§ Mr. ForthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost of dealing with asylum seeking was in (a) 1997–98 and (b) 1998–99; and what the budgeted and estimated figures are for (i) 1999–2000 and (ii) 2000–01 respectively. [108159]
§ Mrs. RocheFigures and estimates are available for the cost of providing support to asylum seekers and the cost of operating the immigration and nationality directorate, which includes dealing with asylum seekers.
In 1997–98, the total cost of operating the immigration and nationality directorate was £215 million. A further £375 million was provided for supporting asylum seekers by the Department of Social Security and the Department of Health. In 1998–99, the total cost of operating the immigration and nationality directorate was £209 million. A further £470 million was provided by the Department of Social Security and the Department of Health for the support of asylum seekers.
Responsibility for the budget for supporting asylum seekers transferred to the Home Office from April 1999. It is anticipated that the total cost of operating the immigration and nationality directorate and supporting asylum seekers for the financial year 1999–2000 will be in the region of around £800 million. Estimating costs for 2000–01 is subject to a large number of variables such as the level of new asylum applications, the speed of processing claims and the resources directed at processing cases and other work. Those estimates are currently under review.