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Written Answers
Monday, 17th December 2001.
Afghanistan
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they are taking to persuade the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to observe the Geneva Conventions; and whether they will ask those authorities to facilitate the International Committee of the Red Cross in its duty of protecting prisoners of war and other captives.[HL1885]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Amos): The Foreign Secretary stressed the importance of humane behaviour by United Front forces when he met Dr Abdullah Abdullah in Tehran on 22 November and also when he spoke to him on the phone on 30 November. The British representative in Kabul has
spoken in similar terms to other senior United Front representatives. The UN has also appealed to the United Front to treat surrendering forces in accordance with international humanitarian law. Security Council Resolution 1378 (2001) calls on all Afghan forces to adhere strictly to their obligations under human rights and international humanitarian law. International Committee of the Red Cross staff returned to Afghanistan in mid-November, and the United Front defence representative, Fahim Khan, has allowed the ICRC access to prisoners held by the United Front.Metropolitan Police
Baroness Hanham asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What were the numbers of police officers (in all ranks) in the Metropolitan Police for each of the last five years, including 2001.[HL1033]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker): The information requested is set out in the table below.
| Year as at 31 March | Chief Const (2) | Ast Chief Const (3) | Supt | Chief Insp | Insp | Sgt | Const | Total |
| 1997 | 7 | 28 | 211 | 344 | 1,197 | 4,219 | 20,671 | 26,677 |
| 1998 | 8 | 28 | 211 | 342 | 1,186 | 4,164 | 20,156 | 26,094 |
| 1999 | 7 | 33 | 210 | 350 | 1,157 | 4,223 | 20,093 | 26,073 |
| 2000 | 6 | 31 | 217 | 371 | 1,218 | 4,171 | 19,471 | 25,485 |
| 2001 | 5 | 28 | 210 | 355 | 1,222 | 4,083 | 18,975 | 24,878 |
1. All figures are full time equivalents.
2. The Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner and assistant commissioners are counted as chief constables.
3. Deputy assistant commissioners and commanders are counted as assistant chief constables.
4. Source: Home Office Statistical Bulletins 1997–2001.
Comparisons between 31 March 2000 and 31 March 2001 are affected by boundary changes between four forces. As a result, the Metropolitan Police's area reduced to that of Greater London, with the remaining parts forming parts of Essex, Hertfordshire and Surrey, according to county boundaries. The effect was to reduce the population in the area policed by the metropolitan force by over half a million, while increasing Essex by 73,000, Hertfordshire by 157,000 and Surrey by 297,000 (based on 2000 mid-year population estimates from the Office of National Statistics). These changes led to the budgetary equivalent of 887 officers being made available from the metropolitan forces to the neighbouring forces.
In addition, the Metropolitan Police employed 10,040 civilian support staff on 31 March 2001.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: The available information is given in the table. Information on the outcome of tribunal hearings by nationality is not available prior to September 2000. Statistical information on applications which have been refused after exhausting all legal means is not collected centrally and is therefore unavailable.
(1) Figures rounded to nearest 5.
(2) Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same year.
(3) May exclude some cases lodged at local enforcement offices between January 1999 and March 2000.
(4) Decision figures for 1990 and 1991 may understate due to delays in recording.
(5) Cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre-1996 asylum application backlog.
(6) For the years 1994 to 1998, figures for appeals allowed by the IAA adjudicator were collected manually. Manual collection stopped in 1998. Hence, no information is held for 1999 and 2000.
(p) Provisional.
N/A = Not available.
Information on asylum applications, initial decisions and appeals is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: The Government are committed to putting in place effective measures to combat the trafficking of human beings and to penalise those engaged in this abhorrent practice. To this end, the United Kingdom has signed the Trafficking Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime, which requires the specific criminalisation of trafficking in human beings. The Government are also currently negotiating an European Union (EU) Framework Decision, which is a binding European Union instrument and requires criminalisation of trafficking in human beings for the purposes of exploiting their labour and services or for sexual exploitation. Under its provisions, the UK will be required to have implemented the instrument within two years of its adoption.
Measuring the scope of people trafficking is problematic due to the hidden nature of the act. However, a Home Office research study Stopping Traffic (Police Research Series 125), published last year, indicated that, although there was intelligence to suggest that some women and children are trafficked into the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation, there was no evidence to suggest that the problem in the UK was on the same scale as in some other EU countries.
The UK is contributing to the EU STOP Programme, which was set up by a joint action of the European Council in 1996. This programme provides support to member state organisations responsible for action against the trade in human beings and the sexual exploitation of children. A European Council decision of 28 June 2001 established a second phase of this programme (STOP II).
As part of a multi-faceted approach, people trafficking is also being addressed from the prevention end. We are developing a cross-departmental strategic approach to trafficking that will include a more joined up government lead programme on prevention and the care of potential and actual people trafficking victims. We know that children are trafficked for a number of reasons, including adoption and child labour as well as sexual exploitation. With this in mind, there are also plans to build on existing trafficking prevention projects to educate potential victims of the dangers, particularly for women and children. The Department for International Development (DfID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) already fund such projects in source countries and assist with repatriation and reintegration of people trafficked in an attempt to prevent multiple victimisation in the future. In collaboration with these countries and international organisations, DfID supports a project by the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) aimed at combating the trafficking of children in certain subregions.
In addition, we set up Project Reflex last year, which is a multi-agency task force chaired by the National Crime Squad, to co-ordinate action against organised immigration crime, including people trafficking, and to develop the intelligence and strategic planning to underpin them. It is now well established and has already resulted in some major successes, involving partners overseas, in disrupting organised criminal groups involved in bringing people to the UK.
How many applications for asylum have been made by citizens of Sri Lanka since 1990; how many applications have been allowed by the Secretary of State, adjudicators and the Immigration Appeal Tribunal; and how many applications have been refused after all legal means have been exhausted.[HL1825]
Year Asylum applications(3) Initial decisions(4) Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum Granted asylum or ELR under backlog criteria(5) Allowed by IAA adjudicator following initial refusal(6) Allowed by tribunal
1990 3,330 475 15 — N/A N/A
1991 3,765 765 20 — N/A N/A
1992 2,085 4,520 40 — N/A N/A
1993 1,965 2,690 10 — N/A N/A
1994 2,350 1,070 10 — 10 N/A
1995 2,070 1,335 20 — 25 N/A
1996 1,340 2,145 5 — 30 N/A
1997 1,830 1,780 55 — 95 N/A
1998 3,505 2,010 50 — 495 N/A
1999 5,130 2,630 20 620 N/A N/A
2000(p) 6,395 9,050 900 895 N/A N/A
Jan–Sept 2001(p) 4,035 8,755 1,170 — 1,400 65
Total 37,800 37,225 2,315 N/A N/A N/A
What measures they are taking to reduce levels of trafficking in human beings, especially children.[HL1894]
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