until their claim has been fully determined. This support takes the form of cash subsistence or accommodation, or both. Failed asylum seekers can receive support, as accommodation and non-cash vouchers, under section 4 of the Act if they would otherwise be destitute and they are taking reasonable steps to return or are able to point to a legitimate barrier to their return.
Cash subsistence support rates for asylum seekers supported under section 95 are reviewed annually.
In January 2008 new regulations came into force following a review and public consultation on essential living needs not connected with the provision of accommodation under section 4 for the most vulnerable.
Regional Target Contracts for the provision of accommodation across the UK were introduced from 2006 following a review which identified how contractual improvements could be made.
We are currently holding regional meetings with stakeholders to seek a range of views on how to improve the way we provide asylum support to asylum seekers, including those unsuccessful in their claim.
Detention Centres
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will publish her Department's evaluation of the alternatives to detention scheme at Millbank, Ashford, Kent. [227552]
Mr. Woolas: An independent consultant was recruited to carry out an assessment of the pilot. The report is being finalised and the findings will be published by the end of December 2008.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department expects the capacity of the immigration detention estate to be in (a) October 2009, (b) October 2010, (c) October 2011 and (d) October 2012. [227554]
Mr. Woolas: In October 2009, on current plans, we expect 3,160 places; and in October 2010, 3,178 places. This reflects the anticipated loss of the Oakington centre over this period. The capacity of the estate beyond 2010 will depend, in particular, on the progress of our plans for the Home Office owned site outside Bicester and the land adjacent to the existing Yarl's Wood removal centre. We anticipate that development at one of those sites will add 400 to 600 beds to the estate by 2012.
Emergency Services: Radio
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the Airwave programme; and what discussions she has had with the Department of Health on the rollout of the programme to the Ambulance Service. [227377]
Mr. Coaker: The Airwave service is being used operationally by all police forces in England, Wales and Scotland including the British Transport Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency. Several changes to the service have been made since the original contract was signed in February 2000. These comprise enhancements to resilience and fallback arrangements, plus an extension of the service to include coverage within the London Underground. The testing and release for operational use of the 125 underground stations is due to be completed by 30 March 2009. I hope to be able to provide an update on this in the near future.
The rollout of Airwave to the Ambulance Service, which is still in progress, has been carried out under a separate contract between the Department of Health and Airwave Solutions Limited. Programme management rests with the Department of Health but the police
service and the Ambulance Service have appropriate consultation processes in place to progress areas of common interest such as interoperability.
Human Trafficking
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answers of 15 May 2008, Official Report, column 1733W and 5 June 2008, Official Report, column 1126W, on human trafficking, for what offences the 84 convictions were secured. [219468]
Jacqui Smith: The 84 convictions are for human trafficking and related offences, including rape, inciting prostitution, false imprisonment and immigration offences.
Immigrants: Fees and Charges
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate her Department has made of its fee income from immigration documents and services for (a) 2008-09 and (b) each of the subsequent three financial years. [227530]
Mr. Woolas: Our estimate of fee income for 2008-09 from visa application is £300 million.
Our estimate of fee income for 2008-09 from in country application is £350 million.
Forecasts are subject to change on a regular basis, at least quarterly; sometimes more frequently than that, as they are revised to account for various events that we believe will impact upon demand.
We are reviewing the position next year in the run-up to laying fees orders and as part of the development of business plan for next year. We do not currently have estimates of fee income for the subsequent three years at the moment as fees have not yet been set for future years.
Immigrants: Police Custody
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Immigration Service detainees were held in police cells in each police force area in each year since 2001. [226843]
Mr. Woolas: The information requested could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
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