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19 Nov 2008 : Column 590W—continued
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) value is of any penalty and cancellation clauses in the contracts awarded in relation to the identity card scheme and (b) the expected value is in contracts relating to the identity cards scheme that have yet to be awarded. [224720]
Jacqui Smith: Contracts for the NIS using the ‘Strategic Supplier Group’ framework and for passports contain provisions for termination based on Office of Government Commerce guidance. These include terms for ending the contract for poor performance or where a decision is made to terminate early (for ‘convenience’). For termination for convenience where between 12 and 18 months notice is given, a supplier may recover costs incurred to the point of termination and those associated with terminating the contract. Where less notice is given, in addition to costs incurred, some anticipated profit lost as a result of the decision to terminate early may be claimed. As these provisions are based on formulae dependent on when any decision is taken, work incurred to date and what elements of services are being terminated, no ‘value’ can be calculated.
Identity Cards: Finance
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what costs have been incurred to date in the planning and implementation of the identity card scheme. [224606]
Jacqui Smith: Between the financial years 2003-04 and 2005-06, £41.1 million was spent by the Home Office Identity Cards Programme in total.
Since the merger of the Home Office Identity Cards Programme and the UK Passport Service to create the Identity and Passport Service on 1 April 2006, projects
to deliver passports including facial images and fingerprints, identity cards and other improvements have been necessarily combined. As much of the technology and operational processes needed to implement identity cards is also required for the implementation of these new passports, this is the most cost-effective way to deliver these initiatives.
Much of the work conducted by Identity and Passport Service cannot be categorised, both financially and operationally, as contributing towards either the introduction of passports with facial images and fingerprints or identity cards alone. The work is accounted for as future development projects which in the 2006-07 financial year amounted to £30.9 million. The costs accounted for as future development projects in the 2007-08 financial year were £61.7 million.
The latest six monthly Identity Cards Scheme Cost Report, published on 6 May 2008, sets out those elements of the cost estimates that relate specifically to passports, those specific to identity cards and those that are common to both. The cost of registering individuals for passports and ID cards is included in common costs because the same technology infrastructure and business processes will be used. In many cases, the same application will result in the issue of both a passport and an identity card.
The latest cost report may be found at:
I would refer the hon. Member to that report.
Identity Cards: Foreigners
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness of the technology to be used from 25 November to obtain biometric fingerprints from juvenile foreign nationals over the age of six for the Identity Cards Scheme for Foreign Nationals and (b) merits of obtaining biometric fingerprints from juvenile foreign nationals over the age of six; what advice she has received on the psychological effect of collecting biometric identifiers from juveniles over the age of six; and if she will make a statement. [227984]
Mr. Woolas: The UKBA has many years of experience of taking fingerprints from children aged five and upwards without difficulty. For example, we issued 39,401 application registration cards (ARC) to children aged from five to 16 from 2002 to 2006, and we collected biometric data as part of the visa application process between September 2006 and the end of April 2007 from 5,679 children aged from five to 16.
The benefits of taking children’s fingerprints are wide-ranging from providing a more secure and reliable documentary evidence of a child’s immigration status and identity to helping abate child trafficking, and fraudulent claims for public funds. In addition, it will allow the UK to comply with EU regulation 380/2008 (section 4b) which lays down a uniform format for residence permits for third country nationals.
When evaluating the pilot scheme for the identity cards for foreign nationals, children followed the same quick, easy and clean process that they saw their parent follow and there was no evidence to suggest that children were adversely affected by the process. To date, we have successfully enrolled the biometrics of over 13,000 people.
Immigrants: Vetting
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what access her Department has to the results of Criminal Records Bureau checks carried out in other EU member states; what arrangements are in place to ensure that all EU migrants are subject to a Criminal Records Bureau check before commencing employment in the UK; and if she will make a statement. [234670]
Meg Hillier: There is no direct equivalent to the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) in other countries or EU member states. Each country operates its own arrangements for providing access to criminal record information and the CRB does not currently access overseas criminal records as part of its Disclosure Service.
The Disclosure Service is only available for those positions and types of work included in the Exceptions Order (1975) to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. The standard and enhanced disclosure process includes checks against the Police National Computer (PNC) and, if applicable, a search against Section 142 of the Education Act 2002, the Protection of Children Act and Protection of Vulnerable Adults (PoCA and PoVA) lists. Enhanced disclosures also contain a further check conducted by police forces for any relevant non-conviction information. All individuals who have received a successful offer of employment for a role which brings them into contact with children or vulnerable adults are subject to these checks irrespective of an applicant's nationality or length of residence in the United Kingdom.
The CRB introduced an overseas service in February 2003 to provide details and guidance to employers and individuals on how to obtain a certificate of good conduct or a copy of a person’s own criminal record from those countries included in the overseas service.
This information can be used in conjunction with the full range of pre-appointment checks to ensure that the prospective employee is suitable for the post. These pre-appointment checks are the responsibility of the employer and a CRB disclosure is only one part of that process. Full details of this service are available on the CRB website at:
Some countries also have arrangements enabling their citizens to obtain certificates of good conduct or extracts from any existing criminal record to show to prospective employers. These may be obtained once the prospective employees have arrived in the UK but it may be advisable for them to obtain the document before leaving their home country.
Immigration: Deportation
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 May 2008, Official Report, columns 5-6WS, on the UK Border Agency detention estate that an immigration offender is removed from the United Kingdom every eight minutes, how many new arrivals refused entry to the UK at port are counted as removed immigration offenders. [208720]
Mr. Woolas:
Of the 63,140 removals from the UK in 2007 (which equates to one removal, on average, every eight minutes), 33,680 were persons refused entry at port and subsequently removed from the UK. The
latter figure includes cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls, persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them and removals which have been performed by Immigration Officers at ports using enforcement powers. Figures are rounded to the nearest five and are provisional.
National Statistics on immigration and asylum are available from the Library of the House and the Home Office’s Research, Development and Statistics website at:
Immobilisation of Vehicles: Licensing
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department's review of the regulation of companies involved in vehicle immobilisation on private land will include consideration of the proposal that the Security Industry Authority take responsibility for the level of fees charged in relation to vehicle immobilisation. [236483]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is undertaking a feasibility study of various options for the regulation of vehicle immobilisation companies who work on private land, which is expected to be completed by the end of December. This study is considering options relating to the fees charged in relation to vehicle immobilisation on private land.
Interception Modernisation Programme
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the (a) set-up and (b) annual running costs of the Interception Modernisation Programme database. [236501]
Mr. Coaker: The objective of the Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP) is to maintain the UK’s Lawful Intercept and Communications Data capabilities in the changing communications environment. It is a cross-government programme, led by the Home Office, to ensure that our capability to lawfully intercept and exploit data when fighting crime and terrorism is not lost. It was established in response to the Prime Minister’s National Security remit in 2006.
As part of the Government’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR 07) a central bid was made to HM Treasury on behalf of the security and intelligence agencies. Funding for IMP was included in this bid.
The IMP will require a substantial level of investment which will need to tie in with the Government’s three-year CSR periods. The scale of overall economic investment is very difficult to calculate because of the complexity of the project and wide ranging implementation solutions currently being considered.
Given the commercial and national security sensitivities, the precise costs of the programme cannot be disclosed. Further detail on budgetary estimates for the IMP will however become available once the public consultation process (announced by the Home Secretary on 15 October) commences in the new year.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of replies to hon. Members on immigration cases were signed by a Minister in her Department in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the procedures are for deciding whether the reply is signed by a Minister or the Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency. [213959]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 26 June 2008]: In May 2008, 40.5 per cent. of the replies sent to hon. Members, that were originally sent to a Minister, were signed by a Minister.
Letters written directly to the Home Secretary by Cabinet colleagues, Members of the shadow Cabinets and leaders of other political parties will receive a reply direct from the Home Secretary.
Letters written to a Minister that ask for a meeting, are political or explicitly drawing the Minister’s attention to an issue, will also receive a reply from a Minister. Members of the Privy Council will also receive a ministerial reply if they write to a Minister.
The letters that do not fall into these categories are divided between the CEO (and deputy) of the Border Agency and Ministers for replying; with 80 per cent. going to the CEO (and deputy) and 20 per cent. to Ministers.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will respond to the letter of 29 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Z Mohiny. [235589]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 13 November 2008]: I replied to my right hon. Friend’s letter on 13 November 2008.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will respond to the letter of 30 September from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Zara Gulshav. [235590]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 13 November 2008]: I replied to my right hon. Friend’s letter on 12 November 2008.
National Policing Improvement Agency: Finance
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget for the National Policing Improvement Agency will be in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [234744]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 10 November 2008]: The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) budget for resource and capital, as set out in the business plan 2008-11, is given in the following table.
| £ million | ||
| Resource | Capital | |
The 2008-09 budget has been delegated by the Home Office. The 2009-10 and 2010-11 budgets have not yet been formally delegated by the Home Office.
Further information can be found in section 8 of the NPIA business plan 2008-11, which is available on the NPIA website at:
Neighbourhood Policing Fund
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the size of the Neighbourhood Policing Fund will be in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; [235475]
(2) what the total funding by her Department for police community support officers in England and Wales will be in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [235476]
Jacqui Smith: From 1 April 2008, the Neighbourhood Policing Fund has included the grant for police community support officers. The police funding settlement announced on 6 December 2007 set out allocations for 2008-09 and provisionally for 2009-10 and 2010-11. The total figures for England and Wales are (a) £324 million in 2008-09, (b) £332 million in 2009-10 and (c) £341 million in 2010-11.
Parenting Contracts
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parenting contracts have been issued to parents of young people repeatedly found drinking in public. [234289]
Jacqui Smith: Data on parenting contracts are not collected by the Home Office as they are voluntary agreements and therefore are not suitable for central data collection.
Police Cautions
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) cautions, (b) on-the-spot fines and (c) formal warnings were issued by each police force in each of the last 10 years. [235715]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Information provided by the Ministry of Justice showing the number of offenders cautioned is given in table 1. The number of penalty notices for disorder (on-the-spot fines) issued from 2004 (commencement of the scheme) to 2006 is given in table 2. Data for 2007 in relation to both cautions and penalty notices for disorder are due to be published at the end of November 2008.
Police forces can also issue ‘on the spot fines’ or fixed penalty notices (FPNs) for various motoring offences. Information on the number of FPNs issued, broken down by police force area for the years 1997 to 2007 are published in table 20(a) of the Home Office publication ‘Offences Relating to Motor Vehicles’. Copies are available in the House Library.
The only formal warning statistics that are collected centrally are cannabis warnings. Police forces have been able to issue a formal warning for possession of cannabis, known as a cannabis warning, since 1 April 2004. The available data are given in table 3. Figures for 2004-05 cannot be shown at the police force area level. For this period, there were an estimated 39,256 cannabis warnings in England and Wales.
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