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5 Nov 2009 : Column 1138W—continued
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sponsors under the points-based immigration system have had their licences suspended in each of the last 36 months. [294400]
Alan Johnson: The UKBA started issuing sponsor licences in May 2008. Since then a total of 37 licences have been suspended. We do not collect the data by month.
The figure quoted is not provided under National Statistics protocols and has been derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visits UK Border Agency staff made to sponsors in each of the last 36 months. [294401]
Alan Johnson: Visits to sponsors began in January 2008. The available information for the period January 2008 to September 2009 is as follows:
| Visits to sponsors January 2008 to September 2009 | |
| Number of visits undertaken | |
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who have been involved in an organisation which had its sponsor licence revoked have subsequently been found to have committed an offence under immigration legislation. [294402]
Alan Johnson: This information is not centrally recorded and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many students whose sponsor had had its licence (a) revoked and (b) suspended were studying in the UK on the latest date for which figures are available. [294403]
Alan Johnson: There were 280 students studying in the UK, whose sponsor under Tier 4 of the points-based immigration system has had their licence revoked or suspended, up to and including 16 October 2009.
Notes:
Figure is rounded to nearest five.
The figure quoted is not provided under National Statistics protocols and has been derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what security checks are carried out in relation to each type of user of the sponsorship management system. [294404]
Alan Johnson: The UK Border Agency carries out checks on users of the sponsor management system but details of any security checks undertaken is not made available for reasons of security.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many users of each type of the UK Border Agency sponsorship management system have had their access to that system revoked in each of the last 36 months; and for what reason that access was revoked in each case. [294405]
Alan Johnson: Users of the sponsor management system have their access denied when their licence is revoked. The number of sponsors whose licence was revoked and the reasons for revocation are as follows:
| 2009 | |
| Number | |
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who have applied to be (a) an authorising officer, (b) a key contractor and (c) a level 1 user of the UK Border Agency Sponsorship Management System had their applications refused; and for what reasons such applications were refused. [294406]
Alan Johnson: When a prospective sponsor applies for a licence they must name those individuals who will act as the authorising officer, level 1 users and key contact. Checks are made on whether the named individuals are eligible to carry out the responsibilities of these roles. If an application is refused, it is the application for a sponsor licence that is refused.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the UK Border Agency sponsorship management system has been temporarily unavailable since it became operational. [294407]
Alan Johnson: There have been three occasions when the sponsor management system was temporarily unavailable for unscheduled periods since the system became operational.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what security checks are made available in relation to those people who are employed to manage (a) data input and (b) the computer programme for the UK Border Agency sponsorship management system. [294408]
Alan Johnson: UK Border Agency staff and external contractors are subject to a number of security checks but details of any security checks undertaken is not made available for reasons of security.
Immigration Controls: Ministers of Religion
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences have been granted to prospective sponsors of ministers of religion under Tier 2 of the points-based immigration system in each of the last 24 months. [294393]
Alan Johnson: Sponsor licences for this category were first issued in September 2008. Information for the period September 2008 to September 2009 is as follows:
| Sponsor licence applications granted under tier 2 minister of religion category | |
| Number | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest 5. 2. 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. | |
Immigration: Unpaid Fines
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) public bodies and (b) other organisations to which the UK Border Agency has issued notices of liability had not paid the associated fines on the latest date for which figures are available. [294387]
Alan Johnson: The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 has, since it came into force on 29 February 2008, allowed the UK Border Agency to issue civil penalties of up to £10,000 per worker to employers who are found to be liable for employing illegal migrant workers.
Internal management information shows that for the period 29 February 2008 to 19 October 2009, no civil penalties have been issued to public bodies. 3,164 penalties have been issued to employers and 1,301 have yet to be paid.
These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, should be treated as provisional and is subject to change.
Independent Safeguarding Authority
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the expected running costs are of (a) the Independent Safeguarding Authority and (b) the Vetting and Barring Scheme in each of the next five years. [294217]
Alan Johnson: The Vetting and Barring Scheme was established to vet all individuals who want to work or volunteer with vulnerable people. The scheme is delivered by the partnership of the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB). The Home Office leads implementation of the Scheme.
The expected running costs of (a) the ISA and (b) the total costs of the VBS in the years 2010-15, based on the most recent reports to the VBS, are set out in the following table.
| £ million | ||
| ISA budget allocation | VBS budget allocation (inclusive of ISA budget) | |
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