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17 Jun 2010 : Column 548W—continued
Departmental Databases
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many databases managed by her Department hold information relating to at least 100,000 people. [2536]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 15 June 2010]: The core Home Office and its Executive agencies currently manage 31 such databases in operational casework areas for a range of public services, including personal applications by members of the public.
As part of the Government's recently announced spending review, all Government ICT enabled programmes are being reviewed to consider possible mergers, decommissioning and/or abolition of appropriate databases.
Detention Centres: Children
Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children were detained in the course of immigration proceedings in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which figures are available. [2879]
Damian Green: The requested information is not available. The published statistics on persons detained as at specific dates in 1997 related to asylum applicants only and did not separately identify children.
The latest published statistics show there were 30 people detained solely under Immigration Act powers recorded as being less than 18 years of age as at 31 March 2010. In 2009, 1,065 children entered detention solely under Immigration Act powers; this information was published for the first time in 2009.
This information relating to 2010 is available in tables 3.5 to 3.8 of the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom, January to March 2010 and the information relating to 2009 is available in table 9.2 of the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary, United Kingdom, October to December 2009 available in the Library of the House and the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
I recently announced a review into the detention of children for asylum purposes so it can be brought to an end this summer. We have already ended the overnight detention of children at Dungavel.
Entry Clearances: Overseas Students
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many student visas have been issued to (a) EU and (b) non-EU students in academic year 2009-10. [2952]
Damian Green: Under the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006, EEA nationals and their family members have the right of free movement within the territory of EEA member states. They may therefore come to the UK to seek work, take up employment or study without applying for Leave to Enter. No student visas are therefore issued to EEA nationals.
The total number of student visas issued to non-EEA nationals in the Financial Year 2009-10 was 288,010. This figure is based on the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summaries which have been published on the UK Border Agency's website,
Most non-EEA nationals who were issued with visas in 2009 in order to study in the UK in the current academic year would have been issued with visas during the summer months, and would therefore be included in the total for the financial year given above.
Identity Cards
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future allocation of identity cards to foreign nationals. [1079]
Mrs May [holding answer 8 June 2010]: We are continuing to use biometric residence cards, in accordance with EU law.
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate she has made of the likely level of savings to the public purse consequent on the cancellation of the identity card scheme, taking into account the cost of contract termination, in the next three years; [1080]
(2) what estimate she has made of the savings to be made consequent on the cancellation of the National Identity Register, taking into account the cost of contract termination, in the next three years. [1082]
Mrs May [holding answer 8 June 2010]: It is estimated that exchequer savings of approximately £86 million will be realised from cancelling ID cards and the National Identity Register over the next four years. Further savings in the region of £134 million will be realised by halting the introduction of fingerprint biometric passports, although these further savings are currently the subject of commercial negotiation with suppliers to protect the taxpayer's interests.
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her most recent estimate is of her Department's expenditure on identity cards since the inception of the national identity scheme. [1081]
Mrs May [holding answer 8 June 2010]: Between 2003 and March 2006, the Home Office spent a total of £41 million developing the policy, legislation and business case for the introduction of identity cards.
Responsibility for identity cards was transferred to the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) on its establishment in April 2006. Between then and March 2010, IPS spent a total of £251 million on projects to establish identity cards, second biometric passports and other related programmes.
Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many identity cards had been issued to foreign nationals on 31 May 2010. [1244]
Damian Green: No identity cards have been issued to foreign nationals. However as at 31 May 2010, a total of 222,490 biometric residence permits had been issued to foreign nationals.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in Wigan constituency have been issued with an identity card by her Department. [2888]
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in (a) the UK, (b) the North West and (c) Greater Manchester have applied for an ID card. [3279]
Damian Green: The Identity and Passport Service is not able to provide information relating to particular constituencies or regions for identity card applications. However, as of 11 June 2010 there have been just fewer than 15,000 identity cards issued in the United Kingdom.
Illegal Immigrants: Northern Ireland
Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal immigrants have been discovered working in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; how many such people have been deported; and what the average length of time was between discovery and deportation in such cases. [2769]
Damian Green: The numbers of immigration offenders that have been arrested for working illegally in Northern Ireland in the last five financial years are:
14 in 2005-06;
eight in 2006-07;
44 in 2007-08;
eight in 2008-09;
41 in 2009-10; and
two in 2010-11.
These data are normally used for management information only and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. These data are therefore provisional and may be subject to change.
The number of people that have been deported and the average length of time between discovery and deportation in these cases are not data that are readily available. The information captured is recorded on two separate databases and there is no unique identifier that is shared between the two systems.
Immigration Cases: Appeals
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, at what proportion of general immigration cases the Secretary of State has not been represented at appeal stage in the last 12 months; and what steps the UK Border Agency takes to protect children in such cases. [1472]
Damian Green: The representation rate at all appeals heard in country is currently 69% up to June 2010.
We can identify certain types of appeal case involving children from our database e.g. unaccompanied asylum seeking children. We are not able to identify from the database all types of cases. We aim to represent the Secretary of State at all asylum cases and usually achieve between 90-95% representation rate.
Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009 requires the Home Secretary to make arrangements to have regard to the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. To this end statutory guidance has been issued to UKBA staff on how to apply this duty and training on identifying child welfare and protection issues is provided for staff whose work involves decisions that affect children.
UKBA has appointed a Children's Champion who is responsible for advising the Chief Executive and UKBA Board on all issues to do with child welfare and child protection.
Immigration Controls
Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to decide the level at which the cap on non-EU economic migrants to the United Kingdom will be set. [1674]
Damian Green: We believe that immigration is too high and needs to be brought under control. An annual limit on economic migration from outside the EU is part of a package to deliver this.
We will hold a short and focused consultation with business and other interested sectors before taking the final decision on both the implementation mechanisms for the limit and the level at which it should be set.
Immigration: Gurkhas
Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many former members of the Brigade of Gurkhas who have chosen to settle in the UK since the change in the immigration rules are aged (a) below 40 years, (b) between 41 and 50 years, (c) between 51 ad 60 years and (d) above 60 years old. [2650]
Damian Green [holding answer 15 June 2010]: The UK Border Agency does not routinely analyse management information on the individual ages of former members of the Brigade of Gurkhas who exercise their right to settle in the UK. To do so would incur disproportionate costs as this would involve a manual check.
Language Analysis Testing
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what proportion of asylum cases the UK Border Agency had used language analysis testing when such testing was suspended on 31 March 2010; and what plans she has to reintroduce such testing. [1471]
Damian Green: Management Information shows that the UK Border Agency carried out 2,735 language analysis tests on asylum cases between 2 February 2008 and 31 March 2010.
Management Information also shows that during this period there were 52,531 principal asylum applications submitted. However, it is not possible to say definitely what proportion of those cases were subject to language analysis testing because some individuals who underwent testing will have submitted their asylum application before 2 February 2008.
Please note that Management Information is not provided under National Statistics protocols and is therefore provisional and subject to change.
The UK Border Agency is undertaking a review of language analysis techniques in order to assess costs and benefits. On conclusion of this review, a decision will be made on whether and how to resume the process.
Motoring: Fines
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much has been levied in fines for exceeding the average 50 mph on stretches of motorway where a 50 mph limit is in place on the basis of the average speed camera monitoring on (a) Mondays to Fridays when road works were being undertaken and (b) Saturdays and Sundays when road works are not taking place in the latest period for which figures are available. [2525]
James Brokenshire: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Data on fixed penalty notices for speeding as well as data held by the Ministry of Justice on court issued speeding fines do not include information on the individual circumstances under which the fines were issued.
Passports: Biometrics
Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect on the number of jobs of the Government's policy not to proceed on the next phase of biometric passports. [2522]
Damian Green [holding answer 6 June 2010]: There is currently an ongoing process of restructuring in the Identity and Passport Service (IPS) to reflect cancelling of identity cards, the decision to halt Second Generation Biometric Passports and the IPS contribution to budget savings. IPS continues to work to finalise revised structures, consult trade union representatives and update and support those directly involved. So far we have announced that 60 temporary staff at our Durham office have been released three months earlier than expected.
Passports: Databases
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what categories of information currently held on the National Identity Register she does not plan to hold on the UK Passport Database; [1379]
(2) what her plans are for the future of the UK Passport Database. [1380]
Mrs May [holding answer 9 June 2010]: The Identity Documents Bill presented to Parliament on 26 May 2010 confirms the commitment in the Coalition Agreement to scrap ID cards and destroy the National Identity Register. The information contained on the National Identity Register which is additional to that held on the UK passport database includes fingerprints, National Insurance Number, details from identity card applications, changes to names and address following issue of the document, and personal questions and answers allowing such changes to be made securely to an individual's entry on the National Identity Register. The 2006 Act provided for up to 50 pieces of personal information to be stored from each person on the National Identity Register.
The existing UK passport database will continue to support the issuing of passports and to hold the same information as that currently requires.
Passports: EU Countries
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to provide a cheaper and more compact alternative to the British passport for travel within the EU. [1909]
Mrs May [holding answer 14 June 2010]: We currently have no plans to provide an alternative to the British passport for travel within the EU.
Poaching
Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to tackle poaching; and if she will consider the merits of establishing a task force on the issue. [2433]
James Brokenshire: Poaching can have a significant effect on our rural communities, and on the environment more generally. It is an issue that needs to be addressed by police forces at a local level.
A network of Police Wildlife Crime Officers throughout the 43 forces in England and Wales provides the backbone to investigating wildlife and environmental crime, including poaching.
Poaching is already one of the priorities of the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which exists to support police forces and their wildlife crime officers in their efforts against wildlife crime. It is funded by the Home Office and DEFRA, as well as the governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland, ACPO (the Association of Chief Police Officers) and ACPOS (ACPO Scotland).
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