Previous Section Index Home Page

15 Dec 2008 : Column 508W—continued


Departmental Disabled Staff

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what conclusions her Department has reached in fulfilment of its duty under section 3.111 of the statutory code of practice of the disability equality duty. [240977]

Mr. Woolas: The conclusions we have reached can be found in our combined Race, Disability and Gender Equality Scheme annual progress report which was published in May 2008. The report has been published on the Home Office website at:

Departmental Marketing

Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Answer of 17 September 2008, Official Report, column 2257W, on departmental marketing, department branding and marketing, how much was spent by (a) her Department, (b) the UK Border Agency, (c) the Identity and Passport Service and (d) the Criminal Records Bureau and their predecessors in each of the last five years. [241517]

Jacqui Smith: The following table summarises spend of Home Office, UKBA, IPS and CRB over the last five years on branding and marketing.


15 Dec 2008 : Column 509W

15 Dec 2008 : Column 510W
£
Home Office UKBA IPS CRB

Branding Marketing Branding Marketing Branding Marketing B/M

2003-04

80,200

8,462,070

0

0

0

410,000

0

2004-05

123,054

11,312,765

0

0

0

138,000

0

2005-06

67,613

9,348,810

0

0

0

160,000

0

2006-07

66,720

13,658,673

0

0

37,825

239,000

0

2007-08

2,540

8,143,961

95,969

0

17,304

1,694,000

0


The figures provided for branding include the research and development of new brands as well as logo design and application. They include brands developed for campaigns as well as organisational brands. The Home Office branding figures also include work undertaken on behalf of executive agencies and NDPBs.

The figures provided for marketing include the research and development of campaigns, and media costs for press, radio, TV and poster advertising (exclusive of VAT and fees). The Home Office is responsible for some of the public’s biggest concerns such as counter terrorism, crime and immigration. The level of marketing spend amounts to less than 1 per cent. of the Home Office overall budget. In order to match resources to priorities we focus on where we will get the most impact and value and where we will deliver the greatest return on investment.

Departmental Pensions

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of civil servants in her Department and its agencies are members of the (a) Classic, (b) Classic Plus, (c) Nuvos and (d) Premium civil service pension schemes. [240304]

Mr. Woolas: The breakdown of members by PCPS scheme, and the proportion of members in each scheme is shown in the following table:

Table 1

Home Office and UKBA Proportion of members in scheme (percentage) CRB Proportion of members in scheme (percentage) IPS Proportion of members in scheme (percentage)

Total members

21,380

526

3918

Classic

11,553

54.03

324

61.60

2,154

54.98

Premium

8,340

39.01

136

25.85

1,411

36.01

Classic Plus

709

3.32

5

0.95

59

1.51

Nuvos

778

3.64

61

11.60

294

7.50


The figures reflect the position as at 30 September 2008 which are the latest data that are currently available.

Departmental Rail Travel

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date she last used a train in the course of her official duties. [242608]

Mr. Woolas: Monday 1 December.

Departmental Recruitment

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants in her Department were recruited through the fast stream; and what the average salary of those officials is. [242264]

Mr. Woolas: Over the past four years the Department has recruited the following numbers of people into the fast stream.

The starting salaries of people joining the fast-stream as a Higher Executive Officer (Development) from outside the Home Office is as follows:

£

2007-08

25,046

2006-07

23,566

2005-06

22,978

2004-05

22,289


The fast stream is open to all staff between Administrative Assistant and Senior Executive Officer grades.

Statistics on intake into the fast stream as a whole are published annually on the Cabinet Office website. Copies are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Departmental Temporary Employment

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Answer of 28 October 2008, Official Report, columns 819-20W, on departmental temporary employment, how many staff were recruited through each company in each year; and for how long on average staff recruited through these companies worked for the Department in each year. [242313]

Mr. Woolas: A central record is not retained of how many staff were recruited through each company in each year by the Home Department; and for how long on average staff recruited through these companies worked. To retrieve and collate the information from individual records would incur disproportionate cost.


15 Dec 2008 : Column 511W

Deportation: Illegal Immigrants

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK Border Agency, when considering the deportation of an individual to a country with which the UK does not have a Memorandum of Understanding (a) assesses the human rights and political situation in the relevant country each time an individual case arises and (b) has a general policy on the human rights and political situation of a country at any one time. [241000]

Mr. Woolas: All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered on their individual merits in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the European Convention on Human Rights against the background of the latest accurate, sourced and up-to-date country information.

The UK Border Agency's Country of Origin Information Service closely monitors the situation in all countries that generate asylum seekers to the UK. The material is compiled from a wide range of reliable external information sources and reports are updated frequently and significant changes in country conditions communicated to decision makers.

The UK Border Agency will only enforce the return of individuals who they, and the courts, are satisfied are not in need of international protection and who do not elect to leave the UK voluntarily.

Removal will be carried out only where it is considered both appropriate and safe to do so. This general policy applies to all removals whether or not an individual has raised an asylum or human rights claim.

Driving Under Influence: Kent

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of (a) drug and (b) drink driving were recorded in (i) Ashford and (ii) Kent in each year since 1997. [243120]

Mr. Alan Campbell: Offences of driving while unfit through drugs or drink are summary offences and do not feature in the recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office.

The Home Office does collect data on recorded offences of ‘Causing death by dangerous or careless driving (including while under the influence of drink or drugs)’. However, it is not possible to determine from the information held centrally which, if any, of these offences were committed while the offender was under the influence.


15 Dec 2008 : Column 512W

The available information for the aforementioned offence is given in the following table. Data for this offence have only been collected at local authority area level since 2000-01.

Recorded offences of causing death by dangerous or careless driving (including while under the influence of drink or drugs)

Ashford local authority area Kent

1997

n/a

12

1998-99

n/a

11

1999-2000

n/a

12

2000-01

3

2001-02

10

2002-03

7

2003-04

10

2004-05

2

6

2005-06

12

2006-07

0

17

2007-08

2

6


Drugs: Corruption

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of corruption involving (a) police, (b) prison and (c) customs officers which involved illegal drugs there were in each of the last five years. [240934]

Mr. Alan Campbell: The information is not available.


Next Section Index Home Page