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26 Oct 2009 : Column 182W—continued
The question asks for numbers testing positive for crack cocaine. It is not possible to provide data on positive tests for crack cocaine only because the drug test conducted as part of DIP does not distinguish between powder cocaine and crack cocaine.
Between 2003 and 2005 the programme operated drug testing at the point of charge. From 2005 to the present time the programme has operated drug testing at the point of arrest, which has led to an increase in the number of individuals required to be tested.
Dual Nationality
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of British citizens who hold a passport of another country. [294257]
Alan Johnson: The Identity and Passport Service only holds data regarding British passport holders and the British passport application process in the UK. Therefore it is not possible to comment on all British citizens.
However, applicants who have naturalised or registered to become British citizens are required to send in their registration or naturalisation certificates with their applications, including any foreign passports held. These are returned after identity has been confirmed and no statistical record is kept of their country of origin or previous nationality.
Gun Sports: Olympic Games 2012
Mr. Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether legislation is required to enable shooting events to take place at the 2012 Olympic Games. [295632]
Mr. Hanson: Pistol shooting events will take place using existing powers under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968 to authorise competitors and officials to possess competition pistols for the duration of the games. British visitors permits issued under section 17 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1988 will enable competitors to take part in the other shooting disciplines.
Homicide
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many homicides by each method of killing there were in each police force area in each year since 1997. [294180]
Alan Johnson: Available data from 1997-98 up to and including 2007-08 are shown in the tables placed in the House Library.
Identity Cards
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department from what date applications for identity cards from the general population will be received. [294479]
Alan Johnson [holding answer 20 October 2009]: As from 20 October 2009, the provisions in the Identity Cards Act 2006 were commenced so as to enable applications to be made for identity cards at a fee of £30. This has applied initially to people working in the Home Office, the Identity and Passport Service and elsewhere who are engaged on work relating to the issue of identity cards and later in 2009 will be extended to residents of Greater Manchester and to airside workers at Manchester and London City airports.
Immigration: Young People
Lembit Öpik: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers immigration officers have to detain a British citizen on the sole grounds of age. [294590]
Mr. Woolas: Border force officers have no power to detain a British citizen, solely on the basis of age. British citizens are not subject to immigration control and so, do not require permission to enter or remain in the United Kingdom.
In cases involving minors and young people, the UK Border Agency is committed to ensuring their safety and welfare. Border force officers examine all such arriving passengers and will only allow them entry to the UK once they are satisfied that suitable arrangements are in place for their care.
Independent Safeguarding Authority: Finance
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department has allocated to the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to cover the operational costs of the ISA's first year; and if he will make a statement. [294074]
Meg Hillier: The ISA commenced operations in March 2008. The ISA budget for 2008-09 was £8.201 million.
Due to the phased implementation of the Vetting and Barring Scheme, the full registration requirements of the scheme will not come into force until July 2010, at which point the ISA will be fully operational.
National Identity Register
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications his Department has received for membership of the National Identity Service Expert Groups. [294422]
Alan Johnson: The Identity and Passport Service is setting up an experts group to provide independent views that will help to shape policy and the delivery of the National Identity Service through challenge and review, and to support the public panel. Individual applications were invited and learned and professional bodies have been asked to suggest candidates. The appointment process has not yet concluded.
National Identity Service Public Panels
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of (a) establishing and (b) running the National Identity Service public panels; [294421]
(2) how much was spent on (a) job advertisements and (b) publicity for the recruitment campaign to the National Identity Service public panels; [294480]
(3) how many applications for membership of the National Identity Service public panels have been received; [294481]
(4) what procedures will be used to select members of the National Identity Service public panels. [294482]
Alan Johnson [holding answer 20 October 2009]: We are introducing a public panel, made up of people from different regions, to ensure that the views of the public are properly reflected in the way the National Identity Service (NIS) is introduced, and to help us develop an identity rights charter.
Members are unpaid volunteers, who may be reimbursed for reasonable out of pocket expenses.
The public panel will meet in six groups across the UK. The first two groups for the north and south of England have just been set up, following a campaign seeking people to join the panel.
For these two groups we received 113 applications. Applicants were asked their background: 12 categories were used such as employed, unemployed, in training, education, carer, and applicants were also asked about their knowledge or views of the NIS (making clear no view or knowledge was necessary for the role). The background categories were then used to randomly select members to proceed to an informal discussion with Identity and Passport Service (IPS) officials. Candidates for Chair had a short interview with an IPS official and an independent assessor.
Information for applicants was approved by Plain English and is available in Braille, large print format, Easyread format, and audio. This information will be used for all six groups and cost £6,600. Advertisement costs in local and regional newspapers for the north and south groups cost £8,800.
The estimated cost of information and publicity to set up all six regional groups is £60,000. Administrative support for the panel will be provided by IPS; the estimated cost of running the public panel in the current financial year is £16,000, which allows for reimbursement of expenses to panel members.
Official Residences
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 3 June 2009, Official Report, column 561W, on official residences, what the present proposed sale price of the former ministerial residence in South Eaton Place is; and whether there have been any changes to the proposed sale price since the property was first placed on the market. [294774]
Mr. Woolas: The guide price for this property is currently £4 million and has not changed.
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 3 June 2009, Official Report, column 561W, on official residences, whether the advice of the selling agent on the preparation of a home condition report for the property in South Eaton Place was obtained in writing. [294775]
Mr. Woolas: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 160W. A copy of the disposal report for the property has previously been placed in the Library.
Opium
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sites are authorised to grow poppies for the production of opium in (a) England and (b) the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire; and what the total area of such sites is in each case. [287766]
Mr. Alan Campbell: Poppies are not grown in England for the production of opium but rather for the extraction of morphine. There are currently 38 sites growing poppies for such purposes in England with 19 in the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire. The total area under cultivation amounts to 4,422 acres with 2,021 acres being grown in the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire.
Police Custody: Health Services
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to police forces was of the attendance of doctors in police custody suites in the last 12 months. [293989]
Mr. Hanson: The Home Office do not hold the costs incurred by the 43 police forces within England and Wales or the British Transport police for the attendance of doctors within their custody suites. It is an operational matter for the chief officer of each force to ensure that they have an appropriate level of health care provision in place.
Police: Manpower
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were employed in (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency, (b) Bedfordshire, (c) the East of England and (d) England in (i) 1997, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009. [295411]
Mr. Hanson: The available data are provided in the following table.
Data are not collected centrally at constituency level, but have been collected at basic command unit level from April 2002.
| Police officer strength, by basic command unit, as at 31 March( 1) | |||||
| 1997( 2) | 2006( 3) | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
| n/a = Not available (1) These figures are based on full-time equivalents that have been rounded to the nearest whole number, due to rounding there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of constituent items. (2) Police strength by police basic command unit was collected centrally for the first time for the period beginning April 2002 and is therefore not available for 1997. (3) Boundary changes for basic command units came into effect in April 2006, and as a result BCU breakdowns in 2006 differ from those in later years. (4) Data at basic command unit level have been provided, since data are not collected centrally at constituency level. (5) Not applicable | |||||
Prisoners: Foreigners
Mr. Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information his Department holds on the number of prisoners from (a) EU A10 accession countries and (b) other EU member states held in Scottish prisons who have been recommended for deportation upon completion of their sentences. [294724]
Mr. Woolas: Issues relating to Scottish prisons and prisoners held within them are devolved and a matter for the Scottish Executive. The UK Border Agency works with the Scottish Executive to ensure the removal of foreign national criminals who meet the deportation criteria. In the first two quarters of 2009, the UK Border Agency removed a total of 2,560 foreign national offenders from the United Kingdom. We do not publish information relating to the nationalities of those we deport.
Speed Limits: Cameras
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drivers of vehicles registered outside the UK were caught breaking a speed limit on camera for which a penalty was not paid in each year since 1997. [295010]
Mr. Alan Campbell: The data requested are not available.
Information held by the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice on convictions, fines and penalty notices for motoring offences does not include information on the registration status of drivers.
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