Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people attempting to enter the UK without valid papers were detained at UK border controls at Calais and returned to the French authorities in the last 12-month period for which figures are available.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Border Force operates UK immigration controls at the juxtaposed ports in northern France and also operates a multi-layered freight search regime to detect clandestine illegal entry attempts.
The figures for passenger refusals at the juxtaposed controls in northern France are 3,695 in FY 2014/15.
Additionally 39,545 attempts at clandestine illegal entry were successfully intercepted by the UK and French authorities at the juxtaposed controls in northern France in FY 2014/15.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers were removed from the UK under the Dublin Convention in (a) 2005, (b) 2010 and (c) 2014.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Our records indicate that in 2010 1,150 people were removed from the UK with reference to the Dublin Regulation, which replaced the Dublin Convention in 2003. This figure includes people who claimed asylum in the UK and those who did not, but had asylum claims in other States, as the Dublin Regulation applies in both cases. Our records indicate that in 2014 520 people were removed, and in 2005 1,890 people were removed. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, and are based on the latest management information and so are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
Removals from the UK under the Dublin Regulations have fallen since 2010 primarily because all Member States are unable to make transfers to Greece following the ruling on 21 January 2011 from the European Court of Human Rights in the case of MSS vs Belgium and Greece. The Court found that Greece had violated Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) that prohibits inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment both because of the poor living conditions for applicants and the failure by the Greek authorities to properly consider his asylum claim. This ruling prevents further transfers to Greece until the situation improves.
Since the Court ruling the UK has helped Greece significantly to improve its asylum system, both bilaterally and as part of interventions under the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). The UK has contributed more working days in asylum expert deployments under EASO support plans to countries such as Greece than any other Member State.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the revised commutation factors for the police pension scheme will be published.
Answered by Mike Penning
As the Scheme actuary, the Government Actuary will review the commutation factors to maintain the actuarial equivalence required under Regulation B7(7) of the Police Pensions Regulations 1987.
There is no set timeframe in which such reviews must be carried out. These reviews can be prompted by changes to one or more underlying factors (such as longevity), and can be affected by further changes while they are being carried out. The Government Actuary can, and does, carry out reviews as and when he judges necessary.
In light of the recent Pensions Ombudsman judgement relating to the case of a retired fire-fighter and the review of commutation factors between 2001 and 2006, the Government Actuary’s Department will be publishing revised factors for that period shortly.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of foreign national arrests under Operation Nexus were made up of each of the top three nationalities involved in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by James Brokenshire
Following arrest on criminal offence grounds, checks are carried out by Immigration Officers from Operation Nexus to establish nationality and possible immigration interest . Therefore no individuals are arrested solely under Operation Nexus.
Operation Nexus officers will work with Police to carry out nationality and status checks, and to establish immigration history. Where appropriate and in parallel immigration interventions are applied. This may include detention, further investigation, revocation of current leave or removal at the conclusion of criminal sentencing served.
The top 3 nationalities encountered and processed in this manner during 2014 by Operation Nexus Officers were:
1. India 16.8%
2. Pakistan 10.1%
3. Nigeria 9.4%
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it remains her policy that Part 2 of the Leveson Inquiry into the relationship of the police and the press will take place; and when she expects that part of the inquiry to begin.
Answered by Mike Penning
The Government has been clear that a decision on whether to undertake Part 2 of the Leveson Inquiry will not take place until after all criminal investigations and trials related to Part 1 are concluded. As these are still ongoing it would
be inappropriate to comment further.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the reasons are for the reduction in the number of asylum seekers returned under the Dublin Convention in each year since 2010.
Answered by James Brokenshire
The Dublin Regulations have allowed the UK to return over 12,000 asylum claimants to other EU countries since coming in to force in 2003. Litigation is a significant factor preventing or delaying transfers – in particular, the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights in 2011 that returns to Greece breached Article 3 of the Convention, halting returns there.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been returned for the UK to the last safe country they left under the Dublin II Regulation in each calendar year since May 2010.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The Dublin Regulation is helpful in ensuring that asylum seekers who
are the responsibility of another participating Member State can be transferred
from the UK to that member state.
The information requested is shown in the following table. To note, the data
provided is for the entirety of 2010, rather than from May 2010 onwards.
The figures quoted have been derived from management information and are
therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been
quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
People Transferred | 1,162 | 954 | 756 | 757 |
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate she has made of (a) the number of immigrants in the UK without legitimate immigration status and (b) the three most common countries from which such people originate.
Answered by Karen Bradley
Government estimates on the number of illegal migrants currently in the UK are
not available. Given the clandestine nature of illegal migrants, any
estimation is extremely difficult and there would be considerable uncertainty
around any estimates.
Asked by: Philip Hollobone (Conservative - Kettering)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal immigrants have been sent back from the UK to their country of origin in each calendar year since May 2010.
Answered by Karen Bradley
The table below provides the total number of persons removed or departed
voluntarily from the UK to their country of origin in each year since 2010. The
information provided is a subset of the total number of persons removed or
departed voluntarily from the UK as others may be removed or depart voluntarily
to a country that is different to their country of origin.
| Number of persons removals or voluntary departured from the UK to their country of origin, 2010 to 2013 (1)(2) | ||||||
| Year | Total enforced removals | Total non-asylum refused entry at port and subsequently departed | Total voluntary departures | |||
| Jan-Apr 2010 | 4,098 | 2,857 | 7,718 | |||
| May - Dec 2010 | 8,691 | 5,139 | 14,049 | |||
| Total 2010 | 12,789 | 7,996 | 21,767 | |||
| 2011 | 12,997 | 6,250 | 20,622 | |||
| 2012(P) | 13,096 | 5,760 | 22,272 | |||
| 2013(P) | 11,577 | 6,252 | 28,130 | |||
| (1) Destination as recorded on source database; all nationals returned to their country of origin. | ||||||
| (2) Removals are recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. | ||||||
| (P) Provisional figures. | ||||||
The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of
persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration
Statistics. The data on removals and voluntary departures are readily available
in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: January – March 2014, from the
GOV.UK website:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-stati
stics-quarterly-release.