Asylum Applicants: Transfer to Third Countries (Hansard, 6 February 1996)

Lord Hylton asked
Her Majesty's Government:
In what circumstances they would refuse to consider an asylum application because they know of a safe third country to which the applicant could go, despite the absence of a personal connection or previous visit.

§ Baroness Blatch:
Paragraph 345 of the Immigration Rules (HC395) makes clear that, if the Secretary of State is satisfied that there is a safe country to which an asylum applicant can he sent, his application will normally he refused without substantive consideration of his claim to refugee status.

§ Lord Hylton
asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many asylum seekers have been removed to a safe third country in each of the last five years on

Prison population' in Prison Service establishments under sentence on 30 June 1994: by number of previous convictions¹

England and Wales

Percentage

Males and females Population Previous history not found¹ No previous¹ One are two² previous convictions Three or more² previous convictions

Males 33,960 5 15 16 64

Females 1,266 10 36 18 36

Total 35,226 5 16 16 63

¹Excludes fine defaulters and is based on samples of 6,675 males and 1,297 females.

² Relates to convictions for "standard list" offences only. These offences include all indictable offences and some of the more serious summary offences.

¹ Information on prisoners was matched to records on the Home Office Offenders Index. In some cases no set of matching records can be found. A prisoner may not he matched because he or she may not have been sentenced to a "standard list" offence and has no previous record for such offences or alternatively there may be an inconsistency between personal details held on the Offenders Index and those held on prison records."

16WA grounds other than that they had recently passed through such a country or had close links with it.

§ Baroness Blatch:
The information requested is not held centrally.

Prison population' in Prison Service establishments under sentence on 30 June 1994: by number of previous convictions¹
England and Wales
Percentage
Males and females	Population	Previous history not found¹	No previous¹	One are two² previous convictions	Three or more² previous convictions
Males	33,960	5	15	16	64
Females	1,266	10	36	18	36
Total	35,226	5	16	16	63
¹Excludes fine defaulters and is based on samples of 6,675 males and 1,297 females.
² Relates to convictions for "standard list" offences only. These offences include all indictable offences and some of the more serious summary offences.
¹ Information on prisoners was matched to records on the Home Office Offenders Index. In some cases no set of matching records can be found. A prisoner may not he matched because he or she may not have been sentenced to a "standard list" offence and has no previous record for such offences or alternatively there may be an inconsistency between personal details held on the Offenders Index and those held on prison records."