House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 20 Nov 2002 (pt 5)

Urban Deprived Areas Fund

Mr. Challen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much of the Post Office fund for urban deprived areas has been spent; and on what. [80486]

Mrs. Roche: None. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is seeking to launch the scheme in the near future, with receipt of first applications from 31 January 2003.

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Water Charges (Private Landlords)

Lynne Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to make private landlords responsible for the payment of water charges on shorthold tenancies. [81047]

Mr. Morley: I have been asked to reply.

There are no plans to legislate to change the responsibilities of landlords and tenants for water charges.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Europe Convention

Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library a copy of the deposition which he presented to the Secretariat of the convention in his capacity as Her Majesty's Government's representative on the Convention on the Future of Europe. [80406]

Mr. MacShane: A copy of Professor Dashwood's draft treaty, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales presented to the Future of Europe Convention, has been placed in the Library. It is also available on the Convention Website (http://european-convention.eu.int).

Departmental Language Training

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of language training courses for employees of the Foreign Office in the last financial year. [81497]

Mr. Rammell: The cost of language training courses for employees of the Foreign Office was #2,147,493.

This includes all the costs for language tuition required for employees' jobs as well as future career development.

Detained British Citizens

Mr. Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what representations the UK Government has made on British citizens held by the United States at the Guantanamo Base in Cuba; [81668]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has discussed the specific issue of the British detainees held by the United States on several occasions with the US Secretary of State, most recently on October 15.

We remain in regular contact with the US about the situation of the British detainees. In addition we have also encouraged them more generally to move forward with the process of determining the future of all the detainees.

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European Arrest Warrant

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with other EU Foreign Ministers concerning the European arrest warrant. [81496]

Mr. MacShane: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has had no formal meetings with other EU Foreign Ministers concerning the European arrest warrant, although the matter may have arisen informally. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Office has responsibility for this matter.

Hungary

Mr. Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Hungary concerning Law LXXIV, 2001 (PA IS3); what assessment he has made of the compatibility of this law with (a) European Union membership; and (b) Council of Europe membership; what representations he has made to other European Union member states and the European Commission concerning the acceptability of Hungary as a member state; what representations he has made to the Council of Europe concerning the acceptability of Hungary as a member of the Council; and if he will make a statement. [80494]

Mr. MacShane: We have made no representations to the Government of Hungary or any other government or international body concerning Law LXXIV, 2001 (PA 153), Xamendments of certain legislation regulating financial affairs", amending law CXXIV of 1997. We do not connect it to membership of the EU or the Council of Europe.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Illegal Immigrants

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on illegal immigrants and the exploitation of migrant workers in Northern Ireland. [80820]

Beverley Hughes: It is an offence to facilitate the entry of an illegal entrant; or to harbour one and to employ one who does not have permission to work. The Police Service for Northern Ireland (PSNI) is primarily responsible for dealing with such offences. There has been one conviction for facilitation in the past 18 months. United Kingdom Immigration Service works closely with PSNI and also with the Irish immigration authorities to gather evidence, and where appropriate, prosecutions will be brought.

I am aware of a recent BBC documentary highlighting cases of illegal workers in Northern Ireland and of the method by which they are brought to the province. The issues raised in that programme are not unique to Northern Ireland. Where reliable information exists indicating immigration offenders are at a particular address, United Kingdom Immigration Service staff in Northern Ireland take action against illegal workers there, as they do elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

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During the past 12 months 68 illegal workers have been removed from Northern Ireland. Further enforcement visits to identify other illegal workers are planned.

Child Asylum Seekers

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children have (a) been refused and (b) been granted asylum in the last 12 months; and what definition of child is used for this purpose. [80532]

Beverley Hughes: Data are only available for unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC), defined as principal applicants who are, or appear to be, under 18, claiming asylum in their own right and without a guardian or relative in the United Kingdom.

In the first six months of 2002, 3,070 initial decisions were made on applications lodged by UASCs aged under 18 at the time of initial decision. Of these decisions, 470 cases were refused asylum and exceptional leave to remain, 295 were granted asylum and 2,310 were granted exceptional leave to remain.

Comparable data for the six months prior to this are unavailable and would be produced only at disproportionate cost by examining individual case records.

Reliable information on initial decisions made on applications from accompanied children is not readily available and could be obtained only by examination of individual case records and is therefore available only at a disproportionate cost.

Information on unaccompanied minors is published annually in the statistical bulletin XAsylum Statistics United Kingdom", a copy of which is available in the Library and from the RDS website http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1 .html.

EU Migrant Statistics

Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish figures showing the (a) population density and (b) inflow of migrants in the most recent available year in each country of the EU. [80707]

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.

The information requested is the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from L. Cook to Mr. Peter Lilley, dated 20 November 2002:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question concerning the population density and the number of migrants for each country in the European Union. (80707)

The attached table, provided by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Commission, shows the population density and the number of immigrants in each country in the European Union.

The immigration figures shown in the table are provided by the member states and are based on national definitions. Differences in the definition of migrants by different countries can be very great. These differences mean that it is hard and occasionally misleading to draw conclusions about the comparative scale of migration in the countries concerned.

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Table 1: Population density and number of immigrants, European Union countries

Country Population density⁽⁵⁾(Persons per sq. km) Number of immigrants⁽⁶⁾ (Thousands)

Austria 97.1 81.7

Belgium 337.7 ⁽⁷⁾68.5

Denmark 124.6 52.9

Federal Republic of Germany 230.9 841.2

Finland 17.1 16.9

France ⁽⁹⁾109.1 ⁽⁷⁾57.8

Greece 80.5 ⁽⁸⁾12.6

Ireland 55.3 46.2

Italy 192.5 ⁽⁷⁾185.1

Luxembourg 172.6 11.8

Netherlands ⁽⁹⁾475.2 132.9

Portugal ⁽⁹⁾112.5 ⁽⁹⁾18.4

Spain 80.1 362.5

Sweden 21.7 58.7

United Kingdom 246.6 364.4

Country	Population density⁽⁵⁾(Persons per sq. km)	Number of immigrants⁽⁶⁾ (Thousands)
Austria	97.1	81.7
Belgium	337.7	⁽⁷⁾68.5
Denmark	124.6	52.9
Federal Republic of Germany	230.9	841.2
Finland	17.1	16.9
France	⁽⁹⁾109.1	⁽⁷⁾57.8
Greece	80.5	⁽⁸⁾12.6
Ireland	55.3	46.2
Italy	192.5	⁽⁷⁾185.1
Luxembourg	172.6	11.8
Netherlands	⁽⁹⁾475.2	132.9
Portugal	⁽⁹⁾112.5	⁽⁹⁾18.4
Spain	80.1	362.5
Sweden	21.7	58.7
United Kingdom	246.6	364.4

⁽⁵⁾The population density figures are as of 1st January 2002

⁽⁶⁾The number of immigrants are for the year 2000 unless otherwise shown

⁽⁷⁾The figures are for the year 1999

⁽⁸⁾The figures are for the year 1998

⁽⁹⁾Figures are provisional

Note:

The definitions and data sources used to record immigration vary greatly across the

countries of the European Union

Source:

Eurostat

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