§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has given to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees of the number of refugees from Kosovo who will be offered protection in the United Kingdom. [81998]
§ Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many refugees from the Kosovan conflict the Government have agreed to accept into the United Kingdom. [82226]
163W
§ Mr. StrawI refer to my hon. Friend and the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 26 April 1999,Official Report, columns 6–9, to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood (Mr. Wilkinson).
§ Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has made to his European Union counterparts to coordinate the emergency admission of refugees from the Kosovo conflict. [82225]
§ Kate HoeyAn emergency meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council was held on 7 April. The Council agreed that the first priority was to seek to protect refugees in the region. It was also agreed that the emergency relocation of refugees from the region should be co-ordinated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
§ Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provisions he has made to accept refugees from the conflict in former Yugoslavia to the United Kingdom. [82224]
§ Mr. StrawWe have always made it clear that the United Kingdom stands ready to receive some thousands of refugees from that region on criteria agreed with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) who gives priority to relieving pressure on the camps by giving priority to the most vulnerable and those with family links in the United Kingdom.
Under these arrangements, the first arrivals—161 refugees, mainly women and children—came to the United Kingdom on Sunday and are being looked after in Leeds. Reception centres are being staffed by the Refugee Council which is taking the lead in establishing a special reception service for Kosovan refugees arriving in the United Kingdom.
On arrival, the refugees were given a basic health check to determine if anyone needed immediate medical attention; none of the refugees needed immediate hospital treatment. At the reception centres, each refugee will be given a more thorough health check and be assigned a General Practitioner; children of school age will be assigned to a local school and refugees will be put in touch with any known relatives or friends.
People arriving under the UNHCR programme will be granted permission to enter in line with close family members already settled in the United Kingdom or 12 months' exceptional leave to enter to provide for their protection as requested by UNHCR. They will have
164W
Payment reductions to private contractors managing prisons Prison Date Amount(£) Reason Altcourse May 1998 28,089 Failure to meet performance standards Blakenhurst February 1994 41,167 Temporary reduction in cell availability November 1998 25,000 Escape from escort Buckley Hall February 1997 526 Failure to meet performance standards Doncaster — — — Lowdham Grange July 1998 702 1 unavailable place October 1998 45,080 Failure to meet performance standards January 1999 31,231 Failure to meet performance standards February 1999 6,334 Failure to meet performance standards Parc March 1998 54,782 Failure to meet to standard requirements May 1998 1,309 Failure to meet performance standards July 1998 298 Doubling cell occupation beyond permitted level October 1998 306,747 Failure to meet performance standards Wolds September 1998 23,855 Reduction in service access to the benefits system, NHS medical treatment and will be entitled to work. Other refugees arriving independently will be eligible to apply for asylum in the usual way.