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12 Oct 2009 : Column 541W—continued

Employment Tribunals Service

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times his Department has been taken to an employment tribunal in each of the last five years; what the reason cited in each case was; and in how many cases the tribunal found in favour of the (a) employee and (b) Department. [290571]

Mr. Woolas: The number of times the Home Office, including the UK Border Agency (UKBA), Identity and Passport Service (IPS) and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), have been taken to a full employment tribunal hearing in each of the last five years is as follows:

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

2007-08

200 8 -0 9

Entry Clearances

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to publish the research commissioned by his Department on the likely effects of raising the minimum age for (a) a sponsor and (b) leave to enter the UK as a spouse or fiancé. [290402]

Mr. Woolas: There is no current intention to formally publish the research commissioned by the Department on the likely effects of raising the minimum age for (a) a sponsor and (b) leave to enter the UK as a spouse or fiancé.

The view of the UK Border Agency researchers and two external peer-reviewers was that the research report was not of sufficient quality to be published in the Home Office Research Series. The methodology used
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for the research was sound, but the subsequent report contained unsubstantiated conclusions and misleading statements.

The contractor was informed that the full research report was not of suitable quality for publication in the Home Office Research Series but that the Home Office would be content for them to seek publication elsewhere. Research findings have since been published by the contractor on the University of Bristol website and by the Runnymede Trust.

A summary of the research, subsequently produced by the UK Border Agency researchers in conjunction with the contractors drew out the key findings. This was provided to the Home Affairs Select Committee to inform the consultation on domestic violence, forced marriage and 'honour' based violence. The Department will also be releasing this report under a Freedom of Information Act request. However, it will not be formally publishing in the Home Office Research Series due to the concerns outlined above.

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to reduce the waiting time for the consideration of EEA2 applications. [290690]

Mr. Woolas [holding answer 9 September 2009]: UKBA has put in place a clear, focused recovery plan which will enable the agency to return to operating with service standards by December 2009.The plan is monitored on a daily basis by senior operational managers.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many student visa applications were submitted in the first six months of 2009. [291201]

Mr. Woolas [holding answer 14 September 2009]: I refer the hon. Member to the Entry Clearance Statistics for FY 2008-09, published in August on the UK Border Agency's Visa Service's website, for details of student visa applications submitted in the first quarter of 2009. Entry clearance statistics for the second quarter of 2009 are due to be published in November.

Essex Police: Public Appointments

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who in his Department was (a) consulted about and (b) informed of the appointment of the chief constable of Essex police; and if he will make a statement. [291043]

Mr. Hanson [holding answer 14 September 2009]: Under Section 11 of the Police Act 1996 Ministers approve candidates for chief constable posts. This takes place before short-listing by the police authority and on the advice of the Police Senior Appointments Panel.

Sir Ronnie Flanagan is interim independent chair of the panel and it includes a representative from the Home Office, as well as representation from the Association of Police Authorities, the Association of Chief Police Officers, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary and an independent member.


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Following ministerial approval, it is the responsibility of the police authority to interview candidates and make the final appointment. The police authority will then notify the Senior Appointments Panel's secretariat of its decision. The secretariat will then inform members of the panel, including the Home Office representative.

Fingerprints: Databases

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many records were held on National Fingerprint Database on 1 August 2009. [291200]

Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 14 October 2009]: As at 1 August 2009 there were 8,045,329 subjects held on the National Fingerprint Database.

Fixed Penalties

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices were issued in each of the last 24 months by each police force in England and Wales. [290978]

Mr. Alan Campbell [holding answer 14 September 2009]: Information on the number of fixed penalty notices for motoring offences is provided in table A.

Additionally, data provided by the Ministry of Justice on Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) issued to persons aged 16 and over in England and Wales, by police force area and month, for 2006 and 2007 (latest available) are given in tables B and C.

Information on fixed penalty notices for motoring offences held by the Home Office is not broken down by months and therefore we are unable to provide you with data in this way.


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Table A: Fixed penalty notices issued for all offences by offence group and police force area for England and Wales, 2006 and 2007
Police force area 2006 2007

Avon and Somerset

88,251

95,346

Bedfordshire

60,858

39,813

Cambridgeshire

39,021

43,084

Cheshire

60,133

60,568

Cleveland

27,465

21,559

Cumbria

40,257

35,732

Derbyshire

47,670

36,226

Devon and Cornwall

108,040

119,436

Dorset

59,562

45,895

Durham

12,464

13,058

Essex

96,807

81,172

Gloucestershire

32,624

25,094

Greater Manchester

126,293

100,607

Hampshire

84,041

77,547

Hertfordshire

102,957

63,038

Humberside

62,598

57,381

Kent

63,378

64,231

Lancashire

73,024

70,076

Leicestershire

59,274

38,089

Lincolnshire

52,675

46,779

London, City of

14,978

8,493

Merseyside

77,366

78,720

Metropolitan

208,815

167,960

Norfolk

37,532

36,818

North Yorkshire

21,359

28,409

Northamptonshire

52,447

60,135

Northumbria

95,988

70,254

Nottinghamshire

70,080

63,176

South Yorkshire

74,168

62,827

Staffordshire

70,679

52,687

Suffolk

49,021

49,108

Surrey

59,111

43,291

Sussex

102,528

98,339

Thames Valley

158,197

99,299

Warwickshire

45,748

40,865

West Mercia

73,053

75,372

West Midlands

93,391

88,059

West Yorkshire

102,114

88,020

Wiltshire

63,374

46,018

Total England

2,767,341

2,392,581

Dyfed - Powys

15,262

16,145

Gwent

25,782

23,628

North Wales

79,354

62,635

South Wales

130,542

131,664

Total Wales

250,940

234,072

England and Wales

3,018,281

2,626,653


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