| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
20 Nov 2008 : Column 718W—continued
Although (g) Zest Solutions Ltd and (h) Barford Pest Control Services were set up as suppliers in the financial database, no payments were made to these companies in 2007-08.
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 259W, on Departmental procurement, what payments her Department made to the Joanne Banks Dancers in 2007-08; on what dates; and for what purpose in each case. [233439]
Jacqui Smith: Pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 259W, on departmental procurement; although the Joanne Banks Dancers were set up as a supplier in the Home Department’s financial database, no payment was made to this organisation in 2007-08.
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 259W, on Departmental procurement, what payments her Department made to the Home Office Staff Social Club in 2007-08; on what dates; and for what purpose in each case. [233442]
Jacqui Smith:
Pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 259W, on departmental procurement, based on the purchase order data held in the Home Department's financial database, the details
of the payments made to Home Office Staff Social Club at Home Office Scientific Development Branch (HOSDB) Sandridge in 2007-08 are as follows:
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 259W, on departmental procurement, what payments her Department made to Darlington Football Club Company in 2007-08; on what dates; and for what purpose in each case. [233444]
Jacqui Smith: Pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2008, Official Report, column 259W, on departmental procurement, based on the purchase order data held in the Home Department’s financial database, the details of the payment made to Darlington Football Club Company in 2007-08 are as follows:
Deportation
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people the Government have been unable to deport in the last 12 months; and for what reason in each case. [231631]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 30 October 2008]: The information requested is not centrally collated and can only be obtained through the detailed examination of individual casefiles at disproportionate cost. The Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly provided the Home Affairs Committee with the most robust and accurate information available on the subject of foreign criminals and associated deportation action.
Having exceeded the Prime Minister's target of 4,000 deportations or removals of foreign prisoners in 2007, the Agency has now been set an even tougher target and aims to remove or deport more than 5,000 foreign prisoners in 2008. In the first six months of this year, the Agency had deported or removed nearly 2,500 which is a record performance, 22 per cent. higher than for the same period in 2007 and nearly 140 per cent. higher than in 2006.
Deportation: Iran
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent consideration she has given to a moratorium on the deportation of gay people to Iran. [234266]
Jacqui Smith: Asylum and human rights applications made by gay people from Iran continue to be considered on their individual merits in accordance with our international obligations and taking full account of the latest available information about the conditions in Iran as they impact on the individual applicant. The UK Border Agency only enforces the deportation of gay people to Iran who they, and the courts, are satisfied are not in need of international protection and who do not elect to leave the UK voluntarily.
The August 2008 version of the Home Office Country Report for Iran is available to view at:
Deportation: Offenders
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons suspected of terrorism offences the Government has been unable to deport owing to (a) legal challenges and (b) an assessment that the individual concerned will be tortured if deported to the country of nationality in each year since 2001. [233979]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 6 November 2008]: Foreign nationals suspected of involvement in terrorism are considered for deportation action. However, deportation action cannot be taken where it is concluded that removal would be contrary to our international obligations, in particular under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
The way in which individual immigration decisions are recorded and the timescales involved means it is not possible to provide a comprehensive reply of breakdown cases by year. However:
16 individuals were certified under part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 as suspected international terrorists and were detained on the basis that their removal was prevented by a point of law which related wholly or partly to an international agreement. One other person was also certified under part 4 but was detained under other powers. Those detained had the right to leave the UK at any time, two did so. Six have since been deported.
Since 2005, there have been 19 cases where deportation action on national security grounds was commenced, but was later discontinued because it was concluded that it would not be possible to demonstrate that removal would be in conformity with the UK's international obligations, including our obligations under article 3 ECHR. These cases are kept under review.
There are currently 11 cases where we are seeking to deport individuals on grounds of national security because of their suspected involvement in terrorism. These are at various stages in the appeals process. In a twelfth case, the appeal against the decision to deport was allowed by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission as it was not satisfied that the case for deportation on national security grounds had been made out.
Detention Centres: Security
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detainees escaped from each immigration detention centre in each year since 1997. [233325]
Jacqui Smith: The number of detainees who have escaped from immigration removal centres has only been collated centrally since 2005.
2007: 29;
2008 to date: seven.
2005: one.
2006: one.
2008 to date: two.
2008 to date: one.
2005: four;
2006: 19;
2007: 63;
2008 to date: 24.
2007: one.
Electronic Government: International Co-operation
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent estimate she has made of the cost of Project Stork; what progress has been made in the project; and if she will make a statement; [236257]
(2) what recent discussions she has had with (a) Ministerial colleagues and (b) her EU counterparts on common data security standards as part of the implementation of Project Stork; [236258]
(3) if she will re-assess the data security aspects of Project Stork in the light of the recent security breach affecting the passwords and source codes of the UK Government Gateway; [236259]
(4) what recent assessment she has made of the level of potential data security risks connected with the sharing of personal information with other EU countries pursuant to the implementation of Project Stork. [236260]
Meg Hillier [holding answer 17 November 2008]: All EU member states are committed to the delivery of better and innovative services to citizens and businesses. The European Commission is supporting this commitment with a research programme on cross-border on-line services. The EU eID Large Scale Pilot, informally known as “Project Stork”, is a consortium of 14 member states including the UK which are engaged in a research project on how to enable cross border on-line services. The project started on 1 June 2008 and will last for three years.
The UK contribution will examine how Government Gateway might offer services and will lead on development
of relevant standards. The research is not about transmission of personal data and there will be no direct access to UK databases. Security and privacy are key issues within the project. All steps will be taken to ensure that mutual recognition of electronic identity is secure and makes identity theft extremely difficult and we will work with our EU partners to ensure key principles of privacy, trust and citizen control remain at the heart of the EU eID pilot.
The pilot will draw together elements of existing programmes and any additional resource to manage the work and analyse outcomes will be EU-funded. The UK will contribute approximately £1 million over the three year project—the EU will match this funding.
Genetics: Databases
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of people on the national DNA database were aged (a) under 16 and (b) under 18 years at the time their profile was loaded, broken down by police force. [231778]
Jacqui Smith: The number of profiles added to the National DNA Database (NDNAD) by each police force in England and Wales, where the profile is recorded as relating to a person aged under 16 or under 18 at the time the DNA sample was taken, is shown in the following table. The numbers given for under 18s include the numbers given for under 16s. The figures are correct as at 29 October 2008.
The number of profiles is not the same as the number of individuals. This is because a number of subject profiles on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded to the NDNAD on more than one occasion. This may arise for a number of reasons, such as a person giving a different name on different occasions they are arrested, or because of upgrading of profiles. It is estimated that 13.3 per cent. of the subject profiles held on the entire NDNAD are replicates. However, this rate may vary between police forces, so figures for the number of individuals are given for England and Wales as a whole, but not for particular forces.
The table also shows what percentage of the total number of profiles added by English and Welsh police forces are recorded as relating to persons aged under 16 or under 18 at the time the DNA sample was taken.
| Profiles (not individuals) added by force | Under 16 | Under 18 |
|
Total profiles as per cent of total England and Wales subject profiles on NDNAD (percentage) |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |