Previous Section Back to Table of Contents Lords Hansard Home Page

Lord West of Spithead: In total, 3,829 persons were refused entry at the UK border on grounds relating to the public good. This figure cannot be broken down into a) national security and b) threat to public harmony, as specific reasons on refusals relating to the public good are only recorded under the categories “Exclusion

20 Apr 2009 : Column WA349

Conducive to the Public Good” or “(EEA) Regulations 2006”. The annual breakdown for these types of refusal in the last five years is as follows:

YearNumber of refusals

2004

977

2005

645

2006

626

2007

828

2008

753

Total

3829

Immigration: France

Question

Asked by Baroness Hanham

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): By its very nature it is impossible to quantify accurately the number of illegal immigrants.

Internet: Social Networking Sites

Question

Asked by Baroness Neville-Jones

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The Government do not monitor social networking sites.

Iran

Question

Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): Responsibility for the security and administration of Camp Ashraf was transferred on 1 January 2009 from the US to the Iraqi authorities. Prior to this handover the US received assurances from the Iraqi authorities towards their clear commitment to the humane treatment and continued well-being of the camp residents. The US retains a presence at the camp in an advisory/monitoring capacity.



20 Apr 2009 : Column WA350

The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights visits the camp and has delivered assurances to a representative body of the residents. The International Committee of the Red Cross follows developments at the camp closely and continues to visit. It also discusses on a confidential basis all of the issues surrounding the camp with the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) and the Iraqi and US authorities.

The UN High Commission for Refugees has previously determined that Camp Ashraf residents do not qualify as refugees. While there is no evidence to suggest that the Government of Iraq intend forcibly to relocate the residents, our embassy in Baghdad has requested a call on the Ministry of Human Rights to make known the level of interest in this issue in the UK and to remind the Iraqi Government of their earlier assurances. Our embassy in Baghdad is also pursuing the possibility of a visit to the camp by a consular official.

Israel

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): We have made very clear our concerns about Israeli restrictions on Gaza, both last year and now; and about restrictions on movement and access in the West Bank.

We judge that the way to resolve these issues is through political engagement, such as that led by the quartet envoy the right honourable Tony Blair, and through real progress towards a negotiated solution.

We also support the International Committee of the Red Cross in its international mandate to promote respect for international humanitarian law by states. It monitors the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and where necessary takes up concerns confidentially with Israel in order to seek improvements.

Knighthoods

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): Knighthoods conferred by the UK honours system on non-UK citizens who are citizens of HM The Queen's Realms are published in the London Gazette which is available online at: www.gazettes-online.co.uk



20 Apr 2009 : Column WA351

Honorary knighthoods conferred by the UK honours system on other non-UK citizens are not published in the London Gazette, but have been published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website since 2007 which is available online at: www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-the-fco/what-we-do/honours

The total number of honorary knighthoods awarded in the Order of the Bath, Order of St Michael and St George, and Order of the British Empire in each of the past 10 years is as follows:

1998

17

1999

14

2000

38

2001

13

2002

10

2003

12

2004

19

2005

11

2006

14

2007

6

2008

7

Honorary knighthoods in the Royal Victorian Order have not been included as they are the personal gift of HM The Queen, and are not administered by the FCO.

Licensing Act

Question

Asked by Lord Clement-Jones

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting (Lord Carter of Barnes): The Department for Culture, Media and Sport continues to consider how best to encourage live music, including the possibility of workable exemptions from the Licensing Act 2003. This is a difficult issue to resolve as any exemption would need to maintain necessary public protections in accordance with the licensing objectives. We will consult on any proposed exemption before implementation.

Ministry of Justice: IT Contracts

Question

Asked by Lord Patten



20 Apr 2009 : Column WA352

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The Ministry of Justice was established in May 2007 and has not entered into any information and communication technology (ICT) contracts over a value of £50 million. Before May 2007, the ICT responsibilities of the future Ministry of Justice were spread among the former Department for Constitutional Affairs, parts of the Home Office and the Office for Criminal Justice Reform. The following contracts, with values greater than £50 million, were entered into by those predecessor departments and are still extant:

DISC with suppliers Logica Ltd and ATOS Origin Ltd.ARAMIS with Liberata Ltd.Quantum with Electronic Data Systems UK.LIBRA with Fujitsu and Accenture UK Ltd.OMNI with Steria Ltd.CJS Exchange with IBM and Steria Ltd.

These are current, expandable development contracts whose value is dependent on use. Budgets and timescales are negotiated for each project as they are contracted, and managed to completion.

The information required to provide an answer on contracts which are no longer running in the Ministry of Justice's predecessor departments is not held centrally.

Money: Northern Bank Notes

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): The existing regulatory regime for Northern Ireland banknotes requires note issuing banks to inform HM Revenue and Customs of the level of backing assets being held to reflect the level of notes in circulation. They are not required to provide a specific breakdown of notes that have been recalled.

National DNA Database

Questions

Asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer



20 Apr 2009 : Column WA353

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The Government introduced an amendment at Commons Committee stage to the Policing and Crime Bill to provide for regulations on the retention, use and governance of DNA to be laid before Parliament shortly. The content of the regulations will be informed by a public consultation exercise before the summer on proposals to implement the judgment.

Asked by Lord Hanningfield

Lord West of Spithead: The table shows the number of subject profiles held on the national DNA database (NDNAD) by forces in England and Wales as at 31 March 2009. The forces have been grouped by Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) region and a total figure has been given for each region.

Information on the NDNAD is recorded and held on the basis of the police force which took the DNA sample. As address details are not recorded on the NDNAD, it is not possible to say how many people resident in any one area have profiles on the NDNAD. Profiles held by any one police force will include people who have been sampled by that force but are not resident within the force area, and will exclude people who are resident in that force area but have had their sample taken by another force.

The number of subject profiles held on the NDNAD is not the same as the number of individuals with a profile on the database. As it is possible for a profile to be loaded onto the NDNAD on more than one occasion, some profiles held on the NDNAD are a replicata. This can occur, for example, if the person provided different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests, or because profiles are upgraded. The replication rate for the NDNAD as a whole is currently estimated at 13.5 per cent although the rate may vary between police forces.



20 Apr 2009 : Column WA354

ACPO RegionForceNumber of subject profiles held

East Midlands

Derbyshire

95,485

Nottinghamshire

108,464

Lincolnshire

53,827

Leicestershire

72,893

Northamptonshire

49,028

East Midlands

379,697

Eastern

Cambridgeshire

59,370

Norfolk

70,768

Suffolk

52,275

Bedfordshire

50,756

Hertfordshire

82,157

Essex

140,103

Eastern

455,429

London

Metropolitan Police

898,192

City Of London Police

24,631

London

922,823

North East

Northumbria

183,640

Durham

57,141

North Yorkshire

62,360

West Yorkshire

235,519

South Yorkshire

129,833

Humberside

89,848

Cleveland

57,073

North East

815,414

North West

Cumbria

50,776

Lancashire

156,202

Merseyside

152,013

Greater Manchester Police

270,037

Cheshire

87,873

North West

716,901

South East

Thames Valley

166,911

Hampshire

160,630

Surrey

66,406

Kent

155,698

Sussex

123,078

South East

672,723

South Western

Devon and Cornwall

120,762

Avon and Somerset

114,196

Gloucestershire

49,240

Wiltshire

54,341

Dorset

54,954

South Western

393,493

Wales

North Wales

64,719

Gwent

56,461

South Wales Constabulary

127,784

Dyfed-Powys

53,377

Wales

302,341

West Midlands

West Midlands

320,688

Staffordshire

109,442

West Mercia

84,234

Warwickshire Police

35,803

West Midlands

550,167


Next Section Back to Table of Contents Lords Hansard Home Page