§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the mechanism by which the holder of an asylum seeker's identification card can obtain access to the information contained on the card. [67763]
§ Beverley HughesThe personal information contained on the card is that provided by the holder when the card is created. The holder is shown a copy of the information when the card is created. The card can only be updated at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) offices on the authorised system equipment. This would necessitate the holder's attendance and therefore their knowledge that the data held on the card had been updated.
The information held on the card is available on application to the Subject Access Bureau on payment of a fee of £10 payable to the Home Office Accounting Officer.
The address of the bureau for Immigration and Nationality Department inquiries is:
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- Subject Access Bureau
- Home Office
- Lunar House, 40 Wellesley Road
- Croydon
- CR9 2BY.
§ Clive EffordTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers in London were(a) supported by the London boroughs, (b) supported by the National Asylum Support Service through the provision of emergency accommodation, (c) supported by the London boroughs and National Asylum Support Service through the scheme for disbenefited asylum seekers and (d) received assistance in the form of vouchers or cash only provided by the National Asylum Support Service in (i) 1999,(ii) 2000 and (iii) 2001. [69958]
§ Beverley HughesInformation is not available in the exact form requested.
The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) took on responsibility for supporting asylum seekers from April 2000 when it began operation. Before that time asylum seekers were supported by local authorities or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). NASS is responsible for supporting disbenefited asylum seekers who initially applied for asylum at a United Kingdom port of entry before 3 April 2000, were receiving support from DWP, had a negative decision recorded on their claim on or after 25 September 2000 which ended their entitlement to benefits, but who have subsequently appealed against that decision.
The only available figures for the number of asylum seekers supported by the London boroughs come from local authority grant claims sent to the Home Office as at September 2001. These show that local authorities in the London boroughs were supporting 14,4201 singles and 11,0601 families. Figures including dependants are not available. Figures for cases supported by NASS are not available by London borough.
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Local authority Applied and allocated 2000–01 (£) Number supported 26 January 2001 Applied and allocated 2001–02 (£) Number supported 25 January 2002 Barking and Dagenham 2,564,594 241 4,505,858 262 Barnet 759,200 62 932,001 60 Bexley 693,500 73 567,037 46 Brent 1,288,108 58 2,494,028 158 Bromley 381,600 34 385,400 32 Camden 1,089,600 89 1,602,600 102 Corporation of London 114,400 14 171,600 15 Croydon 3,317,637 177 7,045,280 373 Ealing 2,263,765 130 1,835,648 114 Enfield 674,145 76 1,368,328 144 Greenwich 660,926 109 2,231,482 185 Hackney 744,545 64 769,344 92 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,131,375 166 4,154,800 144 Haringey 4,972,861 399 4,609,375 324 Harrow 605,200 46 726,971 43 Havering 875,095 67 548,600 29 Hillingdon 7,308,233 358 9,516,020 550 Hounslow 568,800 47 718,000 64 Islington 4,988,216 347 6,245,750 336 Kensington and Chelsea 2,097,325 109 2,068,675 100 Kingston Upon Thames 225,200 25 352,800 40 Lambeth 3,732,825 215 6,019,900 281 Lewisham 1,863,502 116 2,117,825 114 Merton 763,074 58 724,584 47 Newham 899,600 100 2,204,507 141 Redbridge 1,632,813 207 1,445,177 124 Richmond Upon Thames 2,069,883 166 1,132,800 79 Southwark 3,598,075 186 3,843,275 185 Sutton 355,200 20 121,800 12 Tower Hamlets 376,400 16 290,600 22 The number of asylum seekers (including dependants) supported by NASS in emergency accommodation in London was 5,9002 as at the end of December 2000, and 3,2002 as at the end of December 2001.
As at the end of December 2001 NASS was supporting 8201 asylum seekers (including dependants) in London through the scheme for disbenefited asylum seekers. There were no asylum seekers being supported by NASS in London through this scheme as at the end of December 2000.
NASS did not support asylum seekers before April 2000. The number of asylum seekers (including dependants) receiving subsistence only support from NASS and staying in the London region was 6,2101 as at the end of December 2000, and 17,9101 as at the end of December 2001.
1 Figures rounded to the nearest 10.2 Figures rounded to the nearest 100.
§ Clive EffordTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied asylum-seeker children were supported by each of the London boroughs in(a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01 and (c) 2001–02; and how much funding was (i) applied for by and (ii) allocated to each local authority in London to meet the cost of essential social support services for such children. [69957]
§ Beverley HughesThe Home Office assumed responsibility for reimbursing local authorities for supporting Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) as of 1 April 2000 and does not have records for 1999–2000. Local authorities under either section 20 or section 17 of the Children Act 1989 for support provide these amounts.
The table shows the numbers supported by each of the London boroughs from the grant claims submitted and also the amounts claimed and paid.
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Local authority Applied and allocated 2000–01 (£) Number supported 26 January 2001 Applied and allocated 2001–02 (£) Number supported 25 January 2002 Waltham Forest 2,130,632 171 2,952,765 173 Wandsworth 470,400 42 394,954 11 Westminster 2,292,550 116 2,179,977 145
§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers from Zimbabwe have(a) been detained and (b) had their cases certified since his announcement to suspend removals to that country on 15 January; and if he will make a statement. [37678]
§ Beverley HughesThe latest available information on the number of persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers relates to 30 March 2002. As at that date, 30 Zimbabweans (to the nearest five) were being detained who are recorded as having claimed asylum at some stage, which excludes persons detained in police cells. Provisionally, 55 certified refusals were made on asylum applications lodged by nationals of Zimbabwe in January 2002, 35 in February and 45 in March.
I regret that information on the number of asylum seekers from Zimbabwe who have been detained since 15 January is not available.
The suspension of removals of asylum seekers to Zimbabwe is a temporary measure. We are monitoring events in the aftermath of the Zimbabwe presidential election in close liaison with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). There is no set time scale, but it would be unrealistic to be able to make any decision on a resumption of removals until the immediate post-election situation has calmed down and we have had time to assess properly the risks to returnees and gather and consider the views of FCO and others. Zimbabwean asylum seekers have continued, where appropriate, to be detained at Oakington Reception Centre as part of the fast-track asylum process. Aside from such individuals, there will be a very small number of people who are detained at present pending removal while outstanding applications, appeals and other matters are resolved. Once such issues have been resolved, the persons concerned will normally be granted bail or temporary admission as appropriate while the suspension of removals remains in place.
Information on Immigration Act detainees as at 29 June and refusals in the second quarter (April to June) of 2002 will be published on 30 August on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.