To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he expects police cells in West Yorkshire to be used to house prisoners to relieve prison overcrowding.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he expects police cells in West Yorkshire to be used to house prisoners to relieve prison overcrowding.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse has been to date of Operation Safeguard; what estimate he has made of the total cost of the operation; and when it will come to an end.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to the public purse has been to date of Operation Safeguard; what estimate he has made of the total cost of the operation; and when it will come to an end.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police cells will be used in Kettering for Operation Safeguard; and for how long.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police cells will be used in Kettering for Operation Safeguard; and for how long.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce overcrowding in Chelmsford Prison.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce overcrowding in Chelmsford Prison.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has decided how many adult offenders will be released early to ease prison overcrowding; and how he plans to stop the prison estate exceeding its total operational capacity before the planned 8000 new places become available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has decided how many adult offenders will be released early to ease prison overcrowding; and how he plans to stop the prison estate exceeding its total operational capacity before the planned 8000 new places become available.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contingency plans are in place to cover police officers who exercise their right not to accept additional gaoler duties under Operation Safeguard.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what contingency plans are in place to cover police officers who exercise their right not to accept additional gaoler duties under Operation Safeguard.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which train service was the most overcrowded in each of the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which train service was the most overcrowded in each of the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the 10 most overcrowded train services were in each of the last six months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the 10 most overcrowded train services were in each of the last six months.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of whether there is a relationship between prison overcrowding and re-offending rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of whether there is a relationship between prison overcrowding and re-offending rates.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of overcrowding her Department uses in assessing housing shortages; and if she will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what definition of overcrowding her Department uses in assessing housing shortages; and if she will make a statement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many children are living in households which are statutorily overcrowded in (a) Luton, (b) Bedfordshire and (c) England.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many children are living in households which are statutorily overcrowded in (a) Luton, (b) Bedfordshire and (c) England.

(2) when she expects to make a statement on the new standard she plans to introduce to measure statutory overcrowding.

(2) when she expects to make a statement on the new standard she plans to introduce to measure statutory overcrowding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which (a) individuals, (b) authorities and (c) other organisations have responded to her Department’s discussion paper, Tackling Overcrowding in England; and if she will place copies of the responses in the Library;

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (1) which (a) individuals, (b) authorities and (c) other organisations have responded to her Department’s discussion paper, Tackling Overcrowding in England; and if she will place copies of the responses in the Library;

I am not a member of the Select Committee on Home Affairs, so I am a bit of an interloper in the debate, but I have read the report with interest. I come at the issues that it raises from a slightly different and quite particular angle. I am chairman...

I am not a member of the Select Committee on Home Affairs, so I am a bit of an interloper in the debate, but I have read the report with interest. I come at the issues that it raises from a slightly different and quite particular angle. I am chairman...

I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in the debate. I start by thanking my right hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Denham) for helping, guiding and leading us throughout the inquiry. He certainly tried to keep us timely and in order when we were having...

I am grateful for the opportunity to take part in the debate. I start by thanking my right hon. Friend the Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Denham) for helping, guiding and leading us throughout the inquiry. He certainly tried to keep us timely and in order when we were having...

Forced marriages are covered in pages 77 to 79 of the report, and I pay tribute to various people who, since 1999, when I first raised the subject, have improved the situations of reluctant sponsors and victims of forced marriages. The consular section of the Islamabad high commission is wonderful...

Forced marriages are covered in pages 77 to 79 of the report, and I pay tribute to various people who, since 1999, when I first raised the subject, have improved the situations of reluctant sponsors and victims of forced marriages. The consular section of the Islamabad high commission is wonderful...

I congratulate everyone in the room on tolerating the conditions of a miserable, cold Chamber. I wonder if you could pass that message on, Mr. Hood. I cannot see why we should not have daylight and a bit of heat. It is very cold. That is my moan. I want...

I congratulate everyone in the room on tolerating the conditions of a miserable, cold Chamber. I wonder if you could pass that message on, Mr. Hood. I cannot see why we should not have daylight and a bit of heat. It is very cold. That is my moan. I want...

I am sure that my hon. Friend, who has studied those matters very well, will have seen paragraph 479 of our report, in which we discuss the pros and cons of an amnesty. I think we unanimously agreed to the paragraph. As expected, my hon. Friend has put forward powerful...

I am sure that my hon. Friend, who has studied those matters very well, will have seen paragraph 479 of our report, in which we discuss the pros and cons of an amnesty. I think we unanimously agreed to the paragraph. As expected, my hon. Friend has put forward powerful...

I understand the argument, but a balance must be struck. If we were to have a regularisation scheme, the question is what would it look like? A blanket amnesty, which says, ““If you are here working illegally, come forward and we will give you indefinite leave to remain,”” could become...

I understand the argument, but a balance must be struck. If we were to have a regularisation scheme, the question is what would it look like? A blanket amnesty, which says, ““If you are here working illegally, come forward and we will give you indefinite leave to remain,”” could become...

Does my hon. Friend sometimes find it difficult to get the authorities to take action in such cases? Sometimes the young woman—it could be a young man, but I have only ever dealt with women— knows that her husband is still in the country and that he should not be...

Does my hon. Friend sometimes find it difficult to get the authorities to take action in such cases? Sometimes the young woman—it could be a young man, but I have only ever dealt with women— knows that her husband is still in the country and that he should not be...