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Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania: Seasonal Agricultural Workers and Visas
Lord Carter asked Her Majesty's Government:
What arrangements are being made to help farmers and growers find replacements for 1,200 students from Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania who have been issued work permits to harvest fruit and vegetables in May and June but who cannot now obtain visas owing to the suspension of visa services until further notice. [HL2684]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government recognise the difficulties caused to some farmers and growers by the suspension of visa services in Bulgaria and Romania. However, farmers and growers are still, as well as being able to recruit from within the existing UK labour market, able to recruit students from other countries under the seasonal agricultural workers scheme, and nationals from the new EU member states can now undertake work here without prior permission, provided they register with the worker registration scheme.
The organisations that operate the seasonal agricultural workers scheme under contract to the Home Office have been provided advice should they want to pursue these options.
Criminal Justice Interventions Programme
Lord Adebowale asked Her Majesty's Government:
(a) What total funding allocation for the Criminal Justice Interventions Programme in England and Wales has been made available for each year that
- figures are available; and (b) what is the expected funding for the years 2004–05 and 2005–06. [HL2658]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Criminal Justice Interventions Programme was launched in April 2003 and is due to run for three years. It is backed by a significant funding to help national and local partners play their part. Below are the estimated annual funding figures for the programme:
Criminal Justice Interventions Programme: funding (£million)
| Year | |
| 2003–041 | 55 |
| 2004–052 | 188 |
| 2005–063 | 250 |
1 Estimated out-turn.
2 Estimated figure.
3 Provisional allocation.
This does not include some of the resources used by local partnerships to assist in delivering the programme.
Drug Treatment: Funding
Lord Adebowale asked Her Majesty's Government:
(a) What total funding allocation for drug treatment in England and Wales has been made available for each year that figures are available; and (b) what is the expected funding for the years 2004–05 and 2005–06. [HL2659]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The drug pooled treatment budget for 2003–04 is £236 million. The pooled treatment budget is matched by an estimated additional £200 million of local monies from primary care trusts and local authority mainstream funds.
The drug pooled treatment budget allocation for 2004–05 will be £253 million and for 2005–06 will be £299 million. These funds will continue to be matched by mainstream funds from primary care trusts and local authorities.
Lord Adebowale asked Her Majesty's Government:
(a) What funding allocation for drug treatment and testing orders in England and Wales has been made available for each year since the scheme was introduced; and (b) what is the expected funding for the years 2004–05 and 2005–06. [HL2656]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The funding allocation for drug treatment and testing orders in previous years is:
| £ million | |
| 2000–01 | 18.0 |
| 2001–02 | 36.0 |
| 2002–03 | 36.0 |
| 2003–04 | 54.0 |
The funding in 2004–05 is £72 million. No decisions have yet been taken regarding the level of funding for 2005–06.
17 May 2004 : Column WA65
Lord Adebowale asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are, in respect of each drug action team, for the years 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05:
(a) the amount of funding allocated for drug treatment as part of the drug action team pooled treatment budget; and
(b) the amount of funding allocated for drug treatment and testing orders as part of the drug action team pooled treatment budget. [HL2723]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The drug pooled treatment budget allocation is as follows:
The allocation for each drug action team (DAT) can be found on the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse website (www.nta.nhs.uk).
Part of the drug treatment and testing order (DTTO) budget is transferred into the pooled treatment budget to contribute towards the costs of delivering all treatment under DTTOs. The funds agreed for transfer are:
At local level DATs are not given a specified DTTO figure within their pooled treatment budgets.
Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002: Section 55
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many asylum seekers have been denied support under Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002; of these, how many remained in the United Kingdom; and where those who have remained in the United Kingdom have found accommodation. [HL2727]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 came into force on 8 January 2003, restricting the availability of NASS support to those asylum seekers who make asylum application as soon as reasonably practicable.
Figures in respect of asylum seekers refused support under Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 in 2003 for each quarter are:
| Number of cases refused support under Section 55 of the NIA Act 2002 | |
| Quarter 1 2003 | 2,850 |
| Quarter 2 2003 | 1,830 |
| Quarter 3 2003 | 2,810 |
| Quarter 4 2003 | 1,925 |
Figures are rounded to the nearest five.
Data on those that remained in the UK, having been refused support under Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, and where those who remained found accommodation, are not available.
Information on the number of asylum seekers supported by NASS is published quarterly. The next publication covering the first quarter of 2004 (January to March) will be available on 25 May on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there is a link between Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and the recent reduction in asylum applications; and, if so, what evidence there is for such a link. [HL2728]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Section 55 is part of a wider package of measures contained in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 aimed at tackling asylum abuse and creating a more streamlined and cohesive asylum system. It is the package as a whole that delivered the reduction in intake and it is not, therefore, possible to identify the specific contribution made by Section 55.
Asylum Applications
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many asylum applications made before 1 January 2000 have yet to receive a substantive reply. [HL2599]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The requested information is unavailable and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records. The total number of cases awaiting an initial decision fell to 24,500 by the end of December 2003, the lowest level for more than a decade and continuing to fall.
Information on the number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. The next publication will be available from 25 May 2004 and will cover the first quarter of 2004 (January to March).
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