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28 Jun 2010 : Column 432W—continued
Feeding and changing facilities for babies and any requirement for child safety chairs and booster seats.
Yarl's Wood is provided with all health records, welfare assessments and care plans, documenting any special needs or support in place for the family to ensure continuity of care.
On arrival at the receiving centre all adults and children are individually re-assessed by a nurse within two hours and an appointment made for them to see a GP the following day. In line with the Centre's safeguarding arrangements the children continue to have their welfare monitored and assessed on a regular basis by the multi-disciplinary team of health care, educational, operational and other staff, together with the resident senior social worker.
Children: Abuse
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reports she has received on the examination of a six-year old child in the adult sexual assault referral centre in Liverpool on 28 March 2010; and if she will make a statement. [4133]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 24 June 2010]: I have been provided with briefing on this case. I understand local agencies are investigating the background to this incident.
Sexual assault referral centres are highly skilled one-stop locations where victims of recent sexual assault can receive medical care and counselling quickly and empathetically, and which allow for the collection of forensic evidence for potential prosecutions. They provide services that are tailored to the needs of victims and underpinned by principles of dignity, respect and belief.
Working Together to Safeguard Children 2010 sets out the PCT role in commissioning sexual assault referral services which comply with the standards for paediatric forensic medical services-'Service Specification for the Clinical Evaluation of Children and Young People who may have been sexually abused'-published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2009.
Counter-terrorism: Birmingham
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many CCTV cameras have been installed in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency under Project Champion. [3806]
James Brokenshire: The numbers of both ANPR and CCTV cameras installed under Project Champion is set out in the table:
| Ward | ANPR cameras | CCTV cameras |
Crime
Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to maintain public confidence in Government crime statistics. [2880]
Nick Herbert: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 22 June 2010, Official Report, column 145W.
Departmental Manpower
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) special advisers and (b) press officers are employed by her Department; and at what civil service pay grade in each such case. [1258]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office is allocated two special advisers who are appointed in accordance with article 3(2) of the Civil Service Order in Council 1995 (as amended). Information on the Home Office special advisers was published by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 10 June 2010, Official Report, columns 32-34WS.
The total number of press officers is given in the table. The total includes those employed to cover core Home Office business, such as counter-terrorism, policing, crime, passports and immigration policy, as well as the press officers located across the country who cover operational immigration and border security issues.
| Press officers employed by the Home Office | |
| Pay grade | Full-time equivalent |
Departmental Official Cars
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Government (a) cars and (b) drivers are allocated to Ministers in her Department. [298]
Nick Herbert: Under the last Government, five Government cars and five drivers from the Government car service were allocated to departmental Ministers. The Home Secretary had a car allocated by the Metropolitan police service.
The new ministerial code, published on 21 May 2010, contains changes that affect ministerial entitlement to travel by Government car service. Paragraph 10.13 states that:
"the number of Ministers with allocated cars and drivers will be kept to a minimum, taking into account security and other relevant considerations. Other Ministers will be entitled to use cars from the Government Car Service Pool as needed".
The Department for Transport and its Government Car and Despatch Agency are working with Departments to effect the transition to the new arrangements.
Contracts have been terminated and are due to expire in August. As a result, no Home Office Ministers will be allocated Government cars and drivers from the GCS. The Home Secretary has a vehicle allocated to her by the MPS for security reasons.
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) make, (b) model and (c) place of manufacture is of the car allocated for the use of each Minister in her Department. [1484]
Nick Herbert:
Under the last Government, five Government cars and five drivers from the Government car service were allocated to Home Office Ministers.
The Home Secretary had a car allocated by the Metropolitan Police Service.
The Prime Minister published the Ministerial Code on 21 May 2010. Paragraph 10.13 of the code states:
"the number of Ministers with allocated cars and drivers will be kept to a minimum taking into account security and other relevant considerations. Other Ministers will be entitled to use cars from the Government Car Service Pool as needed."
Contracts have been terminated and are due to expire in August. As a result, no Home Office Ministers will have allocated Government cars and drivers from the GCS. The Home Secretary has a vehicle allocated to her by the MPS for security reasons.
DNA: Databases
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanism she plans to use to assess which DNA samples held on the DNA database belonging to those who were arrested but not convicted of a serious crime should remain on the database after three years; and what costs are to be taken into account as part of that assessment. [4135]
Mrs May [holding answer 24 June 2010]: As part of the development of a DNA retention model that provides the protections of the Scottish model, we are examining a range of options before bringing forward detailed proposals to put in place a system which provides protection to the public while respecting the rights of those who have been arrested for but not convicted of an offence.
Costs will be taken into consideration as part of the policy development process.
Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence she has (a) received and (b) commissioned on the merits of retaining DNA evidence for (i) three years and (ii) six years. [4136]
Mrs May [holding answer 24 June 2010]: I have not received any new evidence on the merits of retaining DNA evidence for three and six years. I have asked my officials to consider the feasibility of undertaking further analysis in this area. The Government are committed to adopting the protections of the Scottish model for the DNA database and will bring forward its proposals in due course.
Immigrants: English Language
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether migrants are to have the right to appeal against the result of an English language test. [4182]
Damian Green: From autumn 2010, those seeking entry to the UK as the spouse or civil partner, fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, unmarried partner or same sex partner of a British citizen or someone who is present and settled in the UK will need to provide evidence that they have passed an acceptable English test with one of the UK Border Agency's approved test providers. Appeals against individual English language test results will be a matter for the appeals procedure of the test provider.
The UK Border Agency has an established procedure for appeals against a decision to refuse leave to enter the UK under the immigration rules.
Immigration Controls
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans her Department has to meet representatives of the British curry industry to discuss the effects of the points-based immigration system on recruitment to the industry. [4257]
Damian Green: The UK Border Agency works with the restaurant and hospitality sector which is represented on the UK Border Agency's employers task force by the British Hospitality Association (BHA).
We welcome views on how our proposed limit on economic migration should operate in a way that is fair and practical for users of the system. Representatives in the curry industry can respond via our consultation, which was launched on 28 June.
Immigration Tribunals and Appeals
Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the Exchequer of (a) immigration tribunals and appeals and (b) reports compiled by country experts and medical experts was in the latest period for which figures are available. [3274]
Mr Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
The Ministry of Justice incurs expenditure in the cost of running the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT), which moved into the two-tier Tribunals Service structure on 15 February 2010 to become the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), and for the provision of legal aid.
The running cost of the AIT was £117 million in 2009-10.
The total cost of legal aid for immigration and asylum for 2009-10 was £90 million. This includes all legal advice and representation for immigration and asylum matters. It is not possible to disaggregate from this figure the amounts spent on work before the immigration tribunal from other work such as initial advice. While legal aid providers may commission experts and medical experts to provide reports it is not possible to identify how much was paid as the cost of these reports form part of providers' overall disbursement.
Internet: Children
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to ensure that children do not have access to age-restricted products and material on the internet. [4197]
James Brokenshire: The Government believe that those selling age-restricted goods should uphold the law on the sale of such items online as they do offline.
The Government will consider whether further action is required in due course.
Methadone
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of people arrested in each year since 1997 who were methadone users. [3255]
James Brokenshire: The information requested is not collected centrally.
The arrests collection held by the Home Office does not include information on the drug misuse of persons arrested.
Nottinghamshire Police
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the conclusions of the report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary into Nottinghamshire constabulary; and what steps she plans to take to ensure the effectiveness of that constabulary. [4143]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 24 June 2010]: Monitoring and challenging police performance is the responsibility of (HMIC). Performance in Nottinghamshire police authority and force is currently being monitored and challenged by HMIC to ensure that performance is improved following the publication of the capability review in March 2010.
Police Authorities: Pay
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has made an assessment of the level of transparency of the mechanisms by which police authorities publish details of the remuneration of authority members. [3437]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 21 June 2010]: No. Police authorities must publish the arrangements they have in place for the expenses and allowances of their members. Police authorities are to be replaced with directly elected individuals-the Government are determined to ensure that local democratic accountability in policing replaces the bureaucratic accountability of the past.
Police: Administration
Richard Harrington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on the amount of time spent by police officers on administrative tasks each year. [4023]
Nick Herbert: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 22 June 2010, Official Report, column 149W.
Police: Business Interests
Mr MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will instruct chief constables to publish a list of any other employment undertaken by serving police officers in each police force. [3871]
Nick Herbert: The decision to publish information of this kind is a matter for police forces.
Police: Mobile IT
Caroline Dinenage:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has
received on the changes in (a) officer visibility and (b) time taken to complete administrative tasks resulting from the pilot of mobile information technology devices issued to members of the Hampshire constabulary. [3047]
Nick Herbert: There have been no representations made to the Secretary of State on the changes in (a) visibility and (b) administrative tasks resulting from the pilot of mobile information technology devices issued to members of Hampshire constabulary.
In autumn 2009 Hampshire constabulary equipped more than 300 police officers with mobile information technology devices. Work is ongoing to evaluate the impact mobile data is having on improvements in policing and service to the public.
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