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16 July 2009 : Column 708W—continued
Foreign Workers
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for a work permit on the basis of an intra-company transfer in respect of non-UK nationals were (a) made and (b) granted in the first two quarters of 2009. [286458]
Mr. Woolas: The table shows the number of work permit applications made and approved for intra-company transfers in the first two quarters of 2009.
The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
The figures do not equate to the number of individual nationals who were granted permits because they include those applications approved to extend or amend an existing permit or where the individual has moved to another job with a different employer. Not all those who were granted a permit took up the job and some may have been refused entry clearance or further leave to remain.
Foreign Workers: Immigration Control
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-EU workers were given leave to remain (a) as skilled workers under mechanisms in place prior to the implementation of the points-based immigration system and (b) under Tier 2 of the points-based immigration system in each of the last 12 quarters for which figures are available. [285848]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 13 July 2009]: Information relating to non-EU workers given leave to remain as skilled workers prior to the introduction of the points-based system is set out in the table.
Information on the points-based system will be published in August.
The figures quoted are not provided under National Statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
Forensic Science: Police
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces operate in-house forensic science services; and if he will make a statement. [283594]
Mr. Alan Campbell: All police forces use a mixture of in-house services and those provided by external forensic suppliers to carry out forensic work. For example, crime scene investigators, who will generally be employed by a force, may find fingerprints and material which may carry traces of DNA. The fingerprints are compared with IDENT1, the national fingerprint computer system, which produces a shortlist of possible matches. The shortlist is then examined by fingerprint experts who work for the force Fingerprint Bureau to confirm a match. Analysis of material to produce DNA profiles is done by forensic suppliers rather than in-house. In other areas of forensic work, the balance between in-house and external services will vary depending on the nature of the material examined and decisions made by forces. Details of the position in each police force are not held centrally.
Human Trafficking
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of human trafficking have been recorded in (a) the UK and (b) the north-east in each year since 1997. [285323]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Figures provided by the UK Human Trafficking Centre indicate that within the UK there have been a total of 384 people dealt with by the criminal justice system on arrest for human trafficking. A total of 106 people have been arrested for trafficking for sexual exploitation, three for conspiracy to traffic and seven for trafficking for forced labour.
Of these, seven people have to date been arrested within the north-east with two convicted of human trafficking.
Identity Cards
Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make available to hon. Members on request a provisional identity card document to enable passport-free travel to and from other EU member states. [284693]
Mr. Woolas: From autumn 2009, we will issue voluntary identity cards valid for travel in Europe to airside workers at Manchester and London City airports and to British citizens aged 16 and over resident in Greater Manchester at a fee of £30.
We intend then to extend the rollout of identity cards to the rest of the north-west in the new year and from 2012 we will start to issue identity cards in high volumes alongside passports, offering everyone the choice of being issued with an identity card or a passport or both documents.
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. [278550]
Mr. Woolas: During 2008, a total of 91 visas were issued to non-EEA nationals for entry to the UK under tier 2 of the points-based system. Tier 2 was introduced on 27 November 2008.
These data are unpublished and should be treated as provisional.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals have been prevented from entering the UK on grounds of (a) national security, (b) unacceptable behaviour, (c) public order and (d) serious criminality since July 2005. [283783]
Mr. Woolas: A decision to prevent entry to the UK may be made at the entry clearance application stage, or when a person arrives at the port of entry. Additionally, prevention of entry on grounds of criminality may include foreign national prisoners who have either been deported from, or removed and subsequently excluded from, the United Kingdom.
There are no centrally held records that encompass the total number of foreign nationals who have been prevented from entering the UK, but I can confirm that since July 2005 the Home Secretary has excluded 163 individuals from the UK on the grounds of national security and 106 individuals on the grounds of unacceptable behaviour.
I can also confirm that 2,852 individuals were refused entry at the UK border on non-conducive grounds between 2005 and 2008. Figures for 2009 will not be published until the end of year.
Immigration: Biometrics
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which British diplomatic posts (a) have and (b) do not have biometric identification facilities. [277753]
Mr. Woolas: There are both British diplomatic missions and biometric collection facilities in the following countries:
Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burma,
Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq(1), Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Korea, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Lucia, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
There are British diplomatic missions but no biometric collection (or visa issuing) facilities in the following countries: Afghanistan, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Guinea, Kosovo.
(1 )Iraq: Baghdad and Erbil operate a limited biometric capture facility for specified categories of applicant.
Police: Badge Numbers
Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department issues guidance to police authorities on the display of badge numbers by police officers at public protests. [283347]
Mr. Hanson [holding answer 1 July 2009]: All police officers are subject to the standards of professional behaviour that are set out in the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2008. These regulations set out the standards of behaviour expected of police officers and include the requirement that officers abide by police regulations, force policies and lawful orders.
Any breach of the standards may lead to disciplinary action being taken against an officer, which in the most serious cases can result in dismissal from the service.
UK Border Agency: Consultants
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2009, Official Report, columns 459-62W, on the UK Border Agency: public consultation, how many management consultancies have held contracts with the UK Border Agency in the last three years. [282423]
Mr. Woolas: Over the last three years, 36 management consultancies have held contracts with the UK Border Agency. This number excludes any consultancies providing services via the civil service wide contractual framework agreements or through the Office of Government Commerce, as this would not amount to a contract held with the UK Border Agency. Information on those arrangements could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
UK Border Agency: Lost Property
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many laptops have been recorded lost, stolen or missing from the UK Border Agency and its predecessor organisations in each of the last three years; how many have subsequently been recovered; and how many of these incidents have happened following a breach of guidelines issued by his Department. [251926]
Mr. Woolas: Figures on the number of laptops stolen, lost or missing from the UK Border Agency for the years when information is available, are provided in the following table:
| Lost/stolen/missing | Recovered | |
To provide information on how many of these incidents took place following a breach of Home Office guidelines would require a review of each individual report, including validation with the individual and the business area involved. It is likely that this would take significant resource time to undertake and complete and could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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