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21 July 2009 : Column 1509W—continued
16 July 2009-Meeting at the Informal meeting of European Union Justice and Home Affairs Ministers in Stockholm, Sweden.
Immigration Controls
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to paragraph 8.19 of the United Kingdom's Strategy for Countering International Terrorism, published in March 2009, what recent progress his Department has made on the formation of powers to exclude European Economic Area nationals from entering the UK on grounds of national security, unacceptable behaviour, public order or serious criminality. [284052]
Mr. Woolas: Amendments to the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 were laid on 5 May and came into effect on 1 June. Among other changes, the Home Secretary now has the personal power to exclude EEA individuals, and members of their families, if he considers that their exclusion from the UK is justified on the grounds of public policy, public security or public health.
Depending upon the exact circumstances, EEA nationals, and members of their family, who are considered to pose a threat to national security, who have engaged in unacceptable behaviour or who have committed public order or serious criminal offences may fall to be excluded on the grounds of public policy or public security.
Internet: Terrorism
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his most recent assessment is of the extent of use of cyberspace by terrorist and violent extremists in the UK. [286997]
Mr. Hanson: A number of Government Departments and Agencies are involved in assessing terrorist use of cyber-space, in particular terrorist use of the internet. By their nature such assessments are classified. The recently published Cyber Security Strategy provides an unclassified summary of Government's collective assessment of such activities and of the current threat:
"Terrorists and violent extremists use cyber space for communication, co-ordination, propaganda, fundraising, radicalisation, and recruitment, providing them with an unprecedented opportunity to access a wider global community. While we expect terrorist groups to continue to favour high-profile conventional operations over cyber attacks, we must be vigilant against any future increase in capability that might be directed against UK interests at home and overseas."
The UK's revised strategy for countering international terrorism - CONTEST -published in March this year provides further analysis of the impact which the advancements in technology have had on terrorist activities alongside our understanding of the current use of the internet by terrorist groups, including the increases in the number of websites related to terrorist groups or supporting violent extremism.
Mass Media
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports he has received from the police on the extent to which telephone taps undertaken on behalf of media organisations are made in accordance with legislation; who is responsible for investigating allegations of illegal telephone tapping on behalf of media organisations; what discussions he has had with media organisations on the appropriate use of surveillance techniques in the public interest; and if he will make a statement. [288169]
Mr. Hanson: We have received no reports from the police on the extent of the interception of telephone communication on behalf of media organisations. The police are responsible for investigating allegations of unlawful interception under section 1 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The Home Office has not had any discussions with media organisations on the appropriate use of surveillance techniques in the public interest. However, following the convictions of Mr. Clive Goodman and Mr. Glen Mulcaire in 2007 for unlawfully intercepting communications, the Press Complaints Commission carried out a review of events and issued new guidelines in May 2007 on subterfuge and news-gathering.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter of 7 April 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. S. Rasoul. [276507]
Alan Johnson: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 20 July.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to reply to the letter to his predecessor of 9 May 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms R Hughes. [284728]
Alan Johnson: My hon. Friend the Member for Hackney, South and Shoreditch (Meg Hillier) replied on 17 March.
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when the visa enquiry office of the Islamabad consulate plans to reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West's correspondence of 17 April, 7 May and 20 May 2009, on Mr Abdul Rehman; [286381]
(2) when the visa enquiry office of the Islamabad consulate plans to reply to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West's correspondence of 17 April, 7 May and 20 May 2009, on Mr Abdul Rehman. [279824]
Mr. Woolas: Our visa Section in Islamabad has no record of the correspondence in question from the hon. Member about Mr. Abdul Rehman. An Entry Clearance Manager has written separately to the hon. Member to explain the position regarding Mr. Rehman's visa application.
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he plans to reply to the letter to the Minister of State of 19 May 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. R. Cawley; [288629]
(2) when he plans to reply to the letter to his Department of 19 May 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. R. Crawley. [287817]
Alan Johnson: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 20 July 2009.
Metal: Theft
Mr. Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce levels of theft of metal in England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [288247]
Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 20 July 2009]: The Government take the issue of metal theft seriously, and recognise that it has a detrimental effect on the national infrastructure, affecting service providers, and both individuals and whole communities. It can also pose a serious health risk to offenders.
Local agencies are well placed with the necessary tools and powers to tackle metal theft where this is a issue locally. For example, in Avon and Somerset, police and partners initiated Operation Fragment when metal theft was discovered to be a problem. This successful operation tackled metal theft through crime prevention measures, increased publicity, a focus on suspicious vehicles and offenders and working with the scrap metal dealers in the area.
The Home Office part funded a dedicated unit to tackle metal theft, headed by British Transport police. This ran from January to June 2009 and we are assessing the impact of this unit and considering how to apply this learning more widely.
Government officials, including from the Home Office, are also on the Association of Chief Police Officers-led steering group tackling metal theft, which meets regularly to discuss the strategies to tackle metal theft and any emerging issues. This includes representatives from police as well as from industries most affected by metal theft.
Minister for Identity
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what temporary arrangements have been made to cover the responsibilities of the Minister for Identity. [285926]
Alan Johnson: I refer my right hon. Friend to the evidence I gave before the Home Affairs Select Committee, of which he chairs, on Tuesday 14 July. The specific answer is in relation to question number 35.
National Police Improvement Agency: Pay
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid in bonuses to (a) directors, (b) senior managers, (c) specialist and delivery managers and (d) executive support and administration staff in the National Policing Improvement Agency in each of the last five years. [280610]
Mr. Hanson: The national policing improvement agency was established by statute on 1 April 2007. Data in respect of bonuses paid since that date to the categories of staff listed are given in the following table.
| Bonuses paid within NPIA | ||||
| 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10( 1) | Total | |
| (1) As at 22 June 2009 | ||||
National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has provided to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse in each of the last five years. [284830]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Home Office has provided funding to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) for the period 2004-05 to 2008-09 as shown in the table:
| £ | |
| Source: Home Office Accounting System | |
In addition, in 2005-06 a budget transfer of £1,333,000 was made to the Department of Health through the Supplementary Estimates to meet Drug Interventions Programme related costs that fell to the NTA.
Offences Against Children
Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with (a) his EU counterparts and (b) other overseas counterparts on the establishment of a single list of websites found to be displaying images of child abuse. [288877]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The Government fully support work funded by the EU to develop and refine the data on websites collected by reporting hotlines. This will develop a more accurate list of websites containing illegal images of child sexual abuse. The Government fully support this and other work being taken forward by the EU to protect children online. The Government and law enforcement agencies work closely with their counterparts outside the EU to tackle such websites.
Offenders: Deportation
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the maximum sum payable in support under the Facilitated Returns Scheme is; [276850]
(2) how much has been spent in support under the Facilitated Returns Scheme in each year since its inception; [276876]
(3) how many people removed from the UK under the Early Removal Scheme have been returned to prison in England and Wales in each of the last three years; [276877]
(4) how many people have been returned under the Facilitated Returns Scheme in each of the last three years. [276878]
Mr. Woolas: The Facilitated Returns Scheme was launched in October 2006 as an incentive to persuade foreign prisoners to return voluntarily to their own country. The scheme offers a package of reintegration assistance to the individual; however, no financial incentives are offered. The only cash the individual receives is the standard £46 discharge grant provided to all prisoners, including British nationals. The level of assistance offered is variable and is dependant upon the individual circumstances of each case. Assistance is provided up to a maximum of £5,000 for serving foreign criminals and £3,000 for those who have completed their sentence. Only half of those who are removed under the provisions of the scheme receive reintegration assistance once they return to their country. Once removed from the UK under the scheme's provisions, they are excluded from the UK. As such it is only possible to benefit from the scheme once.
The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has written to the Home Affairs Select Committee on a regular basis in order to provide all of the most robust and accurate information on foreign national prisoners and deportation, including the successes seen through the use of the Facilitated Returns Scheme. In her letter of 23 July 2008 she advised that the scheme, accounted for around 25 per cent. of all foreign prisoner removals in 2007. This has generated significant savings and has resulted in nearly 1,800 foreign prisoners being removed from the UK. In the first year of the scheme (October 2006 to October 2007) the agency spent around £350,000,
inclusive of administrative costs. For the same period around 880 removals were made under the scheme which generated considerable savings in detention costs alone.
Since April 2008, the Early Removals Scheme was extended to enable eligible prisoners to be removed up to 270 days before their normal release date. It was previously 135 days. The information relating to those removed from the UK and who have been returned to prison is not held centrally. In order to obtain the information it would be necessary to examine individual case files at a disproportionate cost.
Copies of her letters are available in the Library of the House. The chief executive will continue to write to the Committee with further updates on the scheme and other data on the deportation of foreign national prisoners.
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals who (a) were suspected of being involved in terrorist-related activity and (b) have completed terrorist-related prison sentences have been deported to their country of origin by the UK Border Agency since the Agency commenced operations. [283820]
Mr. Woolas: Details of the numbers of people who have completed prison sentences for a terrorist-related offence, or who have been suspected of being involved in terrorist-related activity, and who have subsequently been deported are not available.
Official Residences
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 9 March 2009, Official Report, column 78W, on official residences, how much the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside paid to cover rent at South Eaton Place; what period the payment covered; and what the estimated market rental value of the property was for that period. [264849]
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 9 March 2009, Official Report, column 78W, on official residences, how much the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside paid to cover rent at South Eaton Place; what period the payment covered; and what the estimated market rental value of the property was for the period. [273391]
Mr. Woolas: South Eaton Place has been made available to all Home Secretaries since the Department procured its use. No rent has ever been charged. The payment referred to in the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 9 March 2009, Official Report, column 78W, related to council tax and utility bills.
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