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6 July 2009 : Column 570W—continued
Immigration
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate he has made of the proportion of stateless people who have arrived in the UK from (a) Africa, (b) Afghanistan, (c) the Middle East, (d) North and South America and (e) Asia. [271505]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 27 April 2009]: The table contains details of the number of recorded admissions and grants of entry made at the UK Border to stateless nationals from 2004 to 2007. This is the latest period for which published information is available. Further information regarding the number of individuals granted entry in this category could be obtained by the detailed examination of individual records only at disproportionate cost.
The arrival routings of passengers entering the UK in this category are not routinely recorded. It is therefore not currently possible to provide accurate statistics on the embarkation points of stateless passengers who arrive in the UK.
| Passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom recorded as stateless nationals by purpose of journey( 1) , 2004-07—United Kingdom | |||||
| Number of journeys | |||||
| Total | Visitors | Passengers returning after a temporary absence abroad | Passengers in transit | Others given leave to enter | |
| (1) Excludes asylum related grants of leave to enter. (2 )Due to some gaps in the data from ports estimates have been used. (3 )Provisional. Notes: 1. May undercount as some administrative records on non-EEA nationals were unavailable for statistical analysis. 2. Data have been rounded to the nearest five. | |||||
This information has been taken from published Home Office Statistics which can be found at
Immigration Controls
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigrants entered the UK under Tier 2 of the points-based system in 2008. [282999]
Mr. Woolas: Data relating to passengers entering the United Kingdom in 2008 are currently being prepared for inclusion in the Home Office statistical publication “Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom”. This is due to be published on 27 August 2009.
Immigration Officers: Restraint Techniques
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department provides to immigration officers on the use of control and restraint techniques. [282990]
Mr. Woolas: All immigration officers undertaking arrest activity are trained on a three week bespoke course for the UK Border Agency which is guided by the Personal Safety Manual approved by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).
A key component of the course is conflict management. Immigration officers are taught a range of verbal and physical techniques to equip them for undertaking enforcement activity in a safe and managed way for both themselves and the people they come into contact with. Immigration officers are required to be refreshed on this component annually.
Further guidance on control and restraint can be found in the Enforcement Instructions and Guidance at Chapter 45.2.10, which is available to view on the UK Border Agency website at:
Immigration: Gurkhas
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in the UK Border Agency were working on cases involving Gurkhas on (a) 1 January 2009 and (b) 1 May 2009; and if he will make a statement. [273741]
Mr. Woolas: Applications for settlement from former Gurkhas are considered by caseworkers in the UK and overseas (primarily in New Delhi).
On 1 January 2009 no caseworkers were actively engaged in considering applications from Gurkhas discharged before 1 July 1997. Consideration of applications was suspended while the guidance was reviewed.
While the applications from Gurkhas who retired before 1 July 1997 were on hold caseworkers in the UK and overseas continued to deal with applications from those discharged after 1 July 1997. No specific casework resource was dedicated to the consideration of these cases. They were dealt with in the normal stream of settlement applications.
New guidance was published on 24 April 2009 and decision making resumed after its publication. Teams were constituted and ready before 1 May 2009. In New Delhi three Entry Clearance Officers and one Entry Clearance Manager were ready to begin work. In the UK 27 caseworkers were dedicated to review the pending cases.
Independent Safeguarding Authority: Databases
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to ensure the accuracy of information held on the Independent Safeguarding Authority database. [283526]
Mr. Hanson: Much of the information held by the Independent Safeguarding Authority is obtained from the security accredited police national computer (PNC). Information added to the PNC undergoes a series of checks to ensure accuracy The ISA will therefore accept such information as accurate and will not carry out further checks. However a range of technical and non-technical controls are employed to ensure the security and non-contamination of these records. Information obtained from other sources (such as employers) is subjected to strict accuracy and integrity checks.
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long records relating to an individual who has ceased to work with children will continue to be held on the Independent Safeguarding Authority database. [283527]
Mr. Hanson:
Records relating to individuals will be retained in accordance with the ISA’s data retention policy. The ISA is aware of its responsibilities under the Data Protection Act and ensures that information is retained and reviewed in accordance with the legislation.
The data retention policy is being developed and will be discussed with the Information Commissioner. It will be finalised in line with the ISA assuming its full statutory responsibilities in July 2010.
This policy will set the specific timelines for ISA data retention which will depend upon the nature of the record and the purpose for which it is being retained.
International Organization for Migration
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what services the International Organization for Migration is contracted to provide to his Department. [278547]
Mr. Woolas: The International Organization for Migration is currently contracted to provide services to the Home Office on the following programmes:
Voluntary Assisted Return and Re-integration Programme (VARRP)
Assisted Voluntary Return for Irregular Migrants (AVRIM)
Facilitated Removals Scheme
Gateway Protection Programme
Iraqi Local Staff Direct Entry Scheme
Global Calais Project
Inter-Governmental Conversations on Asylum (IGCs)
East African Migration Routes
Pre-Entry TB Screening Programme
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Mr. Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely effects on levels of activity of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the UK of the military defeat of that group in Sri Lanka. [282822]
Mr. Hanson: As a matter of policy we do not disclose assessments of levels of terrorist activity and violent extremism in the UK. The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) is responsible for assessing the terrorist threat to this country and UK interests overseas, and Ministers play no part in that process.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE—“Tamil Tigers”) has for many years been the main terrorist organisation connected to Tamil affairs in Sri Lanka. The LTTE remains a proscribed organisation in the UK, and membership, fundraising and various other activities in support of the organisation are criminal offences. The prosecution of terrorist offences committed in support of the LTTE is the responsibility of the police and Crown Prosecution Service.
National ANPR Data Centre
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what procedures are in place for access to the National ANPR Data Centre; [283536]
(2) who has access to the National ANPR Data Centre; [283537]
(3) what assessment he has made of the level of accuracy of information held on the National ANPR Data Centre. [283538]
Mr. Hanson: The National ANPR Data Centre (NADC) is currently under development and test. Access to the NADC by police forces will be subject to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, setting out their responsibilities, including agreeing that access to data is solely for policing purposes, as defined within the code of practice on the management of police information under the terms of the Police Act 1996 (as amended), in support of investigation.
Currently, a small number of police forces have access to the NADC for the purpose of helping to test the facility. Further roll-out to police forces and other law enforcement agencies will be subject to an assessment of their operational requirement and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding.
Chief constables are “data controllers in common” for ANPR data and are responsible for the accuracy of the data that is fed into the NADC. The National ACPO ANPR Standards (NAAS) sets out the criteria for ANPR data quality fed into a police force's ANPR systems and forwarded to the NADC.
Offensive Weapons
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of possession of a knife in each police force area in each year since 2007. [281675]
Mr. Hanson: Information showing the number of persons found guilty at all courts for having an article with a blade or point in a public place or on school premises in England and Wales, broken down by police force area for 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the table. Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
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