Sarah Teather:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment she has made of the safety of Kosovo for the purposes of making determinations on asylum applications; and if she will make a statement. [222732]
21 Oct 2008 : Column 253W
Mr. Woolas:
As with all other asylum claims, Kosovan claims are considered very carefully on their individual merits against the background of the latest country information in accordance with our international obligations. We closely monitor conditions in Kosovo and those individuals able to demonstrate a need for international protection will be granted asylum or a different form of leave as appropriate. Kosovan nationals who have been found not to need international protection, and who have no right to remain in the UK but refuse to leave voluntarily, are liable to be removed.
Asylum: Somalia
John Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons from Somalia applied to enter the UK for the purposes of seeking asylum in each of the last 10 years. [228206]
Mr. Woolas:
Information on the number of persons from Somalia who applied to enter the UK for the purposes of seeking asylum in each of the last 10 years is published in Table 2.1 of Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2007 available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate web site at:
Applications( 1) received for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, by country of nationality, 1998 to 2007 , Somalia
Number
1998
4,685
1999
7,495
2000
5,020
2001
6,420
2002
6,540
2003
5,090
2004
2,585
2005
1,760
2006
1,845
2007
1,615
P = Provisional figures.
n/a = Not applicable. (1) Figures rounded to the nearest five (- = 0, * = one or 2). Note:
1 May exclude some cases lodged at local enforcement offices between January 1999 and March 2000.
Community Support Officers: Manpower
Mr. Vara:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police community support officers have been employed in each police force area in each year since their introduction. [227282]
Mr. Coaker:
The available data are given in the following table:
Police community support officer strength( 1) (FTE)( 2) by police force, as at 31 March 2003 to 31 March 2008( 3)
31 March each year
Police force
2003
2004
2005( 4)
2006( 4)
2007( 4)
2008( 4)
Avon and Somerset
0
45
139
130
302
377
Bedfordshire
0
12
40
41
83
120
Cambridgeshire
6
57
86
101
184
197
Cheshire
2
50
52
75
176
231
Cleveland
37
77
75
100
114
170
Cumbria
0
0
17
17
85
99
Derbyshire
0
0
43
42
181
166
Devon and Cornwall
19
51
74
74
317
354
Dorset
6
8
47
61
122
151
Durham
10
28
69
67
142
162
Essex
10
86
179
192
388
436
Gloucestershire
0
54
72
72
169
162
Greater Manchester
160
173
269
251
763
773
Hampshire
0
0
26
30
296
324
Hertfordshire
14
46
98
139
223
246
Humberside
0
0
20
20
194
318
Kent
0
59
105
97
203
377
Lancashire
77
110
161
184
374
400
Leicestershire
28
41
103
136
216
212
Lincolnshire
29
38
75
78
147
165
London, City of
0
0
14
11
36
46
Merseyside
40
72
170
196
332
407
Metropolitan Police
513
1,463
2,147
2,315
3,694
4,247
Norfolk
12
33
68
65
176
274
Northamptonshire
12
10
37
40
129
159
Northumbria
0
51
126
129
248
254
North Yorkshire
0
52
75
71
147
180
Nottinghamshire
10
56
108
112
217
259
South Yorkshire
14
59
124
121
302
334
Staffordshire
0
7
63
70
203
209
Suffolk
0
15
34
30
123
140
Surrey
21
56
115
126
203
211
Sussex
22
83
228
257
352
372
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21 Oct 2008 : Column 256W
Thames Valley
0
7
98
130
213
521
Warwickshire
11
25
56
64
127
133
West Mercia
8
57
81
85
217
272
West Midlands
0
39
219
252
644
748
West Yorkshire
70
265
394
462
690
757
Wiltshire
15
23
41
57
121
147
Dyfed-Powys
0
5
25
26
77
73
Gwent
30
45
77
76
105
139
North Wales
0
0
59
58
145
159
South Wales
0
59
107
111
314
327
Total England and Wales
1,176
3,418
6,214
6,769
13,497
15,805
(1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items. (2) Full-time equivalent includes those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. (3) Police community support officers were introduced in statute in 2002, therefore data are not available prior to 2002-03. (4) Strength figures as at 31 March 2005 onwards include those staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. Therefore these figures are not comparable with those provided for other years in the table.
