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Prisons: Buildings

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the status is of each prison building and site for prisons closed since May 2010. [204708]

Jeremy Wright: We are determined to drive down the cost of running our prisons. That is why we are replacing older accommodation that is expensive to run with newer, cheaper and more efficient accommodation that will provide better value for money for taxpayers by reducing prison costs significantly.

Where surplus prison sites have been identified, we will look to dispose of them expeditiously.

Prisons: Publications

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many books there are in HM Prison (a) Leeds and (b) Wakefield. [204166]

Jeremy Wright: The requested information is not held centrally and would need to be obtained and collated through enquiries at each prison. This would require a manual search of all cells and all other areas where books might be held. This would incur disproportionate cost.

Public Defender Service

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which barristers are employed by the Public Defender Service; and what day rates each such person charges. [200015]

Mr Vara: In a joint statement with the Bar Council, the Criminal Bar Association and the Circuit Leaders, the Ministry of Justice has confirmed that normal working relationships have been restored and there is no need to expand the PDS Advocacy Unit further.

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As at 10 July 2014, the following barristers have commenced employment with the PDS:

Queens Counsel

David Aubrey QC

Gregory Bull QC

John Burton QC

Alun Jenkins QC

Andrew Lamb QC

Stephen Leslie QC

Michael Wood QC

Juniors

Lisa Hennessy

Robin Howat

Tom Mitchell

Gerald Mohabir

Emma Nott

Simon Perkins

Adam Roxborough

Martin L Sharpe

Peter Woodall

George Zachary

As employed barristers, no day rates are charged for work done.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many barristers have been employed by the Public Defender Service in each month since January 2014. [200016]

Mr Vara: Since January 2014 the PDS has employed the following number of Barristers (full-time equivalent):

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent on advertising vacancies in the Public Defender Service in 2014. [200017]

Mr Vara: £15,494.72 has been spent on advertising vacancies within the PDS in 2014. This includes vacancies for Accredited Police Station Representatives as well as for Queens Counsel and Higher Courts Advocates.

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been spent on the Public Defender Service in each month of 2014. [200018]

Mr Vara: The information is as follows:

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The rise in cost over the periods January to April is due to the recruitment of advocates in readiness for the PDS advocacy service, and the inclusion of accruals in March for costs relating to IT enhancements and facilities management.

Road Traffic Offences: Sussex

Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what advice he has taken from the Information Commissioner's Office about data protection and freedom of information issues arising from Sussex Police's promotion of Operation Crackdown. [204604]

Simon Hughes: The Information Commissioner has regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice and other Ministry of Justice Ministers about a range of information rights issues. However, I am not aware that he has raised data protection and freedom of information issues relating to Sussex police's promotion of Operation Crackdown during the course of these discussions.

Senior Civil Servants: Business Interests

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many officials in his Department in civil service pay bands (a) SCS Pay Band 4/Grade 1, (b) SCS Pay Band 3/Grade 2, (c) SCS Pay Band 2/Grade 3 and (d) SCS Pay Band 1/Grade 5 have left to work for (a) G4S, (b) Serco, (c) Sodexo, (d) GEOAmey, (e) Capita, (f) Atos, (g) Mitie, (h) Working Links, (i) A4E, (j) MTC Amey, (k) GEO Group and (l) Carillion since May 2010. [204086]

Mr Vara: This information is not held by the Department as officials who leave are not obliged to inform the Department on future employment.

Officials are only obliged to inform the Department of future employment under Business Appointment Rules where there may be a conflict of interest. For information of those who have I refer the right hon. Member to the answer provided for PQ 204091.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to speed up the appeals process for people whose benefits have been sanctioned. [204674]

Mr Vara: The First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support), administered by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) decisions on a range of benefits.

In order to increase the capacity of the Tribunal, and therefore speed up the appeals process, HMCTS has recruited almost 200 extra judges and over 250 medical members, increased venue capacity by almost 30%, extended opening times and introduced more efficient processes. This action and a recent reduction in appeal receipts has enabled HMCTS to reduce outstanding workloads.

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Trade Unions

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons he decided against change following his review into his Department's check-off system for employees' trade union subscriptions. [202859]

Jeremy Wright: Check-off arrangements are kept under review.

Training

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what professional development courses are made available to staff of his Department; and what the cost to the public purse is of each such course. [204348]

Damian Green: Professional development, in the form of formal learning, is available to all members of staff within the Ministry of Justice and processes are in place to ensure that where there is a business and development need learning can be accessed. There are currently 22 professions across the civil service and each will have their own framework of qualifications.

In order to answer the question in detail we will need to contact every profession, request the framework and then identify the costs for each qualification. In addition we will need to interrogate the Civil Service Learning portal to identify each profession’s qualifications and costs. This information is not readily available and is not held centrally and therefore would incur disproportionate cost to obtain.

Young Offenders: Rehabilitation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to implement Schedule 1, paragraph 35 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 on reviewing youth rehabilitation orders in each court since May 2010. [R] [204985]

Jeremy Wright: Reducing reoffending and the better rehabilitation of young offenders are key priorities for this Government. We believe that the Youth Rehabilitation Order enables courts to sentence in a flexible and tailored way in order to effectively address offending behaviour.

We are aware that Lord Carlile has recommended the implementation of this provision in his recent report into the effectiveness of the Youth Court. We are currently considering all of the report's recommendations, alongside other Departments, local authorities and the senior judiciary.

Youth Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children in the child protection system entered the youth justice system in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years. [R] [204951]

Jeremy Wright: The ‘child protection system’ can be taken to encompass a wide framework of referral, assessment, investigation and care processes. Information is not held centrally on the number of children subject to such processes who have entered the youth justice system.

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Young people entering the youth justice system will receive a full assessment of their needs by a youth justice practitioner, which will include establishing their care status and history and evaluation of other factors affecting their offending behaviour, in order to inform effective interventions.

Home Department

Abu Qatada

Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2014, Official Report, column 128W, on Didier Pierre Paulet, for what reasons her Department commented on the case of Abu Qatada. [204018]

Karen Bradley: It is the general policy of the Home Office not to disclose to a third party personal information about another person's immigration status unless there is a substantial public interest in doing so. In cases where there is a genuine and legitimate public interest in disclosure, we will comment to the extent necessary. This is underpinned by the first data protection principle, which allows for the disclosure of non-sensitive personal data for the exercise of functions of a public nature in the public interest.

Animal Experiments

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Option 3 in her Department's consultation on the review of section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 would be effected by a statutory instrument under section 75 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. [204076]

Norman Baker: The public consultation on options to review section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 closed on 13 June 2014 and we are actively analysing responses in preparation for pursuing legislative change.

We are already exploring the use of an Order under section 75 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to amend or repeal section 24 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. My intention is that any legislative change that we decide to make will be in force by May 2015.

Asylum: Deportation

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been returned from the UK to the last safe country they left under the Dublin II Regulation in each calendar year since May 2010. [203740]

Karen Bradley: The Dublin Regulation is helpful in ensuring that asylum seekers who are the responsibility of another participating member state can be transferred from the UK to that member state.

The information requested is shown in the following table. To note, the data provided are for the entirety of 2010, rather than from May 2010 onwards.

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The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.

Asylum: Employment

Teresa Pearce: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were granted permission to work in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013. [203389]

Karen Bradley: These questions could be answered only through a disproportionately expensive manual case search to collate the data.

Asylum: Syria

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what system is in place to regularly review the number of Syrian resettlement places in the UK as part of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme in order to ensure the scheme is responsive to need. [203565]

Karen Bradley: We launched the Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme to help particularly vulnerable displaced Syrians, for whom resettlement to the UK is the only option. In particular, the programme prioritises survivors of torture and violence, women and children at risk and those in need of medical care. We are working closely with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in the region to identify the exceptional cases whose needs are so profound that they need to be resettled to a country like the UK. The scheme is therefore based on need, rather than designed to meet set arrival projections. However, we will continue to bring groups here on a regular basis, and envisage that several hundred people will be helped over the next three years.

Commonwealth Games 2014

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she has taken to ensure that people who visit Scotland to participate in or watch the Commonwealth Games in 2014 are not able to remain in the country illegally after the Games have finished. [204199]

Karen Bradley: The rigorous Accreditation Process applied to those participating in the Commonwealth Games which contributed to the success of our Olympic Games in 2012 have also been central to our preparations for Glasgow 2014.

Comprehensive records checks on all Commonwealth Games participants and Games Family Members are conducted before they are cleared to enter the UK. We have also introduced arrangements to confirm that people given Commonwealth Games clearance have left the UK within their permitted time limits.

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People who visit Scotland to watch the Commonwealth Games are treated as visitors to the United Kingdom and as such the normal Immigration Rules apply.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many female victims of (a) grievous bodily harm and (b) actual bodily harm there were (i) of each age and (ii) in each ward in the latest year for which figures are available. [203733]

Norman Baker: The information requested is not available from the police recorded data collected by the Home Office. While statistics are held on the number of recorded offences of grievous bodily harm and actual bodily harm, it is not possible to identify either the gender or the age of the victim from the aggregate returns.

In addition, recorded crime data are not available at ward level.

Detention Centres

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) red incidents and (b) amber incidents have occurred at each Immigration Removal Centre in each of the last four years. [202822]

Karen Bradley: Incidents in the detention estate are reported in accordance with Detention Services Order (DSO) 12/2008. Incidents are classified according to their seriousness as red, amber or green.

Examples of the types of red or amber incidents are given in the DSO. Red incidents are generally those relating to serious disturbances and/or fires within a centre. Amber incidents may be those involving threats to the centre, external demonstrations, or co-ordinated food or fluid refusal.

These data have been collected by different business areas in the Home Office over the data period requested and have not been collated centrally.

Management information is available only for the period 1 July 2013 to 9 March 2014 in the following table and is in line with the data period for published statistics.

These data are management information collected and collated from Immigration Removal Centre suppliers. This information does not form part of published statistics and is not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. It is provisional and subject to change.

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Economic Policy: Northern Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to support the Government's implementation of the economic pact with the Northern Ireland Executive, Building a Prosperous and United Community. [203461]

Karen Bradley: On 16 June 2014 the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), announced the introduction of a British-Irish Visa Scheme which, from autumn 2014, will allow Chinese and Indian nationals with a visit visa from the Republic of Ireland to travel to the UK without the need for a separate UK visit visa. One aim of the scheme is to help promote trade and tourism in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and thus to support the economic pact.

Educational Testing Service

Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement of 24 June 2014, Official Report, column 206, on student visas, whether she is seeking financial compensation from the Educational Testing Service. [202329]

James Brokenshire: Investigations are ongoing and all potential remedies are being pursued.

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the student immigrants who were found to have either invalid or questionable English language test results by the Government's recent review of the test provider Educational Testing Services were granted leave to enter the UK in each of the last five years. [203033]

James Brokenshire: As I said in my oral statement to Parliament on 24 June 2014, analysis from the American arm of Educational Testing Service (ETS) for a number of their UK test centres has identified more than 29,000 invalid results and more than 19,000 questionable results. The analyses from other ETS test centres in the UK are still to be received and it is, therefore, likely that the true totals will be higher.

As these test results were obtained in the UK in 2012 and 2013 and, where used in an immigration application, will have been used chiefly to extend temporary leave, it is reasonable to conclude that a significant proportion first came to this country under the student visa system that operated prior to April 2011.

Analysis is ongoing and it is not possible to provide further data at present. As I stated to the House on 24 June, the Home Office will provide regular updates on progress on further information we receive from ETS.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of people who have applied for entry clearance as (a) students and (b) family members of

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settled people including evidence of their knowledge of the English language through a Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) certificate obtained through Educational Testing Service and whose applications are on hold while their right to hold that qualification is tested. [203775]

James Brokenshire: Analysis by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) and Home Office officials is ongoing and it is not possible to provide further data at present. As I stated to the House on 24 June, the Home Office will provide regular updates on further information we receive from ETS.

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which countries her Department is investigating the Test of English for International Communication language test certificates from Educational Testing Service and the individuals who have provided them as part of the evidence in their visa applications. [203776]

James Brokenshire: The American arm of the Educational Testing Service (ETS) has so far identified more than 29,000 invalid results and more than 19,000 questionable English language test results from a number of ETS test centres operating in the UK in 2012 and 2013. Investigations are focused on ETS test centres in the UK, where there is clear evidence of fraudulent activity. ETS have also examined results from some of their overseas test centres, but they have so far not found widespread abuse in those locations.

Entry Clearances: English Language

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department has taken to inform people whose entry clearance applications are on hold because of investigation into their Test of English for International Communication qualifications about (a) the fact that this is the case and (b) any action they can take to continue their entry clearance applications. [203778]

James Brokenshire: All applications made by those in the UK using an Educational Testing Service (ETS) certificate have been placed on hold since February. Overseas visa applicants seeking entry clearance who are reliant on an ETS test certificate are not on hold but subject to interview by UK Visa and Immigration staff. In addition, information was placed on GOV.UK in April and has been updated since. This can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-applying-for-uk-visa-approved-english-language-tests

Entry Clearances: Married People

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of spouse visa applications have taken more than one year to process in each of the last five years. [203010]

Karen Bradley: The management information (which is subject to change) in the table relates to spouse and civil partner visa applications processed overseas (issued, refused, lapsed or withdrawn) relating to non-EEA nationals seeking to join or accompany a spouse or civil

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partner who is settled in, or being admitted for settlement to, the UK. The percentages are rounded to 2 decimal points, and relate to applications that took more than one year to process.

Percentage of spouse and civil partner visa applications processed overseas from non-EEA nationals seeking to join or accompany a spouse or civil partner who is settled in, or being admitted for settlement to, the UK where the application took more than one year to process.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the statement of 24 June 2014, Official Report, column 206, what the terms of reference are of the working group established, who the members of that group are and when that group is first expected to meet; and if she will make a written statement to the House on the conclusion of that group's work. [202328]

James Brokenshire: The initial members invited to join the working group are:

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)

Universities UK (UUK)

UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA)

Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)

Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCEW)

Scottish Funding Council

National Union of Student (NUS)

British Council

UCAS

Association of Colleges (AoC)

Guild HE

Russell Group

Welsh Assembly Government

The first working group meeting took place on 7 July.

The draft terms of reference were discussed at the first meeting and will be finalised in discussion with working group partners. Once finalised, a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.

As I stated to the House on 24 June, the Home Office will provide regular updates to the House on progress with this work.

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of student visa applicants who illegally gained entry to the UK as a result of fraudulent language testing in the last 10 years; and how many of these applicants have now been removed from the UK. [203628]

James Brokenshire: As I stated in my oral statement to Parliament on 24 June, analysis from the American arm of Educational Testing Service (ETS) for a number

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of their UK test centres has identified more than 29,000 invalid results and more than 19,000 questionable results. The analyses from other ETS test centres in the UK are still to be received and it is, therefore, likely that the true totals will be higher.

These people took tests in the UK and had therefore previously entered the UK. As I stated, a significant proportion of students who have been caught cheating came to this country through a student visa system created before this Government reformed the English requirements in 2011.

Significant numbers of these people will have used these certificates in support of applications to temporarily extend their stay in the UK for study, work or other purposes. As I indicated, the House will be updated periodically on numbers relating to this matter.

Margaret Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the costs of identifying and removing student visa applicants who entered the country illegally as a result of fraudulent language testing. [203631]

James Brokenshire: Analysis by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) is ongoing and it is not possible to provide further data, including costs data, at present. As I stated to the House on 24 June, the Home Office will provide regular updates on progress with work to remove these students and on further information we receive from ETS.

Fisheries: Scotland

Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK Border Force has reached any understanding with individual Scottish fishing boats regarding the employment of members of their crew who are not citizens of EEA member states. [204355]

Karen Bradley: There are no local understandings in place and any action is in line with the Immigration Rules and Border Force Operating Mandate.

Freedom of Information

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department spent on legal fees in cases relating to the release of information requested under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in each of the last five years. [204279]

Karen Bradley: Legal costs in relation to FOI cannot be provided as they are not recorded separately.

HM Passport Office

Mr Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her long-term plans are for staffing levels at HM Passport Office; and if she will make a statement. [200101]

James Brokenshire: Her Majesty's Passport Office keeps staffing levels under review as part of annual business planning.

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We will consider long-term requirements in the light of the reviews which the Home Secretary has commissioned on efficiency and forecasting.

HM Passport Office: Telephone Services

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information her Department has gathered on opinions of members of the public of the recorded voice facility offered when they ring regional passport offices on urgent business. [202199]

James Brokenshire: Her Majesty's Passport Office routinely carries out research to obtain customers' views on a range of its services. No specific research has been undertaken on the recorded voice facility on its customer service lines.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Sir Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the nationality and gender of each suspected victim of trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army was in June 2014 in which (a) region and (b) county each of the suspected victims was found; which agency referred each person to the scheme; in which town the shelter was to which they were placed for the relevant period; and what contact it had with each victim after they exited the shelter to ensure they are not re-trafficked. [204181]

Karen Bradley: In June 2014, there were 97 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army, of which, 59 were female victims, 37 were male victims and one was a transgender victim. In the interests of victim safety, only the region in which the victim was encountered is provided, and not the county, parliamentary constituency or details of the specific shelters at which victims are supported. The scope of the victim care contract does not extend (a) beyond the date on which a victim exits government funded support or (b) to the safety and protection of victims post the recovery and reflection period. The Salvation Army therefore does not routinely maintain contact with victims outside the scope of the victim care contract.

Details are provided in the table below.

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Sir John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) with reference to the answer of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 274W, on human trafficking: victim support schemes, how many of those referred were (a) men and (b) women, by country; what steps are taken to ensure that after the victim exits the shelter into which they have been placed by the Salvation Army they are not retrafficked or enter contact with their former traffickers; and if she will make a statement; [204316]

(2) with reference to the answers of 9 April 2014, Official Report, column 274WS, and 14 January 2014, Official Report, column 481W, on human trafficking: victim support schemes, for what reason information on each individual and on their gender and location was not given in the former answer; and if she will provide that information in response to future parliamentary questions seeking equivalent information. [204317]

Karen Bradley: In March 2014, there were 126 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army, of which 78 were female victims and 48 were male victims. In the interests of victim safety, only the region in which the victim was encountered is provided, and not the county, parliamentary constituency or details of the specific shelters at which victims are supported. The scope of the victim care contract does not extend (a) beyond the date on which a victim exits government-funded support or (b) to the safety and protection of victims post the recovery and reflection period. The Salvation Army therefore does not routinely maintain contact with victims outside the scope of the victim care contract.

The breakdown of information requested is as follows and will be provided in response to future parliamentary questions seeking equivalent information.

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Illegal Immigrants

Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent estimate she has made of (a) the number of immigrants in the UK without legitimate immigration status and (b) the three most common countries from which such people originate. [203931]

Karen Bradley: Government estimates on the number of illegal migrants currently in the UK are not available. Given the clandestine nature of illegal migrants, any estimation is extremely difficult and there would be considerable uncertainty around any estimates.

Immigrants: Children

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Education on guidance to be issued to paediatricians on age assessments of unaccompanied migrant children; [204184]

(2) what assessment she has made of the proposed guidance from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health for paediatricians on cases of age assessment of unaccompanied migrant children. [204179]

Karen Bradley: In conjunction with officials from the Department for Education and the Department of Health, Home Office officials are currently considering the proposals submitted by the Royal College, taking into account commercial, funding and value for money considerations.

Immigrants: Detainees

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Immigration Removal Centre detainees have (a) escaped from detention, (b) escaped while being escorted and (c) attempted to escape each IRC in the last four years; and how many such people are still at large. [202821]

Karen Bradley: Escapes from immigration removal centres and while under escort are a subset of published statistics. The following table shows absconds for the financial years 2010-11 to 2013-14.

Information on attempted escapes is not held centrally and could be provided only by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

11 of those individuals recorded as escaped from 2010-11 to 2013-14 have not been located.

The police are informed immediately when a detainee has escaped and the individual's details are recorded on the Police National Computer should the individual be apprehended at a later date.

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Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times an escaped person has been categorised as a high harm person and the senior management team believe there is a high risk of reputational damage to the Home Office as set out in the Home Office Guidance on Escaped Detainees at immigration removal centres in the last four years. [202824]

Karen Bradley: The Home Office does not routinely categorise immigration detainees against a scale of harm. They are instead subject to individual risk assessment linked to their suitability for placement in an immigration removal centre (IRC) which is based on a number of different factors. Where an escape or attempted escape from an IRC takes place, Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) immigration specialist teams will assist in the investigation where the individual is assessed to be a “high harm” person, or where the senior management team believe there is a high risk of reputational damage to the Home Office.

In the last four years the CFI team has conducted two investigations relating to escapes of individuals from escort who were assessed to fit the investigation criteria. There have not been any cases of escapes from an IRC which have warranted the involvement of the CFI.

These data are management information and do not form part of published statistics and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. They are provisional and subject to change.

Immigration

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to ensure that the Government regulate commercial companies providing evidence required in immigration applications and that such companies are not open to corruption. [203777]

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James Brokenshire: The Home Office has appointed an external auditor, Moore Stephens LLP, to provide assurance of the enhanced processes it has introduced for the Secure English Language Test providers, as well as of the controls built into Home Office contractual and licence arrangements related to testing services upon which immigration, citizenship or other entitlements rely.

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the Exchequer has been of the asylum and immigration system once fee income has been deducted in each of the last seven years. [204069]

Karen Bradley: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given on 30 June 2014, Official Report, column 375W.