§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many applications for asylum have been dealt with under the "fast track" procedure since the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 came into force; how many applications for judicial review there have been in respect of negative "fast track" determinations, and what proportion of these have been successful; what is the average cost of appeals under the fast track procedure, including judicial review where applicable, and what are the comparable figures for the standard mechanism, all to the latest convenient date. [HL3398]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn)As at the end of September 1998, 22,855 refusals of asylum in the United Kingdom have been certified and have entered the "fast track" appeal process following the implementation of aspects of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 regarding certification on 21 October 1996.
It is estimated that the process of appeal to the special adjudicators in each asylum application costs, on average, £600. I regret that no estimate of the cost of appeal, including judicial review, is available; nor is there a separate estimate for asylum applications that were certified.
The information requested regarding judicial review in asylum applications that were refused and certified would be available only through checks on individual case files at disproportionate cost.