§ Mrs. Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many refugees have been admitted to Britain from former Yugoslavia over the past year;
(2) how many women from former Yugoslavia have been allowed into the United Kingdom as refugees (a) in their own right and (b) as dependants over the past year.
§ Mr. Charles WardleI have been asked to reply.
In the 12 months October 1992 to September 1993 inclusive around 4,500 nationals of the former Yugoslavia —excluding dependants—applied for asylum in the United Kingdom. The large majority of these applications are still under consideration and the applicants are being allowed to remain here in the meantime. Comprehensive data on the gender of these principal applicants are not yet available, but provisional data suggest that about 45 per cent. were female.
Reliable information on dependants of these applicants is not yet available.
In addition, we have announced that the United Kingdom is willing to accept 1,000 particularly vulnerable individuals—including ex-detainees—from Bosnia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia, together with their dependants, totalling perhaps 4,000 in all. As of 30 November 1993, around 450 particularly vulnerable individuals and 650 of their dependants have arrived since my initial announcement of these arrangements on 30 November 1992. Most dependants are wives and children. Also a small proportion of vulnerable individuals are women.