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3 Jun 2009 : Column 556W—continued
Community Relations: Islam
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the effect on the Muslim community of the Government's counter-terrorism strategy. [277863]
Mr. Coaker: My Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government regularly discuss aspects of Contest including how to involve all communities in contributing to its success. Strong and empowered communities are better equipped to effectively reject the ideology of violent extremism, isolate apologists for terrorism and provide support to vulnerable individuals and institutions.
Departmental Billing
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much (a) her Department and (b) its agencies paid in interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in the last three years for which figures are available. [275200]
Mr. Woolas: The requested information for the Home Office is set out in the table.
| £ | |
The Identity and Passport Service and Criminal Records Bureau have not made any payments under the Act, during the last three years.
The Home Office has signed up to the CBI’s prompt payment code and BS 7890, the British Standard for prompt payment.
Departmental Marketing
Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent by her Department on advertising in weekly and regional newspapers in the last five years. [277154]
Mr. Woolas: The amount spent in the last five years is shown in the table.
| £ | ||
| Weekly regional | Daily regional | |
Departmental Press: Subscriptions
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2009, Official Report, column 1079W, on departmental press, whether the magazines, newspapers and other publications subscribed to by her Department were for delivery to the homes of (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers or (c) civil servants. [276179]
Mr. Woolas: In accordance with the current framework agreements in place the Home Office does not purchase centrally any magazines, newspapers and other publications for delivery to the home addresses of Ministers, special advisers or civil servants. All publications are delivered to the business addresses of the Department, its agencies and NDPBs.
Departmental Work Experience
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many work placements her Department offered to (a) school pupils, (b) university students and (c) graduates in each of the last five years. [274483]
Mr. Woolas: The information requested on work placements for school pupils is not recorded centrally in the Home Office or its agencies. Work experience placements are authorised and organised locally by managers in business units.
The Home Office provides around 30 placements annually to graduates and undergraduates from a minority ethnic background and/or a registered disability, through the civil service fast stream summer placement schemes. They are paid an allowance within the executive officer range.
Deportation
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many scheduled deportations were cancelled in 2008. [276564]
Mr. Woolas: Internal management information, which is unaudited data and is subject to change, indicates that there were around 1,000 occasions in 2008 where there was a need to reschedule removal directions for those who were subject to deportation orders. These data are centrally collated and are not broken down to account for the number of individuals they refer to or the reasons as to why removal directions were rescheduled.
The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Select Committee in order to provide robust and accurate information on the deportation of foreign national criminals. She has explained that there are several issues which may cause deportation to be rescheduled. For example, there may be occasions when it is administratively cheaper or easier to reschedule a flight or last minute representations and judicial reviews launched by legal representatives or
individual’s behaviour becomes unmanageably obstructive, including use of ‘dirty protests’, and when there are last minute documentation issues.
Much progress has been made to minimise the impact of these issues which is demonstrated in the continued record performance of the agency in deporting or removing foreign national prisoners, where nearly 5,400 were removed in 2008. As confirmed in the UK Border Agency’s 2009-10 business plan, it will continue to aim to deport or remove record numbers of foreign criminals in the forthcoming year.
Entry Clearances: EU Nationals
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens of other EU member states have been denied access to the UK on the basis of previous criminal convictions in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [270258]
Mr. Woolas: From 2006-08, 929 EU Nationals were refused entry at the UK border on grounds relating to the public good.
The annual breakdown is as follows:
| Number of EU Nationals refused entry to the UK | |
This includes, but is not limited to those EU Nationals refused entry due to criminal convictions. This information could be obtained only by the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
The data provided is based on locally-collated management information, which may be subject to change and does not represent published national statistics.
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 May 2009, Official Report, column 1293W, on entry clearances: overseas students, whether in circumstances where overseas students pay accommodation and other fees in advance greater than the required monthly minimum, they are required to demonstrate additional funds. [277884]
Mr. Woolas: Tier 4 applicants are required to demonstrate that they hold sufficient funds to cover both (1) their course fees for their first year of study and (2) to satisfy the maintenance test.
Where an applicant has paid money towards their course fees and/or accommodation before they submit their application, this money can be offset from the total amount of funds the applicant must demonstrate, provided that they submit the specified evidence.
Where a migrant has demonstrated that they have paid their full course fees before they submit their application, the applicant will not have to show any further funds for course fees. Equally should the moneys paid to the education provider for accommodation equal or exceed the amount the applicant is required to demonstrate for maintenance, the applicant will not be required to show any further funds for maintenance.
Where the payments made for either course fees or accommodation fall short of the full amount required, the applicant must demonstrate that they hold sufficient funds to cover the shortfall.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of the UK Border Agency based in the UK are partly or wholly responsible for examining student visa applications. [271369]
Mr. Woolas: Applications from those outside the UK for student visas are considered by UKBA staff in visa sections at the relevant post abroad.
The only exception is for visa applications made in Algeria which are currently processed in London. This operation has six full time staff based in the UK whose work load includes student applications.
Entry Clearances: Pakistan
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) student visas and (b) tourist visas have been issued to Pakistani nationals in (i) the last 12 months, (ii) the last five years and (iii) the last 10 years. [271818]
Mr. Woolas: The number of (a) student visas, and (b) visit visas issued to Pakistani nationals in (i) 2008 and (ii) the five years 2004-08, is shown in the following table. Reliable data is not held for years prior to 2004.
| Calendar years | ||
| 2008 | 2004-08 | |
Human Trafficking
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many days the Poppy project has had beds which were not being used in the last 12 months. [277691]
Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
The Poppy project records vacancies on a weekly rather than daily basis. Information from the Poppy project shows that over the last 12 months there was at least one unoccupied bed-space in 36 out of 52 weeks. The vacant periods could have ranged from one night to a week.
Immigration: Marriage
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2009, Official Report, column 1831W, on immigration: marriage, whether she has assessed the effect of the change made in 2003 in the probationary period on those seeking settlement on the basis of marriage. [260523]
Mr. Woolas: It is difficult to isolate the effect of the change in the length of the probationary period from the effects of other factors, including the no-switching provision which was made at the same time. An initial examination of the data shows a significant increase in the percentage of applications refused after the rule change in 2003. The increase in the length of the probationary period is likely to have been one significant factor in the increase.
Immigration: Somalia
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Somali nationals were granted entry into the UK in each of the last three years. [276256]
Mr. Woolas: The latest available statistics on the number of Somali nationals granted entry to the United Kingdom are for 2005 to 2007 and are given in the table. Data for 2008 are scheduled for publication in August 2009.
The information shown is based on landing card information and may include the same individuals more than once if they visited the United Kingdom on multiple occasions in the period.
Statistics on passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom by purpose of journey and nationality are published annually in table 2.3 of the Home Office publications “Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom” which are available in the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
| Somali nationals given leave to enter the United Kingdom, 2005-07 | |
| Passengers admitted | Number of journeys |
| (1) Due to some gaps in the data from ports, estimates have been used. (2) May understate due to some administrative records on non-EEA nationals being unavailable for statistical analysis. The explanatory notes and definitions in the “Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2007” gives further details. (3) Provisional. Note: Data rounded to three significant figures. | |
National DNA Database
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the DNA record of the hon. Member for Hammersmith and Fulham will be removed from the national DNA database. [265856]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The hon. Member does not have a DNA profile held on the National DNA Database (NDNAD).
Oakington Immigration Removal Centre
David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future of Oakington Immigration Reception Centre; and if she will make a statement. [277277]
Mr. Woolas: The current lease of Oakington from the Housing and Communities Agency, and the planning permission for its use, expire on 30 June 2010.
We plan to continue to operate Oakington as an immigration removal centre until that date, beyond which our operation is subject to the consent of the landlord and the local council. We are committed to ensuring that the continued operation of Oakington does not delay or otherwise impact upon the proposed Northstowe development.
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