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29 Mar 2010 : Column 686W—continued
Identity Cards
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers the Identity Commissioner has to investigate individual complaints from members of the public on identity cards; and what sanctions the Commissioner has. [324205]
Meg Hillier: The role of the independent Identity Commissioner, as set out in the Identity Cards Act 2006, is to oversee the areas of the National Identity Service (NIS) set out in the Act, helping ensure the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) meets its statutory commitments. The key areas of focus are:
the arrangements for securing the confidentiality and integrity of the information recorded on the National Identity Register;
the way IPS deals with complaints under the NIS;
the way identity cards are used.
The Identity Commissioner and his office are open to receiving queries and are keen to hear comments from the public which will feed into the commissioner's report. The commissioner will also ensure that his recommendations and concerns influence IPS's future policy and processes. It is not part of the commissioner's role to respond to individual queries or complaints as there is already an established IPS complaints process.
The Act does not give the Identity Commissioner the power to impose sanctions. If the Identity Commissioner finds a material breach of the Data Protection Act he will report it to the Information Commissioner, as well as the Home Office. The Information Commissioner's Office does have the power to issue sanctions. Section 23 of the Act does, however, provide for the Identity Commissioner to report annually to the Home Secretary about the carrying out of his functions. In addition, the Identity Commissioner can make a report at any other time, to the Secretary of State, on matters relating to the carrying out of his functions as he sees fit. The Home Secretary lays the reports he receives, from the Identity Commissioner under this section of the Act, before Parliament.
The Identity Commissioner's First Annual Report was laid before Parliament on 25 February 2010. This report covers the Identity Commissioner's findings from his first three months in office and his future plans for 2010.
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Identity Commissioner has been informed of the results of past and current Office of Government Commerce Gateway reviews of the National Identity Card and National Identity Register schemes. [324206]
Meg Hillier: The Identity and Passport Service have provided all the information requested by the Identity Commissioner since his appointment in October 2009, including providing copies of Office of the Government Commerce Gateway reviews.
In his first annual report, laid before this house on 25 February 2010, the Identity Commissioner provided details of the work he has undertaken since his appointment. He also sets out his plan of work for 2010.
Illegal Immigrants
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many raids the UK Border Agency has conducted of hereditaments within the Government Secure Zone within the last 24 months; in what locations; how many illegal immigrants have been identified; and at what premises. [324204]
Mr. Woolas: The UK Border Agency is not able to identify which properties within the Government Secure Zone are recognised as "hereditaments" as this is outside the scope of the UK Border Agency's business remit.
However the number of enforcement visits carried out in the London SW1 postcode area in the last 24 months was 62. The number of immigration offenders encountered on these enforcement visits was 49. The UK Border Agency does not divulge personal names or addresses for reasons of confidentiality.
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 and should be treated as provisional and subject to change.
Immigration: Turkey
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of Turkish citizens who have entered the UK under the terms of the Ankara Agreement; and if he will make a statement. [322863]
Mr. Woolas: The number of Turkish nationals who have been granted entry clearance to the UK under the Turkish European Community Association Agreement, also known as the Ankara Agreement, in each year since 2004 is shown in the following table. The number of entry clearance applications received in each of these years is also shown. Reliable information for previous years is not held. We do not keep a separate record of people who have actually been admitted under the agreement.
| Turkish ECAA-Applications for entry clearance | ||
| Applications received | Visas issued | |
These data are unpublished and should be treated as provisional.
Nottinghamshire Police Authority
Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he last met representatives of Nottinghamshire police authority and Nottinghamshire police force to discuss (a) their recently published capability study and (b) their future strategy; and if he will make a statement. [324276]
Mr. Hanson: The Home Secretary has not met representatives of Nottinghamshire police authority or Nottinghamshire police force since the publication of the Capability Review in March 2010. I met with representatives from the police authority on 4 March 2010.
The Home Office, ACPO, the National Policing Improvement Agency and the Association of Police Authorities are offering full support to the authority and force as they strive to meet the recommendations in the report. Support is provided in line with the process set out in the policing performance narrative ("The New Performance Landscape for Crime and Policing") published in summer 2009.
Police: Complaints
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions (a) officials and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with (i) Essex Police and (ii) others on the death of Lee Balkwell at Baldwins Farm, Upminster on 18 July 2002; and if he will seek an explanation from Essex Police on why it has not implemented in full the recommendations of the Independent Police Complaints Commission in relation to the investigation of the case. [324092]
Mr. Hanson [holding answer 25 March 2010]: The only contacts which my officials have had with Essex police and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) in this case have been to obtain information in preparing responses to correspondence on this tragic case received from the hon. Member.
It is for individual police forces to decide how to respond to IPCC recommendations following investigations and Home Office Ministers have no power to intervene in those decisions.
I understand that the IPCC recommended that Essex police appoint an external force to conduct an independent reinvestigation into Lee Balkwell's death.
Essex police decided to appoint an external force to review the Essex police investigations to date. West midlands police is conducting that internal review, which is continuing.
Police: Manpower
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers there were in each year since 1997 and (b) police community support officers there were in each year since 2002 in Greater Manchester Police. [324875]
Mr. Hanson: The available data can be seen in the following tables.
The first police community support officers started work in September 2002, following legislation which was introduced as part of the Police Reform Act 2002. Therefore, data on police community support officers are not available prior to 31 March 2003.
This and other related data are published annually as part of the annual Police Service Strength Home Office Statistical Bulletin. The latest bulletin can be found at:
and bulletins for this and previous years are deposited in the Library of the House.
| Police officer strength in Greater Manchester police force, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2009, and September 2009, full-time equivalent( 1) | |
| Number | |
| (1 )This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. All officers less staff on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave (comparable with previously published figures). (2) Comparable strength (excludes those on career breaks, or maternity/paternity leave). The Police Numbers Task Force (2001) recommended that a clear presentation was made of the numbers of staff employed by police forces including those seconded into the force and those on any type of long or short term absence. These new calculations were first used in 2003, and are not comparable with data prior to March 2003. The data from 2003 onwards used here are termed comparable because they have been calculated on the old basis to allow comparison. | |
| PCSO strength in Greater Manchester police force, as at 31 March, 2002 to 2009, full-time equivalent( 1) | |
| Number | |
| (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Notes: 1. Full-time equivalent include those on career breaks or maternity/paternity leave. 2. Police community support officers were introduced in statute in 2002, therefore data are not available prior to 2002-03. | |
Police: Sussex
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much capital funding has been allocated to the Sussex Police in each year since 2000. [324138]
Mr. Hanson: The information available can be found in the following table:
| Capital funding allocated to Sussex police | |
| £ million | |
| (1 )Including Premises Improvement Fund. (2 )Including Frontline Technology. (3 )Including Air Support. | |
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