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20 Apr 2009 : Column 176W—continued
Extradition: USA
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people the Government have sought to extradite from the United States in each year since 2001; and how many people were extradited from the United States to the UK in each of those years. [264514]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is in the following table. The data are normally used for management information only and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. The data are provisional and may be subject to change.
| UK extradition requests made to USA | Persons returned by USA to UK | |
| Note: Scotland makes and (until 1 April 2008) Northern Ireland made its own extradition requests. Statistics for such cases are not included in this table. | ||
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people (a) were extradited and (b) successfully appealed against extradition from the UK to the United States in each year since 2001; and how many people were subject to such extradition proceedings in each of those years. [264516]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is in the following table. The data are normally used for management information only and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. The data are provisional and may be subject to change.
| (a) Persons surrendered to USA | (b) Persons discharged from US extradition requests | (c) Extradition arrests pursuant to US requests | |
| Note: Cases involving persons in Scotland and in Northern Ireland are handled by the Scottish Ministers and were handled until 1 April 2008 by Northern Ireland Ministers. Statistics for such cases are not included in this table. | |||
Fingerprints: Databases
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions staff of the UK Border Agency accessed the Eurodac database in (a) 2008 and (b) each of the first three months of 2009. [269179]
Mr. Woolas: The latest published data for the United Kingdom's transactions with the Eurodac database are for 2007 and can be found in the European Commission's Annual Report to the Council and the European Parliament on the activities of the Eurodac Central Unit. This report can be accessed at:
and a copy will be placed in the House Library.
Information for 2008 and 2009 will be published in the annual reports for these years.
Firearms: Crime
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) gun crimes and (b) arrests relating to gun crime there were in (i) England and Wales and (ii) each police force area in each of the last five years. [240935]
Mr. Woolas: Available data relate to offences involving firearms (excluding air weapons) recorded between 2003-04 and 2007-08, and were published in table 2.12 of ‘Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2007-08' (HOSB 02/09), which can be found online at:
Firearms are taken to be involved in a crime if they are fired, used as a blunt instrument or used as a threat.
Data on arrests relating to gun crime cannot be provided by the Home Office since (a) the centrally held firearm offences database does not record detection or suspect data, and (b) offences involving firearms cannot be identified on the centrally held arrests database.
Forced Marriage
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of forced marriages which occurred in (a) Lancashire and (b) England in each of the last five years. [268185]
Mr. Coaker: We know that forced marriage is a hidden issue, where many victims are too afraid to come forward and seek help. Given this, it is difficult to assess the true scale of the problem. The Government’s Forced Marriage Unit deal with a significant number of cases every year. However, it is only possible to give figures for the whole of the UK, as opposed to specific regions.
In 2008, the FMU dealt with 420 cases (213 assistance cases, and 207 reluctant sponsor cases).
In 2007, the FMU dealt with 251 cases (165 assistance cases and 86 reluctant sponsor cases).
In 2006, the FMU dealt with 182 cases (99 assistance cases, and 83 reluctant sponsors).
In 2005, the FMU dealt with 152 cases (not broken down into assistance and reluctant sponsor cases).
In 2008, the FMU began keeping more detailed statistics on all reportings of forced marriage that were referred to the FMU. During the whole of 2008, the FMU received reports of over 1,600 possible forced marriage cases. Of those who gave a location, 15 per cent. were in the North West region. Unfortunately these statistics are not broken down by county.
Foreign Workers: Fixed Penalties
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices have been issued to workers from (a) Bulgaria and (b) Romania for breach of the Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations 2006 since 1 January 2007. [257048]
Jacqui Smith: Between 1 January 2007 and 31 January 2009, a total of 99 fixed penalty notices for breach of the Accession (Immigration and Worker Authorisation) Regulations were issued to workers from Bulgaria, and 287 to workers from Romania.
These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols and should be treated as provisional and subject to change.
Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
Homicide
Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of those who have served at least part of a life sentence for homicide in the last 10 years were the partner or ex-partner of the victim at the time of the homicide. [268457]
Mr. Woolas: It is not possible to extract the requested information from databases centrally held by the Ministry of Justice.
Available data from the Home Office’s Homicide Index relate to offences currently recorded as homicides in England and Wales as at 4 November 2008. Latest analysis was published in “Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2007/08” (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 02/09), which is available on the Home Office RDS website.
Between 1998-99 and 2007-08, there were 546 currently recorded homicides where the victim's relationship to principal suspect was ‘current or ex-partner’ and the principal suspect was sentenced to life imprisonment having been convicted of murder, section 2 manslaughter or other manslaughter. This figure excludes those persons for whom a Restriction Order (Mental Health Act 1983 s41) was imposed by the court, since the sentence is without limit of time, and those for whom a Hospital Order (Mental Health Act 1983 s37(1)) was imposed.
Human Trafficking
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to publish the analysis of outcomes of Pentameter 2 undertaken by
the UK Human Trafficking Centre; and if she will make a statement. [263418]
Mr. Woolas: A report on the outcomes of Operation Pentameter 2 is planned to be published by Gloucestershire Constabulary in the spring.
There are no plans for the UKHTC to publish a report on its analytical work because of operational sensitivities.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what programmes her Department has developed to tackle the illegal trafficking of individuals; how much has been allocated to such programmes; and what organisations are responsible for executing them. [269156]
Mr. Woolas: A programme of 85 cross Government actions are outlined in the United Kingdom’s Action Plan which is updated annually with the responsible agencies listed against each action. Progress on all areas of work is overseen by the Inter Departmental Ministerial Group of which the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department, my hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Mr. Campbell) is Chair.
Human trafficking is core police business and all forces should have the capacity to deal with trafficking problems in their area. This will be reinforced by the joint UK Human Trafficking Centre and National Policing Improvement Agency programme to embed human trafficking within mandatory police training courses throughout 2009. Training on human trafficking issues within the UK Border Agency is mandatory for all staff up to grade 7 level.
The Serious Organised Crime Agency has tackling organised immigration crime as its second highest priority. SOCA co-ordinates two programmes of activity aimed at organised immigration crime, including human trafficking which are aimed at the reduction of such crime at source and key nexus points and to reduce the exploitation of migrants in the UK by organised criminal gangs.
We shall fund the UKHTC to the tune of £4.5million for the current spending review period and SOCA receives an overall budget of £400 million.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the measures in place to prevent further exploitation of trafficked individuals prior to deportation; how many trafficked individuals detained in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08 were deported; and to which countries. [269157]
Mr. Woolas: Ratification of the Council of Europe convention on action against human trafficking in December 2008 underlines the Government's commitment to protecting victims of trafficking.
The Home Office monitors UN and EU reports on human rights and criminal justice issues in other countries. Specific country information is available for consideration when any return is being instigated. We also work with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and have established partnerships with a number of charities to offer reintegration assistance to victims who are returned to their country of origin.
Where there is a real risk that a person would be re-trafficked and subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment in the proposed destination country, removal of that person would be contrary to the UK's obligations under the ECHR. In those circumstances the person concerned will generally be granted some form of leave.
The information concerning the deportation of trafficked individuals is not currently available in the format requested. As part of the implementation of the convention we are putting in place mechanisms for systematically capturing data relating specifically to victims of trafficking. We anticipate these data will start to become available in the summer.
Human Trafficking: Compensation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with (a) her overseas counterparts and (b) Ministerial colleagues on financial compensation to individuals trafficked into the UK. [265832]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Compensation for victims of human trafficking can be sought in a number of ways. Prosecutors can request compensation orders upon a conviction or through the criminal injuries compensation scheme (CICS). We currently fund the charity Victim Support to assist in applications to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and the Crown Prosecution Service has issued guidance to prosecutors on the matter of compensation orders.
Recently it has been highlighted in the media that four women trafficked into sexual exploitation received compensation through CICS of over £140,000 each.
Identity Cards: Costs
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of the costs of identity cards for (a) UK citizens, (b) Irish citizens and (c) foreign nationals she expects to be covered by receipts from fees for issue of the cards. [269172]
Mr. Coaker: All operational resource costs associated with providing passports and ID cards to British and Irish citizens resident in the UK are expected to be funded through fee income. Initial set-up costs for this group will be funded by the Home Office.
The operational cost of issuing identity cards for foreign nationals, including capturing and registering biometric information, will be fully recovered through the application fees.
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