§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many asylum seekers have committed suicide in prisons or detention centres in each of the last three calendar years and in the current year to date; [33347]
(2) how many asylum seekers are recorded as having committed suicide when not in detention, but after rejection of their asylum applications, in each of the last three calendar years and in the current year to date. [33348]
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerNo person who had sought asylum has committed suicide in a prison or detention centre in the last three calendar years or in the current year to date. Information is not available about people who have committed suicide after an application for asylum has been refused and who are not detained.
§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what method was used to monitor the results of the "No Self-Completion Questionnaire" exercise undertaken by the asylum division of his Department in recent months; what were the results of the exercise as regards time taken to process decisions and the quality of those decisions compared to cases dealt with under normal procedures; how many of the cases decided have been finally determined after appeals brought to the Immigration Appeals Authority; and if he will deposit a record on the exercise in the Library. [33346]
§ Mr. BakerI am placing in the Library a brief report on this exercise; which includes details of the monitoring arrangements used. It produced a direct saving in the screening process for applications of between four and six weeks. All six appeals against refusal heard during the period of the exercise were dismissed: a further analysis will be carried out when more appeals have been heard.