§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of decisions on asylum cases will have been made within two months in the year ending 31 March. [47228]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 10 April 2002]: The target for the year ending 31 March 2002 is to decide and serve 60 per cent of new substantive asylum claims made in that same year within two months. The latest provisional data, published on 28 February 2002, indicate that nearly half (48 per cent) of applications received in the period April to September 2001 inclusive had initial decisions served within two months. Information on the percentage of asylum cases in the year ending 31 March 2002 with decisions made and served within two months is not yet available.
The data are published in the quarterly asylum statistics. The next publication will be available from 31 May 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers were removed in the year to March 2001; and how many he expects to be removed in the year to March 2002. [47238]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 10 April 2002]: The number of failed asylum seekers removed in the year to March 2001 was 8,930. The current Service Delivery Agreement target relating to the removal of failed asylum seekers from the United Kingdom is to remove 30,000 in 2001–02; 33,000 in 2002–03; and 37,000 in 2003–04. The totals include dependants.
The precise number removed in March will be available in about two months.
The 30,000 target for this year has always been ambitious and high risk. To enable us to reach and exceed 30,000 removals per year by 2003, we need to remove about 2,500 people per month. It is our aim to achieve this monthly total as soon as possible.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum decisions were made in the year to March 2001; and how many he expects to be made in the year to March 2002. [47237]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 10 April 2002]: 132,840 initial decisions were made in the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001, inclusive.
Information on the number of initial decisions made in the year to 31 March 2002 is not yet available. However, in line with plans, the number of cases awaiting an initial decision has continued to fall, 71,320 initial decisions were made during the period April 2001 to December 2001, compared with 85,960 in the same period a year previously.
630WInformation on initial decisions is published quarterly. The next publication will cover the period up to March 2002, and will be available from 31 May 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uldrds/immigrationl.html.
§ Julie MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what assessment he has made of the impact on the policy of detaining children who are seeking asylum of the(a) provisions of the Children Act 1989 and (b) provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998; [48280]
(2) what risk assessments are undertaken before a child seeking asylum is detained; [48278]
(3) whether the rights and needs of the child must be considered before any decision to detain a child seeking asylum is taken. [48279]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 10 April 2002]: The Children Act 1989 places a duty on local social services departments to provide for unaccompanied asylum seeking children. As a matter of policy and practice all those accepted as being unaccompanied asylum seeking children are referred to the local social services department. Unaccompanied asylum seeking children are not routinely detained under immigration powers. But detention may occasionally be necessary in exceptional circumstances whilst alternative arrangements for their care are made. Where detention is in such circumstances necessary, this is normally limited to overnight, with appropriate care.
The decision to detain a family is always taken with due regard to Article 8 of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Families may be detained at the Oakington Reception Centre whilst their claim for asylum is processed. In other cases a family would be detained in line with the general detention criteria, which include consideration of the likelihood of removal, evidence of previous absconding and previous history of complying with the requirements of immigration control. There is however, as in any other case, a presumption in favour of granting temporary admission or temporary release.
Any case where it is proposed to detain a family will be risk-assessed by the Immigration Service. Checks are made to see if any child is on the "At Risk" register. In addition the family protection team at the local police station will be contacted. If there has been any involvement by the Social Services in any particular family case, they will also be consulted before an operation leading to the detention of children is undertaken.