§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers had(a) deportation and (b) enforcement action initiated against them in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and, of those, how many left the United Kingdom. [115972]
§ Mrs. RocheInformation on enforcement action initiated, comprising action taken under illegal entry and deportation procedures, including figures showing the number of cases initiated against persons who had applied for asylum at some stage, can be found in the Command Paper, "Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom, 1998" (Table 7.1) for 1995 and Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Control of Immigration: Statistics, United Kingdom, First Half 1999" (Table 5.1) for 1996668W to first half 1999. Copies of those publications are in the Library. It should be noted that the relevant figures therein are presented by the date that enforcement action was initiated. This date may be prior to, after, or the same as, the date of the asylum decision, where such a decision has been taken. Enforcement statistics do not include removal action initiated against failed port asylum applicants under port procedures.
Comprehensive data are not available on persons removed or departing voluntarily following the initiation of enforcement action against them by the date that such action was initiated. Additionally, it is not known how many persons have left the country voluntarily without notifying the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. Figures are not, therefore, available on the numbers of failed asylum seekers leaving the United Kingdom who had enforcement action initiated against them in the last five years.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers are unlawfully at large in the United Kingdom. [115975]
§ Mrs. RocheIt is not known how many asylum applicants, in total, leave the country and it is not, therefore, possible to state how many failed asylum applicants remain unlawfully in the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, for each of the last five years for which figures are available, the criminal offences committed by(a) asylum seekers whose applications had not been determined and (b) failed asylum seekers, indicating the (i) maximum and (ii) average sentence passed in respect of each type of offence. [115987]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe information is not available centrally.
The Home Office Court Proceedings Database does not hold information about the characteristics of individual cases apart from those that are evident from the description of the offence with which the defendant has been charged.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which local authorities have applied to his Department to be placed on the list of authorities which will not be required to accept further asylum seekers; which of those local authorities have had their applications accepted; and if he will make a statement. [115979]
§ Mrs. RocheThere is no list of local authorities that will not be required to accept further asylum seekers. Some months ago local authorities were invited to inform the National Asylum Support Service if they felt they should be considered for exemption from accepting any further asylum seekers under the statutory interim arrangements should the Government decide to make regulations or make Directions specifying the maximum number of asylum seekers that any given local authority would need to support.
669WIn reply the following local authorities listed expressed the view that supporting further asylum seekers would cause them great difficulties.
- Bedfordshire County Council
- Bedford Borough Council
- Blackpool Borough Council
- Borough of Broxbourne
- Canterbury City Council
- Caradon District Council
- Carrick District Council
- Crawley Borough Council
- London Borough of Hillingdon
- Isle of Wight Council
- The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- Lambeth Social Services
- New Forest District Council
- Norfolk County Council Social Services
- Northampton Borough Council and other Districts in the Country of Northamptonshire
- Oxford City Council
- Oxfordshire County Council
- London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames
- Shepway District Council
- Slough Borough Council
- South Cambridgeshire District Council
- Thurrock Council
- City of Westminster
- West Sussex County Council
- Wycombe District Council.
The Government have noted the views of these Councils but have reached no conclusion about whether, were they to exercise the relevant powers, they should be exempted from accepting further asylum seekers.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what was the average waiting time for an initial decision in respect of claims for political asylum in(a) 1996, (b) 1997, (c) 1998, (d) 1999 and (e) 2000 to date; [116023]
(2) what was the average time taken, in each of the last three years, to determine (a) an initial application for asylum and (b) an appeal from asylum seekers to whom the special appeals procedure in paragraph 5 of Schedule 2 to the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 was applied. [115985]
§ Mrs. RocheThe available information is given in the table. The figures were calculated by taking the mean length of time between the date that the asylum application was lodged and the date of the initial decision. The figures relate to asylum applications lodged by principal applicants only.
The information on appeals is not available in this format for the time period. The estimated waiting time for an appeal to be determined by an adjudicator was around 12 weeks at the end of February 2000 (this figure is based on an imputed calculation). 670W
Average time to initial decision, in months, 1996–99 1,2,3 Year All application Applications lodged pre July 1993 Applications lodged post July 1993 1996 17 52 11 1997 22 64 14 1998 17 78 12 19994 35 91 16 1 Excluding dependants 2 Figures are estimates based on cases for which information is recorded 3 The average length of time (in months) is calculated for date application is lodged to the date of initial decision, and relates to the year in which the decisions were made 4 As at December 1999, excludes cases awaiting an initial decision.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the amount(a) spent, (b) claimed and (c) allocated to each council in the United Kingdom in respect of expenditure on asylum seekers in (i) 1998–99 and (ii) 1999–2000. [115977]
§ Mrs. RochePayments to local authorities for the support of asylum seekers for the year 1998–99 were the responsibility of the Department of Health. Three grants were payable—one for supporting adults, one for supporting families and one for supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children. The Department of Health is currently reconciling, in the light of the audit certificates now being provided, the amount claimed by authorities and the payments made to authorities. It is, therefore, not possible at the moment to give the full information requested as the amounts may be increased or reduced as a result of audit. I will write to the hon. Member with the fullest information as soon as possible.
Since 1 April 1999, the Home Office has been responsible for reimbursing local authorities for the costs of supporting asylum seekers. Costs for the period 1 April-5 December are on the basis of a Special Grant Report. The table shows the amount of gross expenditure identified by local authorities for that period and the amount they have claimed in accordance with the grant rules. All claims will be met in full. These payments will be subject to audit by District Auditors and may be subject to variation in light of the findings of the auditors. Full information for the period 6 December 1999–31 March 2000 is not yet available.
671W
Asylum support 1 April 1999 to 5 December 1999 Local authority Gross expenditure Claim Barking and Dagenham 7,262,776 7,002,166 Barnet 4,504,399 3,895,802 Barnsley 48,103 49,590 Bath and North East Somerset 18,025 18,025 Bedford 694,866 668,890 Birmingham 1,530,552 1,530,552 Blackburn with Darwen 7,555 7,555 Blackpool 5,776 5,222 Bexley 693,927 612,519 Bolton Metro 44,884 44,884 Bournemouth 111,125 111,125 Bracknell Forest 11,484 11,484 Bradford 123,974 121,670 Brent 5,785,782 5,273,406 Brighton and Hove 453,109 447,379 Bristol City 581,165 581,165 Bromley 1,697,878 1,530,850 Buckinghamshire 80,601 77,280 Bury 11,784 9,921 Calderdale 34,616 34,616 672W
Asylum support 1 April 1999 to 5 December 1999 Local authority Gross expenditure Claim Cambridgeshire 477,531 477,531 Camden 7,802,684 5,871,860 Cheshire 144,444 134,503 Cornwall 760 760 Corporation of London 757,500 505,000 Coventry 203,990 134,830 Croydon 2,129,687 2,090,070 Cumbria — — Darlington 2,561 2,561 Derby 68,571 68,571 Derbyshire 44,760 44,760 Devon 8,768 8,768 Doncaster 41,166 41,166 Dorset 6,271 5,880 Dudley 49,057 49,057 Durham 6,396 6,396 Ealing 3,469,338 3,268,448 East Riding of Yorkshire 33,526 31,091 East Sussex 249,979 252,289 Enfield 5,426,810 4,955,507 Essex 577,911 560,931 Gateshead 39,845 39,845 Gloucestershire 157,868 157,868 Greenwich 2,910,299 2,910,299 Hackney 6,474,129 6,348,793 Halton — — Hammersmith and Fulham 8,286,810 6,553,030 Hampshire 187,760 173,057 Haringey 5,447,187 4,423,740 Harrow 2,560,297 2,076,459 Hartlepool — — Havering 1,314,517 987,840 Herefordshire 10,058 10,058 Hertfordshire 1,128,989 1,128,989 Hillingdon 4,675,112 4,240,593 Hounslow 3,358,880 3,007,750 Islington 12,709,181 11,186,794 Isle of Wight — — Kensington and Chelsea 6,540,918 4,906,980 Kent 7,994,035 7,995,905 Kingston upon Hull 254,321 192,640 Kingston upon Thames 1,124,800 767,520 Kirklees 155,742 151,200 Knowsley — — Lambeth 8,743,665 8,856,975 Lancashire 80,376 73,458 Leeds 170,701 170,701 Leicester 651,888 605,463 Leicestershire 339,357 303,042 Lewisham 4,885,567 4,928,599 Lincolnshire 189,264 189,264 Liverpool 227,703 227,703 Luton 678,245 678,245 Manchester 1,330,023 1,298,648 Medway 153,841 139,011 Merton 2,799,559 2,491,867 Middlesbrough 101,241 101,241 Milton Keynes 600,771 548,045 City of Newcastle 335,340 335,340 Newham 14,174,851 14,174,851 Norfolk 266,820 266,820 North East Lincolnshire 189,909 151,740 North Lincolnshire 8,890 8,890 North Somerset 31,081 29,680 North Tyneside 22,661 21,892 North Yorkshire 11,160 11,160 Northamptonshie 5,109,145 5,109,145 Northumberland 4,315 4,315 Nottingham 137,918 95,356 Nottinghamshire 118,884 111,907 Oldham 8,165 8,165 Oxfordshire 2,257,421 2,227,141 Peterborough 104,290 104,290
Asylum support 1 April 1999 to 5 December 1999 Local authority Gross expenditure Claim Plymouth 52,660 52,228 Poole 60,198 28,393 Portsmouth 244,646 211,460 Reading 645,848 642,235 Redbridge 3,853,419 3,832,621 Redcar and Cleveland 86,139 84,978 Richmond upon Thames 4,110,282 1,688,699 Rochdale 36,555 28,941 Rotherham 52,383 44,160 Rutland 30,312 30,312 Salford 99,717 99,717 Sandwell 246,707 225,770 Sefton 25,374 19,160 Sheffield 1,266,016 1,210,780 Shropshire 10,877 10,877 Slough 3,421,279 2,817,100 Solihull 10,936 10,640 Somerset 28,220 17,520 South Gloucestershire 132,234 82,284 South Tyneside 23,499 22,557 Southampton 140,048 104,048 Southend on Sea 611,023 611,023 Southwark 9,288,505 8,534,740 Staffordshire 281,125 279,140 Stockport 73,125 73,125 Stockton on Tees 18,889 18,889 Stoke on Trent 51,842 48,576 Suffolk 87,992 81,754 Sunderland 17,683 17,683 Surrey 801,783 616,380 Sutton 1,613,975 1,405,400 Swindon 152,652 152,652 Tameside 4,607 3,500 Telford and Wrekin 28,485 24,401 Thurrock 860,371 842,400 Torbay — — Tower Hamlets 1,940,910 1,796,280 Trafford 111,728 97,368 Wakefield 116,607 107,473 Walsall 46,737 40,664 Waltham Forest 5,528,618 5,528,618 Wandsworth 4,256,996 2,621,705 Warrington 40,426 35,000 Warwickshire 274,806 269,381 West Berkshire 5,655 5,655 West Sussex 451,646 422,860 Westminster 9,725,783 6,714,560 Wigan 5,502 5,502 Wiltshire 108,915 101,944 Windsor and Maidenhead 53,401 46,840 Wirral 630 630 Wokingham 53,028 53,028 Worcestershire 336,953 200,953 York 6,251 6,251 St. Helens — — Wolverhampton 36,728 36,728 Isle of Wight — — Isles of Scilly — — Total 205,877,613 183,177,970
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals against asylum decisios were(a) lodged and (b) heard in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [115968]
§ Mrs. RocheInformation regarding asylum appeals for each of the years 1994–98 is given in Table 8.1 of the Home Office statistical bulletins, "Asylum Statistics 673W United Kingdom" 1995, 1996 and 1998, issues 9/96, 15/97 and 10/99, copies of which are available in the Library.
Information for 1999 will be published in the latest issue of the bulletin in June of this year.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers left the United Kingdom in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [115978]
§ Mrs. RocheInformation is not recorded centrally on the numbers of in-country asylum applicants who depart voluntarily before enforcement action is initiated against them. Nor is it known how many asylum applicants leave the country voluntarily without notifying the Immigration and National Directorate of their departure. It is not, therefore, possible to give a total figure for asylum seekers leaving the United Kingdom.
The available information, relating to removals and known voluntary departures for 1995–99 under port and enforcement procedures of persons who have applied for asylum at some stage, is given in the table. For port asylum applicants, the figures include persons departing voluntarily up to and including the point of notification of the decision on the asylum application and those persons who have had their asylum application refused and leave the country before they have exhausted their rights of appeal. For in-country applicants, the figures exclude persons departing voluntarily before the initiation of enforcement action.
Failed asylum seekers are removed only once all their rights of appeal in the United Kingdom have been exhausted. It should be noted that the figures may include some persons who withdrew their asylum application or appeal before a decision or determination had been reached.
Removals and voluntary departures1 of asylum applicants, excluding dependants, 1995–99 Year Number 1995 3,180 1996 4,840 1997 7,160 1998 6,900 19992 7,645 1 For port asylum applicants, the data include persons departing voluntarily up to and including the point of notification of the decision on the asylum application and those persons who have had their asylum application refused and leave the country before they have exhausted their rights of appeal. For in-country applicants, the data exclude persons departing voluntarily before the initiation of enforcement action. 2 1999 data are provisional. Note:
Data are rounded to 5.
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the monthly cost of maintaining(a) adult asylum seekers, (b) child asylum seekers and (c) asylum seeking families (i) in detention, (ii) under the new support arrangements to be brought in from 3 April and (iii) under the interim arrangements made under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. [115973]
674W
§ Mrs. RocheThe monthly direct cost of an available place in an immigration detention centre comes to just under £2,500. No differentiation is made between the cost of holding adults, children or families.
The total average cost to the immigration service of holding a detainee is slightly over £5,000 per month. This represents the full cost of immigration detention, including the cost of escorting detainees, the cost of holding people in police cells and secondary examination areas, and management and other overheads.
Unaccompanied children who claim asylum are not included in the interim arrangements made under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, nor are they included in the new support arrangements.
Under the interim arrangements made under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office makes available to local authorities against certified claims a grant of up to £650 per month for a single asylum seeker and up to £950 per month for a family unit.
Under the new asylum seeker support arrangements to be phased in from 3 April 2000 destitute asylum seekers will be provided with accommodation and essential living needs, in the form of vouchers. The value of vouchers provided will be decided on a case-by-case basis. The maximum weekly levels of voucher support for asylum seekers under the new arrangements are shown in the table.
£ Maximum amount of weekly voucher support including £10 cash voucher Single person aged 25 or over 36.54 Single person aged at least 18 but under 25 28.95 Lone parent aged 18 or over 36.54 Qualifying couple 57.37 Person aged under 16 26.60 Person aged at least 16 but under 18 (except a member of a qualifying couple) 31.75 Costs associated with accommodation under the new support arrangements being phased in from 3 April 2000 are commercially confidential.