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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 30 July 1998
NORTHERN IRELAND
Resettlement Grants
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have been awarded resettlement grants each year since 1972 to relocate to avoid the troubles in Northern Ireland; what was the average resettlement grant; what criteria govern eligibility for such a grant; and if she will make a statement. [52770]
Mr. Paul Murphy: This is a matter for the Northern Ireland Housing Executive whose Chief Executive has advised me that the information requested is as follows (for the purposes of the question Resettlement Grant has been interpreted as reference to Emergency Grant):
| Year | Number of people | Fixed amount of grant £ |
|---|---|---|
| 1995-96(1) | 59 | 175 |
| 1996-97 | 200 | 180 |
| 1997-98 | 180 | 184 |
| April-June 1998 | 35 | 189 |
(1) The information from 1972 would be available only at disproportionate cost
Criteria
Emergency Grant is payable to public and private sector tenants who are awarded A1 status (Intimidation) under the Housing Executive's Housing Selection Scheme as a result of civil disturbance, bomb damage, sectarian intimidation and subsequently permanently rehoused in the public or private sector.
Mr. Hunter:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has to meet members of the families of Guardsmen Fisher and Wright or their representatives; what requests she has received on this matter; and what was her response. [53598]
Mr. Ingram:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no plans to meet with members of the families of Guardsmen Fisher and Wright. She met my hon. Friend the Member for Carrick, Cummock and Doon Valley (Mr. Foulkes), Constituency MP for the Fisher family, on Tuesday 10 March 1998. She also met my hon. Friend the Member for Cinlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on Thursday 22 January 1998. The purpose of these meetings was not to discuss the detail of the cases but rather to explain the Northern Ireland life sentence review process and how it applied to the Guardsmen's cases.
Mr. Hunter:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on what occasions (a) she and (b) her officials
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have met members of the family of the late Mr. Peter McBride or their representatives; and on what occasions (i) the case of Guardsmen Fisher and Wright and (ii) the death of Mr. Peter McBride were discussed. [53597]
Mr. Ingram:
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met representatives of the McBride family on Wednesday 8 July 1998. The details of the life sentence review of these cases were not discussed.
Rev. Martin Smyth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance she plans to issue to the Benefits Agency on its forthcoming obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to produce generic benefits information and information on individual benefits in a range of formats which blind and partially sighted people can access. [54069]
Mr. McFall:
The Northern Ireland Disability Council and the Department of Health and Social Services will shortly be consulting on proposals for a revised Code of Practice and supporting regulations to take account of the next phase of implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The Code of Practice will give practical guidance to service providers on how to prevent discrimination against disabled people in accessing the goods, facilities or services they provide.
Rev. Martin Smyth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment she has made of the difficulties which blind and partially sighted people experience in obtaining access to information on benefits. [54068]
Mr. McFall:
Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Social Security Agency under its Chief Executive, Mr. Chris Thompson. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Chris Thompson to Rev. Martin Smyth, dated 29 July 1998:
Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what effect the recent events at Drumcree had on the availability of theatres at the Ulster Hospital for emergency casualties; and if she will make a statement. [54071]
Mr. McFall:
The Ulster Hospital has six theatres, all of which could be utilised in an emergency situation. On Saturday, 11 July and Monday, 13 July two emergency theatres were utilised, while on Sunday, 12 July and Tuesday, 14 July one theatre was used.
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Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for North-East Derbyshire (Mr. Barnes) of
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14 July 1998, Official Report, columns 103-04, on driving offences, if he will provide similar figures in respect of motorists in Gloucestershire for the most recent five years for which figures are available. [52286]
Mr. Michael:
Figures for the years 1993-96 are as follows. The data for 1992 have been archived and are not readily available. Figures for 1997 are not yet available.
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I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about what assessment has been made of the difficulties which blind and partially sighted people experience in obtaining access to information on benefits.
The Social Security Agency has not yet carried out any formal assessment of the needs of blind and partially sighted people. However, as you are aware the Benefits Agency are looking into the needs of these customers as part of the research for "Project Access". The findings of this project will be considered by the Social Security Agency.
However, I am giving further consideration to the issue in Northern Ireland and I will write to you again shortly.
| Gloucestershire Police | England and Wales | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proceedings | Findings of guilt | Proceedings | Findings of guilt | |
| 1993 | ||||
| Dangerous driving | 134 | 84 | 11,373 | 6,185 |
| Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs | 680 | 577 | 105,158 | 91,198 |
| Speed limit offences | 2,011 | 1,912 | 110,571 | 100,157 |
| Failing to comply with traffic signals | 145 | 113 | 35,306 | 30,061 |
| Other offences of neglect of traffic directions(2) | 452 | 379 | 12,788 | 9,062 |
| Neglect of pedestrian rights(3) | 63 | 53 | 18,500 | 8,466 |
| 1994 | ||||
| Dangerous driving | 151 | 94 | 11,097 | 6,194 |
| Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs | 975 | 834 | 104,690 | 89,700 |
| Speed limit offences | 2,082 | 2,005 | 114,338 | 105,063 |
| Failing to comply with traffic signals | 610 | 563 | 29,152 | 24,266 |
| Other offences of neglect of traffic directions(2) | 236 | 179 | 12,306 | 8,770 |
| Neglect of pedestrian rights(3) | 91 | 84 | 9,209 | 7,439 |
| 1995 | ||||
| Dangerous driving | 128 | 88 | 10,906 | 6,408 |
| Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs | 1,197 | 1,069 | 105,407 | 92,505 |
| Speed limit offences | 2,730 | 2,627 | 128,409 | 118,974 |
| Failing to comply with traffic signals | 1,433 | 1,346 | 29,695 | 24,480 |
| Other offences of neglect of traffic directions(2) | 82 | 53 | 10,706 | 7,596 |
| Neglect of pedestrian rights(3) | 93 | 83 | 8,643 | 6,898 |
| 1996 | ||||
| Dangerous driving | 119 | 63 | 10,017 | 5,750 |
| Driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs | 1,068 | 979 | 107,931 | 95,705 |
| Speed limit offences | 3,734 | 3,586 | 139,565 | 130,039 |
| Failing to comply with traffic signals | 2,265 | 2,141 | 30,220 | 25,307 |
| Other offences of neglect of traffic directions(2) | 67 | 42 | 9,320 | 6,672 |
| Neglect of pedestrian rights(3) | 44 | 37 | 8,132 | 6,487 |
(2) Includes failure to comply with the directions of a police constable as well as failure to comply with traffic signs
(3) Includes driving in a playstreet and other contraventions of street playground orders as well as offences connected with 'Zebra' crossings. 'Pelican' crossings and traffic lights at pedestrian crossings.
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Asylum Seekers
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the right hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) of 20 July 1998, Official Report, column 380, on asylum seekers, if he will list the more efficient working practices referred to in the answer; and if the plans for computerisation of casework are those plans in respect of which the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. O'Brien), undertook to write to the hon. Member for Hertsmere in his answer of 7 May, Official Report, column 452. [52222]
Mr. Mike O'Brien
[holding answer 27 July 1998]: We have in hand organisational changes in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, which will result in a new Integrated Casework Directorate. This will handle the casework currently dealt with in five separate Directorates. We will get rid of the present hierarchical system of decision-making, in which wasteful duplication often causes delay.
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We will devolve decision-making to the appropriate level, in teams which will deal with a case from start to finish. The teams will be fully supported by up-to-date information and we will have in place quality assurance mechanisms to audit decisions. We are well on the way to establishing this new Directorate. A pilot of the working methods will start in August.
The computerisation plans referred to in my answer to the right hon. Member for Caernarfon of 20 July are the same plans about which I undertook to write to the hon. Member for Hertsmere in my answer of 7 May. We still await proposals from Siemens Business Services for completing the next stage of the computerisation; the company has indicated that these will be available by 28 August.
Mr. Gale:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide central Government funding to local authorities for the (a) social services, (b) health and (c) education costs incurred by asylum seekers. [53725]
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Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Under the proposals set out in the White Paper published by my right hon. Friend on 27 July, from April 1999 the Home Office will have a budget for the cost of providing food, shelter and daily living expenses for asylum seekers. Detailed arrangements for the management of this budget have not yet been made. No changes are proposed in the funding of health care, education or other facilities used by asylum seekers.
Mr. Gale:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statutory authority determines the United Kingdom's ability to return asylum seekers who have travelled to the United Kingdom through safe third countries directly to their country of origin. [53724]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
The Secretary of State may decide to consider the asylum application of any person who claims asylum in the United Kingdom, notwithstanding the fact that they may have previously travelled through one or more safe third countries, and, if he refuses the claim, he may seek to return the person to their country of origin under the provisions of the Immigration Act 1971 (and in particular paragraphs 8-10 of schedule 2 to that Act). Once the person has been notified of the Secretary of State's decision, they may not, under Schedule 3 to the 1993 Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act and Part II of Schedule 2 to the 1971 Act, be returned whilst any appeal they may have made against the decision to grant or vary leave to enter or remain is pending.
In practice, the Dublin Convention affects our ability to return people to third countries.
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Mr. Gale:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his oral statement of 27 July 1998, Official Report, columns 35-53, what external legal advice he has sought on the applicability of the provisions of the Dublin Convention as they relate to those of the Geneva Convention concerning asylum seekers. [53723]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has received external legal advice on various matters which have arisen during the course of legal challenges to decisions to transfer asylum seekers to other member states under the Dublin Convention. The Dublin Convention is primarily concerned with the issue of which European Union (EU) member state is to consider an asylum application made within the EU; it does not deal with the merits of that claim, which are the concern of the 1951 Geneva Convention.
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passengers arriving at Heathrow Airport in each month since 1 May 1997 have sought asylum upon arrival; what was their country of origin; and how many of them remain in the United Kingdom. [53826]
Mr. Mike O'Brien:
Information relating to persons who applied for asylum on arrival at Heathrow airport between 1 May 1997 and 31 May 1998, by nationality and month, is given in the table.
The available information is that, as at 30 June 1998, some 740 of those asylum seekers had been granted leave to enter as recognised refugees or on other grounds and a further 800 had been removed or departed voluntarily.
In addition, a number of the applicants will be awaiting a decision on their claim or the outcome of an appeal.
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(4) Includes all other nationalities not identified in the table
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