§ Sir Teddy TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his reply of 28 June 2001,Official Report, column 126W, on asylum seekers, if central records are maintained of the number of asylum seekers dispersed under the disperal arrangements of 1999; and what duty authorities concerned have to keep in touch with the dispersed persons. [2308]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 5 July 2001]: Records are not collected by the Home Office on the number of asylum seekers dispersed under the voluntary dispersal arrangements of 1999. Statistics on voluntary dispersal are collected by individual local authorities.
281W The National Asylum Support Service has no power to require local authorities to remain in contact with the asylum seekers they are supporting. But local authorities need to keep in contact with those asylum seekers they have dispersed to ensure that they still have a duty to support them.
§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children have been detained in asylum-seeker detention facilities in each quarter of the last year; and how many were in detention on the last night for which figures are available. [1761]
§ Angela EagleInformation on the number of children detained under Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 powers is not held centrally. The information is available only by the examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
Unaccompanied minors are detained only in the most exceptional circumstances and then only overnight with appropriate care. Children and young persons may be cared for in detention centres as part of a family unit in preference to separating them from their parents. Where this occurs, such family units are held together in appropriate family accommodation within the detention centre. There may also be a small number of cases of detained persons who claim to be minors but where the available evidence strongly suggests that they are in fact adults: such persons may be treated as adults until the contrary is established and may be detained as such.
Family accommodation is currently available only at Tinsley House Detention Centre and Oakington Reception Centre. The latest information provided by these two centres indicates that for the period 16 to 22 June a total of 28 children had been detained at Oakington as dependants of families held there while their asylum claims were considered, while during the month of June
282W
Number of full-time equivalent police officers allocated to patrol duties Force 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 Avon and Somerset 1,401.0 1,442.2 1,432.2 1,438.3 1,538.6 Bedfordshire 455.0 543.5 457.0 479.1 478.3 Cambridgeshire 556.0 655.7 614.0 586.2 581.9 Cheshire 934.6 976.2 1,022.9 969.9 867.3 City of London 363.8 369.9 353.2 385.2 342.2 Cleveland 742.8 771.2 742.7 552.0 676.1 Cumbria 596.0 607.0 630.0 619.0 571.1 Derbyshire 880.5 911.2 867.7 842.9 818.7 Devon and Cornwall 1,503.5 1,499.9 1,522.4 1,488.1 1,444.4 Dorset 690.0 671.0 663.0 665.0 612.1 Durham 666.2 694.9 720.1 764.0 741.7 Dyfed-Powys 586.0 559.4 601.3 595.9 598.7 Essex 1,370.7 1,407.6 1,549.4 1,512.4 1,535.9 Gloucestershire 540.8 565.0 551.2 533.4 501.9 Greater Manchester 3,113.6 3,245.6 3,361.2 3,321.4 3,615.6 Gwent 543.0 732.5 707.8 770.1 735.4 Hampshire 1,819.5 1,975.8 2,094.3 2,030.1 1,912.3 Hertfordshire 868.0 919.5 910.6 878.7 968.8 Humberside 1,112.0 1,081.6 1,100.6 1,106.5 1,147.5 Kent 1,512.3 1,542.1 1,352.1 1,116.8 1,132.3 Lancashire 1,395.6 1,465.9 1,274.0 1,489.7 1,585.6 Leicestershire 935.0 1,010.4 1,007.0 1,016.0 1,083.5 Lincolnshire 672.6 607.8 717.1 661.2 613.8 Merseyside 2,300.0 2,300.0 2,211.7 2,033.2 2,098.1 Metropolitan police 13,160.5 12,307.0 12,158.7 11,716.4 12,312.2 Norfolk 727.4 761.7 789.0 714.0 691.4 North Wales 737.5 730.0 752.0 615.0 656.0 North Yorkshire 680.8 685.4 716.2 713.4 749.3 Tinsley House accommodated 23 child dependants in family accommodation and the average length of stay was two nights.