§ Mr. MaclennanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children under 18 years applied for refugee status on arrival in the United Kingdom in 1992 and in each month in 1993; and what was the country of origin of these children.
§ Mr. Charles WardleThe available information is given in the table.
The Metropolitan police are not covered by local authority statutory requirements, but a policy of market testing has been introduced. The aim is to test up to 30 per cent. of the work of the personnel, finance, technology, and property services departments over the next two and a half years. Action plans are also being drawn up to market test other administrative and support functions. The extend to which the above work will be contracted out or retained in-house will depend upon the results of individual testing exercises.
I refer also to the reply I gave to my right hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North (Sir J. Wheeler) on 16 February, at columnn 139, that the court escort service in the Metropolitan police district and in three other areas should be contracted out.
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