Immigration Detentions (Hansard, 24 May 1993)

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many individuals have been held in detention under the Immigration Act 1971 in each year since 1990; and how many were attempting to enter the United Kingdom as students, visitors and asylum seekers;
(2) how many individuals were held in detention (a) on arrival in the United Kingdom and (b) after arrival in each year since 1990.

§ Mr. Charles Wardle
The available information is given in the table; the statistics do not identify the basis on which the person sought entry to the United Kingdom.

1990 1991 1992

Passengers detained overnight or longer on arrival 9,007 8,016 6,918

Persons detained overnight or longer after entry¹ 3,607 4,578 4,666

¹People dealt with under deportation powers.

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals seeking asylum were(a) held in detention centres and (b) detained in prison or police stations in each year since 1990.

§ Mr. Charles Wardle
Asylum seekers are not identified separately in the statistics on total persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971. The only readily available information is of the number of asylum seekers who had been detained for more than a month at the points of time given in the table.

Asylum applicants¹ detained for more than one month at certain points of time, by place of detention.

26 April 1991 3 April 1992 19 May 1993

Harmondsworth 33 42 66

Haslar 36 37 81

Her Majesty's Prisons² 51 48 137

Total 120 127 284

¹ Persons detained solely under the powers contained in Schedules 2 or 3 of the Immigration Act 1971. In some cases the asylum application will have been lodged subsequent to the applicant being detained. The figures include both detained asylum applicants who applied at ports, and those detained in after-entry enforcement work. For the latter, the figures exclude persons whose asylum application was refused and who remained in detention pending removal.

² No such cases were held in police stations.

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are to increase the number of detention centres for those held under the Immigration Act 1971.

§ Mr. Charles Wardle
Work started in March on the redevelopment of a vacant Prison Service establishment at Campsfield house, Kidlington, near Oxford, to provide up to 200 additional places for immigration detainees.
435W
Further possible options, including the creation of additional facilities close to Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports, are under consideration, but no final decision has yet been taken.

§ Mr. Allen
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what were the costs in each year since 1990 of running detention centres for those held under the Immigration Act 1971; and what are the projected costs for 1994 and 1995.

§ Mr. Charles Wardle
Immigration detention centres are managed under contract, and the costs involved are not disclosed on grounds of commercial confidentiality.

	1990	1991	1992
Passengers detained overnight or longer on arrival	9,007	8,016	6,918
Persons detained overnight or longer after entry¹	3,607	4,578	4,666
¹People dealt with under deportation powers.

Asylum applicants¹ detained for more than one month at certain points of time, by place of detention.
	26 April 1991	3 April 1992	19 May 1993
Harmondsworth	33	42	66
Haslar	36	37	81
Her Majesty's Prisons²	51	48	137
Total	120	127	284
¹ Persons detained solely under the powers contained in Schedules 2 or 3 of the Immigration Act 1971. In some cases the asylum application will have been lodged subsequent to the applicant being detained. The figures include both detained asylum applicants who applied at ports, and those detained in after-entry enforcement work. For the latter, the figures exclude persons whose asylum application was refused and who remained in detention pending removal.
² No such cases were held in police stations.