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26 Feb 2009 : Column 968W—continued
Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will increase the funding available under the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme. [254905]
Ian Pearson: The enterprise finance guarantee (EFG) was launched on 14 January 2009, replacing the small firms loan guarantee (SFLG).
For further details on EFG I refer my hon. Friend to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs gave on 5 February 2009, Official Report, column 1457W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Dr. Turner).
Sri Lanka: Arms Trade
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what monetary value of defence equipment sales to Sri Lanka was for (a) lethal and (b) non-lethal equipment in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement. [257297]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 23 February 2009]: The Government publish detailed information on export licences issued, refused and revoked, by destination, including the overall value and a summary of the items covered by these licences, in its Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls.
The Government's Annual Reports, published since 1997, and Quarterly Reports, published since 2004, are available from the Libraries of the House and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website at
The reports do not distinguish between lethal and non-lethal equipment, which would in practice require a subjective judgment. The reports do however make a distinction between military and dual-use goods, which are separately identified according to the relevant control lists.
The Government do not approve any defence related exports if it judges that there is a clear risk that they will be used in contravention of the Consolidated Criteria, including for external aggression or internal repression. We routinely refuse export licences where we believe there is a risk of this, and have refused a number of licences to Sri Lanka on this basis.
Working Capital Scheme
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the Working Capital Scheme has been approved by the European Commission. [256166]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 11 February 2009]: The Commission’s approval for this scheme is being sought under the terms of the Commission Communication 2009/C 10/03 “The recapitalisation of financial institutions in the current financial crisis” published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 15 January 2009.
Solicitor-General
National Fraud Reporting Centre
7. James Brokenshire: To ask the Solicitor-General when the National Fraud Reporting Centre will be fully operational; and if she will make a statement. [258809]
The Solicitor-General: The National Fraud Reporting Centre (NFRC) consists of an Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) and Reporting Centre.
An NFIB pilot is under way and has identified new counter-fraud intelligence, which is being investigated. Discussions are under way with potential suppliers for provision of a final solution.
The NFRC will offer the public and small businesses web and telephone-based services to report non-urgent frauds and receive fraud prevention advice. This service is planned for a national roll-out towards the end of 2009, with a regional pilot starting in summer 2009.
Rape: Prosecution Policy
8. Martin Linton: To ask the Solicitor-General what recent representations she has received on prosecution policy in rape cases. [258810]
The Solicitor-General: The Crown Prosecution Service has recently received representations on its policy on prosecuting rape cases. With my approval, the CPS has refreshed its policy statement to reflect those representations, as well as changes in the law and practice, a number of initiatives to assist victims in giving evidence and to address again the myths and stereotypes that are thought to sometimes wrongly influence juries. The refreshed policy statement will be published shortly.
Attorney-General
Simon Hughes: To ask the Solicitor-General what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the role of the Attorney-General. [258805]
The Solicitor-General: The Government are still looking in detail at the proposals on the future role of the Attorney-General, in light of the recommendations of the Joint Committee on the draft Constitutional Renewal Bill and the Justice Committee. While that is going on, the Attorney-General and I continue to discharge the role of dispensing independent legal advice to the Government, upholding the rule of law and superintending the prosecution services.
Negligence: Parents
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Solicitor-General how many cases of parental neglect have been brought by the Crown Prosecution Service in (a) England and (b) Northamptonshire in the last three years for which figures are available. [258913]
The Solicitor-General: Cases of parental neglect are usually brought under s1(1) Children and Young Persons Act 1933 (cruelty to a person under 16). The following table shows the number of these offences in which a prosecution commenced and reached a first hearing in each of the last three years.
Section 1 of the 1933 Act relates to offences committed by persons with responsibility for a child or young person, not just to parents, and it is not possible to identify from the records held by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) how many of the relevant offences were committed by a parent.
| Crown Prosecution Service: offences reaching a hearing in magistrates court | |||
| s1(1) Children and Young Persons Act 1933 (parental neglect) | |||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | |
Theft: Prosecutions
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Solicitor-General how many successful prosecutions have been brought for offences of (a) theft and (b) burglary from shops in the last three months. [258812]
The Solicitor-General: The records maintained by the Crown Prosecution Service do not separately identify cases of theft or burglary from shops. The information could be retrieved by locating and examining individual case records, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost—Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, part 2, clause 9.
Home Department
Arrests: Mentally Ill People
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests of a person with a mental health disorder took place in each of the last five years. [258340]
Mr. Coaker: The data requested are not collected centrally The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) recorded by the police forces in England and Wales.
From the data on arrests reported to the Home Office it is not possible to separate data for the number of arrests of a person with a mental health disorder.
Asylum
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons solicitors acting for the applicant in Home Office case ref no. LR2184026425 have not received a substantive response to the application for their client’s settlement under policy DP069/99; and if she will make a statement. [259034]
Mr. Woolas: The UK Border Agency wrote to the hon. Member for Thurrock on 25 February 2009.
Asylum: Ethiopia
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications made by Ethiopian citizens and their dependants were (a) granted and (b) refused (i) by the UK Border Agency and (ii) on appeal to the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in (A) each of the last five years and (B) at the latest date in 2009 for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [258995]
Mr. Woolas: The accompanying tables show the available information on initial decisions made on applications for asylum from nationals of Ethiopia, from 2004 to 2008, including grants and refusals of asylum. It also shows the outcome of appeals against refusal of asylum by Ethiopian nationals between 2004 and 2008.
Information on asylum is published annually and quarterly. Statistics for Q1 2009 will be available in May 2009 from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
| Initial decisions( 1,2) on asylum applications received in the United Kingdom, including dependants, 2004 to 2008, nationals of Ethiopia | |||||
| Decisions | |||||
| Ethiopia | Total decisions | Grants of asylum | Grants of humanitarian protection | Grants of discretionary leave | Total refusals |
| (1) Figures rounded to nearest 5, (— = 0, * = 1 or 2). (2) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. (3) Provisional figures. | |||||
| Appeals outcomes determined by the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal( 1) , excluding dependants, nationals of Ethiopia, 2004 to 2008 | |||||||
| Principal appellants | |||||||
| Appeals determined by Immigration Judges( 2) | |||||||
| Allowed( 3) | Dismissed( 3) | Withdrawn( 3,4) | |||||
| Ethiopia | Total determined( 3) | Total | As percentage of determined | Total | As percentage of determined | Total | As percentage of determined |
| (1) Figures rounded to nearest 5 (except percentages), with ‘*’ = 1 or 2. Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) All figures for appeals determined are cases dealt with by Immigration Judges. (3) Based on information supplied by the AIT. Determinations do not necessarily relate to appeals received in the same period. (4) Figures include cases withdrawn by the Home Office, as well as those withdrawn by the appellant. (5) Data on appeal outcomes are derived from Immigration and Nationality Directorate electronic sources. (6) Provisional figures. | |||||||
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum were made by Ethiopian citizens and their dependants (a) on grounds of political opinion and (b) in total in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) at the latest date in 2009 for which figures are available. [258996]
Mr. Woolas: The number of Ethiopian nationals who applied for asylum on political grounds between 2004 and 2008 and from the beginning of 2009 to date would be available by examination of individual case-files only at disproportionate cost.
The accompanying table shows the available information on applications for asylum for nationals of Ethiopia, 2004 to 2008.
Information on asylum is published annually and quarterly. Statistics for the first quarter of 2009 will be available in May 2009 from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
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