| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
16 Jun 2009 : Column 193W—continued
Immigration Controls
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigrants entered the UK under Tier 1 of the points-based system in 2008. [278551]
Mr. Woolas: During 2008, a total of 12,052 visas were issued to non-EEA nationals for entry to the UK under tier 1 of the points based system.
These data are unpublished and should be treated as provisional.
Immigration: Armed Forces
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) Gurkhas and (b) other foreign nationals who have served in the armed services have been granted the right to settle in the UK in each of the last 20 years. [277070]
Mr. Woolas: The number of main applicants granted settlement as a former member of the armed forces is set out in the following table.
| 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | Total | |
Data from earlier than 2004 is not available.
Please note this is Management Information and is not a National Statistic.
Immigration: Gurkhas
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Gurkhas have been deported in each of the last five years. [273740]
Mr. Woolas: The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed and departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis. These statistics are broken down by nationality only. To disaggregate Gurkhas from these statistics could be done only through the examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
Immigration: Vietnam
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Vietnamese children were being held in custody on the latest date for which information is available. [278935]
Mr. Woolas: National Statistics on children detained solely under Immigration Act powers by country of nationality as at 31 March 2009 are published in Table F of the supplementary tables to the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom: January - March 2009 bulletin; this is the latest date for which published information is available. Copies of this publication are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
Joint Education Taskforce
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who represents his Department on the Joint Education Taskforce; and what their role on the taskforce is. [278546]
Mr. Woolas: An official at director level is chair of the Joint Education Taskforce. The Joint Education Taskforce provides a joint forum for the agency and education establishments to consider the development and implementation of the points based system for managing the flow of migrants coming to the UK to study.
Offensive Weapons: Wales
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of homicide involving killing by a sharp instrument there were in (a) Dyfed Powys police force area and (b) Wales in each of the last 10 years. [279451]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Available information is from the Homicide Index and relates to the number of homicides recorded between 1998-99 and 2007-08.
| Homicides currently recorded( 1) where apparent method of killing is sharp instrument( 2) : Dyfed-Powys police force area and Wales region, 1998-99 to 2007-08 | ||
| Number | ||
| Year( 3) | Dyfed-Powys | Wales |
| (1) As at 4 November 2008; figures are revised as cases are dealt with by the police and by the courts, or as further information becomes available. (2) Includes knives as well as other sharp instruments. (3) Offences are shown according to the year in which the police initially recorded the offence as homicide. This is not necessarily the year in which the incident took place or the year in which any court decision was made. | ||
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported incidents of (a) attempted murder, (b) wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm (GBH) and (c) wounding or inflicting GBH without intent by use of a knife or sharp instrument there were in (i) Dyfed Powys police force area and (ii) Wales in each of the last 10 years. [279452]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Available information for knife and sharp instrument offences recorded by the police for selected offences is provided for 2007-08 only. Data are not available for previous years.
Police National Computer: Data Protection
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police staff have been (a) investigated, (b) disciplined and (c) dismissed for unauthorised or improper use of the Police National Computer database in each of the last five years. [276824]
Alan Johnson: This information is not held centrally, the use of information on the PNC is a matter for individual police forces as is the investigation, discipline and dismissal of police staff.
Access to information on the PNC requires authorisation and the user system logs both what information the user requests and what they are ultimately shown.
The National Policing Improvement Agency has no evidence of the system being breached in the last five years. Any incidents would be addressed by the relevant police force.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of data on the Police National Computer being supplied to individuals unauthorised to receive it have been recorded in each of the last five years. [276832]
Alan Johnson: The National Policing Improvement Agency has no evidence of any system breaches within the last five years. Access to information on the PNC requires authorisation and the user system logs both what information the user requests and what they are ultimately shown. Any incidents involving users accessing data for unauthorised purposes would be a matter for the relevant police force.
Police: Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what investigatory procedure is followed in circumstances where a serving police officer is alleged to have acted unlawfully in the course of his duties; what procedure is followed to determine which authority is competent to carry out an investigation; and whether the Independent Police Complaints Commission may carry out such investigations. [279628]
Mr. Hanson [holding answer 15 June 2009]: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) deals with complaints and allegations of misconduct against police officers in England and Wales, including allegations of criminal behaviour. The police must refer certain types of incidents to the IPCC. These include allegations of a serious criminal offence.
When a matter is referred to the IPCC, it makes a Mode of Investigation (MOI) decision to determine how the case should be investigated. Irrespective of any allegation of criminality, the IPCC may investigate it independently or return it to the force to be dealt with.
Serious Organised Crime Agency
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases relating to (a) drugs, (b) firearms and (c) counterfeit currency have been referred to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) by HM Revenue and Customs; and how many such cases have been investigated by SOCA. [278436]
Alan Johnson: Under arrangements agreed between HM Revenue and Customs and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), HM Revenue and Customs notify SOCA of seizures made at ports that meet specific criteria. SOCA undertakes systematic checks on every notification, but investigates only where the size of the seizure, significance of the criminals involved and operational opportunities presented are assessed as appropriate for further action, in line with the priorities set in the UK Organised Crime Control Strategy.
In the period 1 September 2007 to 30 April 2009, within the framework:
(a) SOCA received 161 notifications relating to drugs and adopted 29 of these for criminal investigation.
(b) SOCA received three notifications relating to firearms, none of which was adopted for criminal investigation by SOCA.
(c) SOCA received one notification relating to counterfeit currency which was not adopted for criminal investigation by SOCA.
The notifications that are not adopted for criminal investigation were debriefed by SOCA and, wherever appropriate, progressed by another law enforcement agency.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Serious Organised Crime Agency's proceeds of crime targets were in respect of (a) cash seizure, (b) cash forfeiture, (c) restraint orders, (d) confiscation orders and (e) civil recovery in 2008-09. [278437]
Alan Johnson: Targets for 2008-09 were published in the Serious Organised Crime Agency's Annual Plan for that year as follows:
(a) There was no target for cash seizure
(b) £6 million cash forfeiture
(c) There was no external target as restraint is used to prevent the dissipation of assets during investigation. However, SOCA set an internal target of £62.5 million for restraint orders.
(d) £46 million confiscation—this figure was made up of £42million of confiscation orders obtained by SOCA and £4 million of confiscation orders enforced by SOCA on confiscation cases inherited from the Assets Recovery Agency.
(e) There was no SOCA civil recovery and tax target, but an overall HMG target of £16 million.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) arrested on suspicion and (b) convicted of offences relating to organised immigration crime as a result of operations by the Serious Organised Crime Agency in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09. [278438]
Alan Johnson: In 2007-08, there were 129 arrests and 30 convictions as a result of operations where organised immigration crime was the main focus. In 2008-09 there were 140 arrests and 15 convictions as a result of operations where organised immigration crime was the main focus.
In addition to the numbers arrested and convicted as a result of investigations into organised immigration crime, others were dealt with “administratively” under immigration powers, for example by deportation or exclusion.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Serious Organised Crime Agency Annual Report 2008-09, how many of the 5,000 criminals on record with the Serious and Organised Crime Agency as a result of its operational activity have been (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of offences as a result of the Agency's activity. [278440]
Alan Johnson: The figure of 5,000 persons of interest includes individuals who are outside UK jurisdiction or are already in prison. During SOCA's first three years of operation, its work led to the prosecution of 920 and the conviction of 863 individuals.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |