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4 Jun 2009 : Column 636W—continued
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many educational institutions have received a rating of (a) A, (b) B and (c) F from the UK Border Agency under the new Tier 4 registration system. [271977]
Jacqui Smith: As of 29 April 2009, there have been 1,491 educational establishments awarded an A rating and 41 educational standards awarded a B rating under the Tier 4 Points Based System. There is no F Rating.
Internet: Data Protection
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what requirements there are for UK internet service providers wishing to use deep packet inspection targeted advertising systems to obtain consent from individual internet users prior to the collection of data relating to individuals. [277873]
Mr. Straw: I have been asked to reply.
The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) requires all data controllers, including internet services providers, to comply with the DPA and the data protection principles, when processing personal data. Personal data must not be processed unless, amongst other things, at least one of the conditions in Schedule 2 to the DPA is met. In the case of sensitive personal data, a condition in Schedule 3 must also be met. Consent is one condition for processing personal data, but it is not the only one, and whether consent is required for certain processing to take place will depend upon the particular circumstances.
Additionally the Internet Advertising Bureau has recently launched a code of practice which focuses on free and informed consent. Many internet services providers and key players have signed up to this, including Phorm, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and AOL.
Anyone with concerns or complaints about the way in which personal data are being processed can refer the matter to the Information Commissioner, the independent regulator for the DPA, to investigate.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 4 December 2008 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mrs. Shakeela Band. [250867]
Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 21 January 2009.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to reply to the letter dated 20 January 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mrs. Kadididja Benguana Epse Benneddall. [263653]
Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 20 April 2009.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter of 20 April 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. S. Tygier. [277530]
Jacqui Smith: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 28 May 2009.
Passports: Fraud
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attempted frauds in applications for passports have been detected by the Identity and Passport Service in each of the last five years. [276827]
Jacqui Smith: The following table gives figures for attempted frauds detected in passport applications for each of the last five financial years.
The measurement of fraud is a complex issue. Historically IPS has counted as fraudulent only those cases which it has been possible to confirm absolutely as fraud. In recent years IPS has been engaged in a programme of work to better understand the nature and level of fraud within the passport application process and the success of existing measures in preventing fraud. This work has established that there were a significant number of cases in which IPS routinely prevents the issue of passports to fraudsters without actually recording those cases as fraudulent.
As a result, processes to provide a more accurate measure of IPS performance in countering fraud have been developed and refined. This is the reason for the significant step change in success that IPS is now able to report. IPS currently uses a tiered approach to recording fraudulent applications based on the level of likelihood of fraud. Fraud is now categorised as confirmed fraud, probable fraud and possible fraud.
IPS continues to undertake analysis to better understand the fraud perpetrated against it and to more accurately measure and record its performance in this complex but important area.
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, should be treated as provisional and is subject to change.
| Number | |
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passports have been issued to individuals who were subsequently found to have used the identities of deceased British citizens to obtain those passports in each of the last five years. [276830]
Jacqui Smith: The following figures show the number of instances in which Identity and Passport Service has identified and recorded passports issued to individuals subsequently found to have used the identities of deceased British citizens in their applications:
| Number | |
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, should be treated as provisional and is subject to change.
Police: Powers
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what timetable she has set for returning to custody sergeants the power to charge individuals in respect of all offences triable in magistrates' courts; and by what date this change will have been implemented nationally. [272984]
Jacqui Smith: We have no plans at this stage to reverse the policy of statutory charging.
A recent joint HMIC/HMCPSI inspection reported that statutory charging has delivered good quality final charging decisions by prosecutors, and had caused weak cases to be discontinued earlier, thereby saving time and cost for the police service, CPS and the courts.
We are working with Jan Berry, the independent Reducing Bureaucracy Advocate, and criminal justice partners to improve the custody and charging processes so that they deliver the best possible service to the police, prosecutors and the public.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to answer Question (a) 241867, on personal data, (b) 241874, on departmental procurement, (c) 241656, on visas, (d) 241601, on work permits, (e) 241609, on business visitors and (f) 241610, on business visitors tabled by the hon. Member for Beaconsfield on 4 December 2008. [264900]
Jacqui Smith: My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration replied to the hon. Member for Beaconsfield on (a) 1 June 2009, Official Report, column 148W; (b) 20 April 2009, Official Report, column 163W; (c) 30 March 2009, Official Report, columns 952-53W; (d) 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 952W and (e) 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 952W.
Prime Minister
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Mr. Soames: To ask the Prime Minister who is responsible for determining the UK's strategy in Afghanistan. [278024]
The Prime Minister: I accept responsibility for UK strategy in Afghanistan. I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made to the House on 29 April 2009, Official Report, column 869-73.
Mr. Soames: To ask the Prime Minister what recent advice he has received from the Chief of the Afghan staff regarding future troop levels in Afghanistan. [278025]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton) on 1 June 2009, Official Report, column 12.
Scotland
Departmental Reviews
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) review and (b) taskforce projects his Department has commissioned in each of the last five years; what the purpose of each such project is; when each such project (i) began and (ii) was completed; what the cost of each such project was; and if he will make a statement. [275968]
Ann McKechin: Summary information on taskforces and other standing bodies is available in the annual Cabinet Office publication “Public Bodies”. Copies of “Public Bodies 2008” are available in the Libraries of the House. Detailed information on ad hoc advisory bodies is available in the Office’s annual report.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Departmental Billing
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies paid in interest to
suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 in each year since its creation. [275199]
Mr. Simon: Since its creation, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills and its agencies have not made any payments of interest to suppliers under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.
Departmental ICT
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he has taken to reduce the level of carbon dioxide emissions arising from the operation of ICT systems in his Department under the Greening Government ICT Strategy. [273566]
Mr. Simon: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 27 April 2009, Official Report, column 1065W.
Children, Schools and Families
Cabinet: Glasgow
Mr. MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (1) how much expenditure was incurred by his Department in respect of the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009; [273927]
(2) what expenditure on (a) travel, (b) accommodation and (c) food (i) he and (ii) officials in his Department incurred in connection with the Cabinet meeting in Glasgow on 16 April 2009. [273928]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The total cost of travel incurred by my right hon. Friend and two officials in connection with his visits in Glasgow and the Cabinet meeting was £1,076.32.
There was no departmental expenditure on accommodation or food.
Children in Care
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were in residential care in each local authority area in England in each year since 2000. [276432]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information is as follows and has also been placed in the House Libraries.
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