§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions for illegal working have taken place in the last 12 months; and with what results. [68644]
§ Beverley HughesThe information requested is not available centrally, as illegal working is a circumstance rather than a specific offence and the Home Office Court Proceedings Database does not hold information on offence circumstances. However, in the year 2000, 32 persons were prosecuted under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996. This section makes it an offence for employers knowingly or negligently to employ persons aged 16 or over who are subject to immigration control unless they fall into one of two categories. They must either have current and valid permission to be in the United Kingdom which does not prevent them taking the job in question, or they must fall into a category where such employment is otherwise allowed.
Information on the number of prosecutions in 2001 is due to be published in the Command Paper "Control of Immigration Statistics United Kingdom 2001" in late autumn of this year.