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29 Jan 2009 : Column 801Wcontinued
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crack house closures there were in (a) Uxbridge constituency and (b) the London borough of Hillingdon in each of the last five years. [250772]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 introduced the provision for police to serve a closure notice on any premises that is believed by the police to be used for the production, supply or use of Class A drugs, and which is causing serious nuisance or disorder.
The Home Office collects data on the number of closure orders issued through the voluntary Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) survey of antisocial behaviour tools and powers. Latest available data from this survey cover the period from October 2003 to September 2007 and show that in the Hillingdon CDRP area no such orders were served in this period. Data are not collected at a parliamentary constituency level, although as the Uxbridge constituency is entirely within the Hillingdon CDRP area, there have also been no closure orders issued.
Data for 2007-08 will be published early in 2009.
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library a copy of the guidance issued to staff for the purposes of determining tourist visa applications from applicants from mainland China; and if she will make a statement. [247908]
Mr. Woolas [ holding answer 27 January 2009]: All tourist visa applications are considered against paragraph 41 of the Immigration Rules for General Visitors. In addition to paragraph 41 of the Immigration Rules, Chinese tourist visitors seeking leave to enter under the approved destinations status (ADS) agreement with China will have their applications considered against paragraph 56G-56J of the immigration rules.
Chinese tourist visitors who apply under paragraph 56G-56J of the immigration rules are required to use an accredited ADS travel agent, of which there are over 60 throughout China.
All visa officers are subject to intensive training in the United Kingdom prior to overseas deployment to ensure they are able to assess all types of visa applications to enter the United Kingdom. The guidance used throughout this training period and subsequent reference material used by visa officers is substantial. All immigration rules, including those for paragraph 41 and 56G-56J, are publicly available and can be located on the internet. The section on Visit and Transit in Entry Clearance Guidance gives additional guidance to entry clearance officers for dealing with visit visa applications. This guidance can also be found on the internet.
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applicants for visas from mainland China were refused visas in each of the last three years, broken down by category of refusal. [248117]
Mr. Woolas [ holding answer 27 January 2009]: The following table provides issue and refusal statistics per year for 2006, 2007 and 2008 broken down into categories for total applications received in mainland China at our embassy in Beijing and the Consulate-Generals in Shanghai, Chongqing and Guangzhou.
UK Border Agency Applications from m ainland China | ||||
Endorsement | Applications i ssued | Applications r efused | Percentage i ssued | |
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times application of the two-year rule has resulted in the removal of the right of a spouse to remain in the UK in the event of relationship failure in 2007-08; and what steps were taken following the application of the rule in each case. [250679]
Mr. Woolas: The specific data requested could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual case records only at disproportionate cost.
In order to qualify for settlement on the basis of marriage, an applicant must show that they are still married to the person they were admitted or granted an extension of stay to join and that relationship is subsisting. If the parties are no longer married or their relationship no longer subsists, the applicant will not meet the requirements of the immigration rules for settlement and the application will fall for refusal on this basis.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2009, Official Report, columns 706-07W, on foreign workers, if she will break down the figures by year, and indicate the percentage of the relevant work force they constitute. [249751]
Mr. Woolas: The following tables provide information on the number of work permits approved and Worker Registration Scheme certificates issued by occupation category. We are unable to provide an indication of the percentage of the relevant work force they constitute as data are not held on the size of each work force.
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