Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the closure of the National Police Air Service base at Husbands Bosworth on flight times to (a) Corby, (b) Oundle, (c) Thrapston, (d) Raunds, (e) Irthlingborough, (f) Warmington and (g) Easton-on-the-Hill in Northamptonshire.
Answered by Mike Penning
The National Police Air Service (NPAS) is a police-led operational initiative,
with all strategic decisions, including agreeing the budget and operating
model, taken by the Strategic Board which comprises Police and Crime
Commissioners (PCCs) and Chief Constables. The Board agreed to convene a small
working group of PCCs to define a more equitable future funding model for all
force areas.
The Strategic Board agreed on 19 February a new optimised operating model that
will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service, and will mean
that every air base supports police forces 24 hours a day. NPAS modelling
indicates that Northamptonshire will remain within the 20 minute Priority 1
Service Level Agreement for NPAS. The new operating model will include an
enhanced fixed-wing aircraft capability within the NPAS fleet.
Home Office Ministers have been kept informed of the development of NPAS’s new
operating model, and officials attend the NPAS Strategic Board meetings in a
non-voting capacity.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what meetings Ministers in her Department have had with representatives of the National Police Air Service in the last 12 months.
Answered by Mike Penning
The National Police Air Service (NPAS) is a police-led operational initiative,
with all strategic decisions, including agreeing the budget and operating
model, taken by the Strategic Board which comprises Police and Crime
Commissioners (PCCs) and Chief Constables. The Board agreed to convene a small
working group of PCCs to define a more equitable future funding model for all
force areas.
The Strategic Board agreed on 19 February a new optimised operating model that
will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service, and will mean
that every air base supports police forces 24 hours a day. NPAS modelling
indicates that Northamptonshire will remain within the 20 minute Priority 1
Service Level Agreement for NPAS. The new operating model will include an
enhanced fixed-wing aircraft capability within the NPAS fleet.
Home Office Ministers have been kept informed of the development of NPAS’s new
operating model, and officials attend the NPAS Strategic Board meetings in a
non-voting capacity.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how recent reductions in the National Police Air Service budget will be distributed between police forces in (a) the East Midlands and (b) the Eastern region.
Answered by Mike Penning
The National Police Air Service (NPAS) is a police-led operational initiative,
with all strategic decisions, including agreeing the budget and operating
model, taken by the Strategic Board which comprises Police and Crime
Commissioners (PCCs) and Chief Constables. The Board agreed to convene a small
working group of PCCs to define a more equitable future funding model for all
force areas.
The Strategic Board agreed on 19 February a new optimised operating model that
will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service, and will mean
that every air base supports police forces 24 hours a day. NPAS modelling
indicates that Northamptonshire will remain within the 20 minute Priority 1
Service Level Agreement for NPAS. The new operating model will include an
enhanced fixed-wing aircraft capability within the NPAS fleet.
Home Office Ministers have been kept informed of the development of NPAS’s new
operating model, and officials attend the NPAS Strategic Board meetings in a
non-voting capacity.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing fixed wing aircraft to the National Police Air Service fleet.
Answered by Mike Penning
The National Police Air Service (NPAS) is a police-led operational initiative,
with all strategic decisions, including agreeing the budget and operating
model, taken by the Strategic Board which comprises Police and Crime
Commissioners (PCCs) and Chief Constables. The Board agreed to convene a small
working group of PCCs to define a more equitable future funding model for all
force areas.
The Strategic Board agreed on 19 February a new optimised operating model that
will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service, and will mean
that every air base supports police forces 24 hours a day. NPAS modelling
indicates that Northamptonshire will remain within the 20 minute Priority 1
Service Level Agreement for NPAS. The new operating model will include an
enhanced fixed-wing aircraft capability within the NPAS fleet.
Home Office Ministers have been kept informed of the development of NPAS’s new
operating model, and officials attend the NPAS Strategic Board meetings in a
non-voting capacity.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of detainees who have escaped from detention or from escort in each of the last four years have been returned to detention.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The proportion of detainees who have escaped from detention or from escort in each of the last four years who have been returned to detention is 37% (7) of 19 detainees. One detainee was not returned to detention but located overseas. Major changes to the estate since 2010 have included the closure of the lower security site at Oakington Reception Centre in November 2010 and increased capacity at the higher security centre at Harmondsworth in July 2010. The management information above has been reached by the examination of individual records. It does not form part of published statistics and is not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. It is provisional and subject to change.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times the Gold Suite has been opened at each Immigration Removal Centre in England and Wales in the last year; and what the nature was of each incident that caused it to be opened.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Home Office command suite structure for the management of serious
incidents is based on the model operated by the Prison Service. Silver Command
Suites are opened in the establishment where the incident occurred.
A Gold Command Suite is opened in Prison Service Headquarters for incidents
where the Home Office requests mutual assistance from the Prison Service and is
attended by a Home Office senior manager.
Any other serious incident, which does not require mutual assistance but
requires ongoing management, is dealt with by opening a Gold Command Suite at
Detention Operations headquarters.
The number of times Silver Suites have been opened in the past year in
immigration removal centres is detailed in the table below for January 2013
to March 2014 and is provided in line with the data periods for published statistics.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Immigration Removal Centre detainees have (a) escaped from detention, (b) escaped whilst being escorted and (c) attempted to escape each IRC in the last four years; and how many such people are still at large.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Escapes from immigration removal centres and while under escort are a subset of
published statistics. The following table shows absconds for the financial
years 2010/11-2013/14.
Information on attempted escapes is not held centrally and could only be
provided by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
Eleven of those individuals recorded as escaped 2010/11-2013/14 have not been
located.
The police are informed immediately when a detainee has escaped and the
individual's details are recorded on the Police National Computer should the
individual be apprehended at a later date.
People leaving detention by place of last detention, absconded 2010/11-2013/14 (financial year) (1)(2).
Year | Absconded |
2010/2011 | |
Absconded from centre | 5 |
Absconded from escorts | 3 |
Total | 8 |
2011/2012 | |
Absconded from centre | 3 |
Absconded from escorts | 3 |
Total | 6 |
2012/2013 | |
Absconded from centre | 4 |
Absconded from escorts | 1 |
Total | 5 |
2013/2014 | |
Absconded from centre | 0 |
Absconded from escorts | 0 |
Total | 0 |
(1) Data from 2011/12 onwards are provisional.
(2) Total detainees are those detained in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers and exclude those in police cells, Prison Service establishments, short term holding rooms at ports and airports (for less than 24 hours), and those recorded as detained under both criminal and immigration powers and their dependants.
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) Red incidents and (b) Amber incidents have occurred at each Immigration Removal Centre in each of the last four years.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Incidents in the detention estate are reported in accordance with Detention
Services Order (DSO) 12/2008. Incidents are classified according to their
seriousness as red, amber or green.
Examples of the types of red or amber incidents are given in the DSO. Red
incidents are generally those relating to serious disturbances and/or fires
within a centre. Amber incidents may be those involving threats to the centre,
external demonstrations, or co-ordinated food or fluid refusal.
This data has been collected by different business areas in the Home Office
over the data period requested and has not been collated centrally.
Management information is only available for the period 01 July 2013 - 9 March
2014 in the following table and is in line with the data period for published
statistics.
This data is management information collected and collated from Immigration
Removal Centre suppliers. This information does not form part of published
statistics and is not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National
Statistics publications. It is provisional and subject to change.
Table showing incidents in immigration removal centres for the period 01 July 2013 – 9 March 2014 by status.
IRC | Red Incidents | Amber Incidents | Total of Incidents |
Brook House | 2 | 59 | 61 |
Campsfield | 1 | 14 | 15 |
Colnbrook | 4 | 109 | 113 |
Dover | 1 | 39 | 40 |
Dungavel | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Harmondsworth | 0 | 145 | 145 |
Haslar | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Morton Hall | 6 | 29 | 35 |
Tinsley House | 0 | 17 | 17 |
Yarlswood | 1 | 109 | 110 |
Total | 15 | 528 | 541 |
Asked by: Andy Sawford (Labour (Co-op) - Corby)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times an escaped person has been categorised as a high harm person and the senior management team believe there is a high risk of reputational damage to the Home Office as set out in the Home Office Guidance on Escaped Detainees at immigration removal centres in the last four years.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Home Office does not routinely categorise immigration detainees against a
scale of harm. They are instead subject to individual risk assessment linked
to their suitability for placement in an immigration removal centre (IRC) which is
based on a number of different factors.
Where an escape or attempted escape from an IRC takes place, Criminal and
Financial Investigation (CFI) immigration specialist teams will assist in the
investigation where the individual is assessed to be a ‘high harm' person, or
where the senior management team believe there is a high risk of reputational
damage to the Home Office.
In the last four years the CFI team has conducted two investigations relating
to escapes of individuals from escort who were assessed to fit the
investigation criteria. There have not been any cases of escapes from an IRC
which have warranted the involvement of the CFI.
This data is management information and does not form part of published
statistics and is not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National
Statistics publications. It is provisional and subject to change.