PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES - United Kingdom Parliament

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1015W Written Answers 26 MARCH 2013 Written Answers 1016W HOME DEPARTMENT Asylum Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to increase the ring-fenced allocation for asylum cases on the Fast Track process on the immigration detention estate; and what estimates she has made of the size of the ring-fenced allocation for asylum cases on the Fast Track process on the immigration detention estate by 1 December 2013. [148665] Mr Harper [holding answer 20 March 2013]: Entry to the detained fast track procedure is determined by reference to published policy available on the UK Border Agency website at: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/ policyandlaw/asylumprocessguidance/detention/guidance/ detained_fast_processes The Detained Fast Track process deals with applications for asylum that appear, after screening, to be ones where a quick decision can be made. The system operates flexibly and in cases where it becomes apparent that an application is more complicated and cannot be determined within the Detained Fast Track time-scale, the case is taken out of the process and the claimant normally released from detention. The Government believes that the process provides claimants with the necessary time and opportunity to enable their applications to be justly decided and heard. The Agency will continue to seek to process as many cases that fall within the criteria through this process. Numbers of eligible cases and therefore detention requirements are difficult to predict given that entry levels rely on intake. Asylum: Females Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effect of dispersal on the health of (a) pregnant women seeking asylum and (b) new mothers seeking asylum; and if she will make a statement. [149497] Mr Harper: Asylum seekers who are homeless are placed in an initial accommodation centre, where there are medical teams on site. An assessment is then made of their longer term accommodation needs. Any decision to disperse the person to accommodation in another part of the country takes account of the outcome of the medical examination carried out in the centre. There has been no specific assessment of the effect of dispersal on the health of pregnant women seeking asylum, but the dispersal policy is kept under regular review and changes made from time to time in light of the views of health professionals and other interested parties. The policy was most recently revised in August 2012 following an extensive consultation exercise. All asylum seekers have full access to the United Kingdom’s health care system. Birmingham Airport: Immigration Controls Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the UK Border Force target for queuing times for (a) EEA and (b) non-EEA passengers at Birmingham Airport were breached in (i) October 2012, (ii) November 2012, (iii) December 2012 and (iv) January 2013. [146412] Mr Harper [holding answer 5 March 2013]: During October, November and December 2012 and in January 2013, queues exceeding service standards occurred on the following number of occasions: Date Birmingham airport Number of queues exceeding service standards Number of queue measurements taken EEA Non EEA EEA Non EEA October 2012 3 0 583 485 November 2012 1 1 596 559 December 2012 0 0 584 567 January 2013 0 0 638 630 Please note that figures quoted are management information only which have been subject to internal quality checks and may be subject to change. I also refer you to the published statistics on the clearance of passengers, at the national level: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/ aboutus/clearance-of-passengers/ Crime Prevention: Rural Areas Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce rural crime; and if she will make a statement. [149845] Mr Jeremy Browne: The Government recognises that rural communities are vulnerable to certain crimes. The election of police and crime commissioners has given rural communities a stronger voice in determining local policing priorities. We are also giving the public more street-level information about crime on a monthly basis so they have the information they need to hold local forces to account. Entry Clearances: Overseas Students Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the announcement of 12 December 2012 that from April 2013, PhD students who have completed their studies will be allowed to stay in Britain for 12 months after they have completed their PhD before having to find a job or start a business, what procedures will be required to extend a visa; whether those extending a visa in this way will have to apply for a new visa; whether biometric information or a passport will need to be submitted as part of such an application; what fees applicants will need to pay; and what timeframe will be required for such an application. [146650] Mr Harper [holding answer 7 March 2013]: On 14 March 2013 I laid a written ministerial statement in Parliament outlining a number of changes to the immigration rules. These will come into effect on 6 April and include changes to tier 4 to allow completing PhD students to stay in the UK for one year beyond the end of their course to find skilled work or to set up as an entrepreneur. Full details are available in the Statement of Changes to Immigration Rules (HC1039), a copy of which has been places in the Library of the House.
1017W Written Answers 26 MARCH 2013 Written Answers 1018W The Home Office and the UK Border Agency have worked with the higher education sector to produce guidance on how the policy will be implemented. Amendments to the Tier 4 guidance will be published on the UK Border Agency website on 6 April 2013. Gatwick Airport: Immigration Controls Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the UK Border Force’s target for queuing times for (a) EEA and (b) non-EEA passengers at London Gatwick airport was breached in (i) October 2012, (ii) November 2012, (iii) December 2012 and (iv) January 2013. [146170] Mr Harper [holding answer 4 March 2013]: During October, November and December 2012 and in January 2013, queues exceeding service standards occurred on the following number of occasions: Gatwick—North terminal Number of queues exceeding service standards Number of queue measurements taken EEA Non EEA EEA Non EEA October 2012 0 3 1,011 1,010 November 2012 0 0 2,878 2,877 December 2012 5 7 2,853 2,854 January 2013 3 9 2,975 2,975 Gatwick—South terminal Number of queues exceeding service Number of queue measurements taken standards EEA Non EEA EEA Non EEA October 2012 1 0 998 998 November 2012 1 1 2,880 2,873 December 2012 11 26 2,854 2,852 January 2013 2 6 2,976 2,973 Note: The figures quoted are management information only which have been subject to internal quality checks and may be subject to change. I also refer the hon. Member to the published statistics on the clearance of passengers, at a national level: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/ aboutus/clearance-of-passengers/ Government Procurement Card Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the mean average spend using a Government Procurement Card was per member of staff in (a) the UK Border Agency and (b) UK Border Force in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012. [144996] Mr Harper [holding answer 27 February 2013]: The information requested on Government Procurement Card spend for (a) the UK Border Agency and (b) Border Force in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012 can be found as follows: 2011 GPC Spend per member of staff £ 2012 GPC Spend per member of staff UK Border 168 120 Agency Border Force 298 205 Human Trafficking Mr Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will appoint an anti-slavery commissioner. [149517] Mr Harper [holding answer 22 March 2013]: The Government has no plans to create such a role. The Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group co-ordinates the cross-Government work on tackling human trafficking. The Government will keep the role of the group under review. Immigrants: Detainees Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost has been of transferring detainees from Northern Ireland to immigration removal centres in England and Scotland in each of the last five years. [148778] Mr Harper: The escorting contract prior to May 2011 has a fixed price and it is therefore not possible to disaggregate the costs of removing detainees from Northern Ireland to immigration removal centres in England and Scotland. Since May 2011, the costs are subject to commercial confidentiality restrictions since disclosure of this information would release price sensitive information. Under the Government’s transparency agenda, we are committed to publishing details of any new tenders for contracts and new contracts over £10,000 and publishing new items of spend over £25,000. As such the UK Border Agency publishes monthly all payments to all of its suppliers at the following link: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/about-us/non-personal-data/ transparency/ Immigration Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential inward migration to the UK of non-EU nationals who have obtained EU passports over the next five years. [149466] Mr Harper [holding answer 22 March 2013]: The Home Office has not made such an assessment. UK population projections, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS): http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171778_235886.pdf assume net migration up to 2035. However, it is not possible to identify separately how much of the migration may be due to non-EU nationals who have acquired citizenship of an EU member state. Immigration Officers: Olympic Games 2012 Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse was of re-employing retired UK Border Agency and UK Border Force officers to work during the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics. [145587] Mr Harper [holding answer 1 March 2013]: The total cost to the public purse of re-employing retired Border Force and UK Border Agency staff to work
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