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4 Mar 2010 : Column 1376W—continued
Deportation: Offenders
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many foreign national offenders who have been subject to the (a) early removal and (b) facilitated return scheme have been (i) charged with and (ii) convicted of a further offence; [317314]
(2) what the average length of custodial sentence has been of a foreign national prisoner participating in the (a) early removal and (b) facilitated return scheme; [317315]
(3) how many foreign national prisoners of each nationality have participated in the (a) early removal and (b) facilitated return scheme in each year since their inception; [317316]
(4) what the monetary value of the average financial package received by foreign national prisoners is as a result of participation in the (a) early removal and (b) facilitated return scheme; [317317]
(5) how many foreign national prisoners participating in the (a) early removal and (b) facilitated return scheme were serving a custodial sentence of (i) four years or less, (ii) three years or less and (iii) two years or less at the latest date for which figures are available. [317318]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 22 February 2010]: All foreign nationals subject to removal will be considered by National Offender Management Service under the early removals scheme (ERS), which allows for early removal up to a maximum of 270 days prior to the halfway point of the sentence, subject to the serving of a requisite period. Since 2008, the UKBA has removed approximately 11,000 foreign national prisoners. Of these, approximately a quarter were removed before the end of the sentence under the ERS and approximately 30 per cent. were removed under the facilitated returns scheme.
We do not publish a breakdown by nationality of the foreign national prisoners removed or deported from the UK. Information on total removals and voluntary departures from the UK by nationality is published quarterly. The latest can be found at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/immiq309 supp1.xls#'TableF'!A1
Of those removed directly from prison under ERS since 2008, the average sentence length was between three and four years and approximately two-thirds were serving a sentence of less than four years.
Of those removed from the UK under the FRS scheme since 2008, the average sentence length was between two and three years and approximately three-quarters were serving a sentence of less than four years.
This is taken from provisional management information and subject to change. Data from before 2008 could be obtained only by referencing individual case files. This would be at disproportionate cost.
In both 2008 and between quarters 1 and 3 of 2009 less than three-quarters removed under FRS claimed the reintegration package on return and of those that did, the average amount received was less than £2,500 for 2008 and £3,500 for quarters 1 to 3 of 2009. There is no financial package associated with ERS.
All foreign national prisoners are entered on the watch list when removed so checks can be made to prevent those who are barred and those who have no right from entering the UK. To provide information on foreign nationals who have been removed and gone on to re-offend would require the examination of individual records which would incur disproportionate cost.
Electronic Government: International Cooperation
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what work (a) his Department, (b) the Identity and Passport Service and (c) each of his Department's other agencies has carried out with or for Project STORK in each of the last five years. [318710]
Alan Johnson: Project STORK started in June 2008 and the Identity and Passport Service is leading the UK contribution to the project. Some preparatory work was undertaken from 2007 until the formal start of the project. During this time work on the project has fallen into two phases. The first has been analysis and design to enable technical implementation and meet legal requirements. The second is the implementation of a number of pilot projects, starting later this year.
Entry Clearances: Skilled Workers
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2009, Official Report, columns 221-22W, on entry clearances, how many permits under Tier 2 general were issued in each month of 2009. [318670]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 25 February 2010]: The following table provides detail of the numbers of in-country grants of leave to remain and out of country visas issued under Tier 2 (General) of the Points Based System in each month of 2009.
| Tier 2 (General) | ||
| In country | Out of country | |
The table above is based on approved main applications only. This data are not provided under National Statistics protocols. They have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
Human Trafficking
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals waited between their first application to the National Referral
Mechanism and receiving their conclusive grounds decisions for (a) up to seven days, (b) eight to 45 days, (c) 46 days to three months, (d) three to six months and (e) over six months in the latest period for which figures are available. [318963]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 1 March 2010]: Between 1 April 2009 and 31 December 2009, 132 decisions have been made at the conclusive grounds stage. From the date of referral (a) no conclusive grounds decision were released in the first seven days, (b) 24 were released in eight to 45 days, (c) 65 in 46 days to three months, (d) 39 in three to six months and (e) four took over six months.
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) average and (b) maximum number of case owners is in respect of each potential human trafficking case that has been referred through the National Referral Mechanism since 1 April 2009. [318972]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 1 March 2010]: The majority of National Referral Mechanism cases are assessed by two officers. Upon referral, a case will be allocated to a competent authority case owner who will decide if someone is a victim of trafficking. Before the decision is released it will then be considered by a second person, normally a senior competent authority, to quality assure the decision.
In cases where a referral has been made by an external agency such as the police or local authority, and where there is an immigration issue but the person is not yet known to UKBA, the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) will make the reasonable grounds decision and then pass the case to the UKBA Competent Authority for the conclusive grounds decision. In these circumstances cases will be considered by four officers at various stages of the NRM process.
There will be instances where a case is assigned to a competent authority who becomes unavailable part way through consideration due to illness or a change in role. These circumstances are rare but where they occur they will result in the case being reallocated to another case owner.
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much time elapsed between the asylum interview and a conclusive grounds decision in respect of the case of each potential victim of human trafficking referred to the National Referral Mechanism on the latest date for which figures are available. [319835]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 1 March 2010]: The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) for identifying victims of human trafficking includes a decision on whether a person is conclusively found to be a victim of trafficking. This is separate from the asylum system, which involves an assessment of whether someone has a well founded fear of persecution under the 1951 Geneva Convention.
It will be under a particular set of circumstances where there has been an asylum application leading to an asylum interview as well as a conclusive grounds trafficking decision for the same individual. Moreover the timing of the separate processes is not directly
linked. Where an asylum application is made, it can be before, during or after a referral and conclusive grounds decision under the NRM.
The following is a table of cases where there has been an asylum interview and a conclusive grounds decision under the NRM with their respective dates:
| Case number | Date of asylum interview | Date of conclusive grounds decision |
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