§ Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dispersed asylum seekers are accommodated in Nottingham, broken down by the different housing sectors. [73688]
§ Beverley HughesInformation is not available in the form requested.
As at the end of June 2002, 1,495* asylum seekers (including dependants) were being supported in the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) accommodation in Nottingham.
Information on the type of accommodation in which asylum seekers are housed is currently not available.
Statistics on the number of asylum seekers supported by NASS in each region are available on the Home Office's Immigration and Asylum Statistics website: http://www homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
* Figures have been rounded to the nearest five.Figures exclude cases where the asylum seekers support has been ceased.
§ Mrs. Irene AdamsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people have applied for asylum in Scotland in the last 12 months; [73692]
(2) how many asylum seekers have had applications to remain in Scotland rejected in the last 12 months. [73677]
§ Beverley HughesAsylum seekers apply to be granted refugee status in the United Kingdom (UK) rather than specifically in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. Asylum applications data are not available at regional level except by port (for those applications made at port—these accounted for 33 per cent. Of applications in the period July 2001 to June 2002, inclusive). Corresponding information on initial decision outcomes relating to persons in particular areas of the UK is also not available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
§ John AustinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what support will be made available from public funds for asylum seekers whose applications have taken more than six months to determine and who are unable to take up employment as a result of the recent withdrawal of the employment concession; [74255]
(2) how many asylum seekers whose applications have taken more than six months to determine have taken advantage of the concession to take up employment in each of the past three years; what estimate he has made of the resulting impact on public funds: and if he will make a statement. [74254]
§ Beverley HughesAsylum seekers who are destitute can apply for support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS). Support can include the provision of accommodation and financial support. The amount of financial support varies according to the person's circumstances but the rates of support applicable from 8 April this year are as follows:736W
Price Person aged 18–24 £29.89 Person aged 25 or over £37.77 Couple £59.26 Lone Parent £37.77 Child under 16 £33.50 Child aged 16 or 17 £32.50 Where accommodation is provided the costs of this, together with any associated utility bills and council tax is met centrally. Asylum seekers are also eligible for NHS treatment and may be eligible for free prescriptions, dental and optical services.
Children of compulsory school age here as part of an asylum seeking family are also entitled to attend school.
Information is not held centrally on the number of asylum seekers who were granted permission to work under the terms of the employment concession and this could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
§ Tony BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places will be provided in the further asylum accommodation centres proposed by his Department. [74509]
§ Beverley HughesWe propose to provide approximately 3,000 places in the trial accommodation centres.
§ Tony BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines he has set in terms of numbers for the level of pressure on local authorities' housing for those authorities not to be considered suitable locations for an asylum accommodation centre; and what the level of pressure on local authorities' housing is in each of(a) the proposed accommodation centre sites and (b) the other sites short-listed but not chosen. [74646]
§ Beverley HughesNo such guidelines have been set. We do not envisage a demand on local authority housing as a consequence of those working or residing in an Accommodation Centre.
§ Tony BaldryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which sites for proposed asylum accommodation centres his ministers have visited; and when these visits were made. [74523]
§ Beverley HughesMy officials and I visited the proposed sites at DSDC Bicester on 26 June 2002, at RAF Newton on 2 July 2002 and at Throckmorton Airfield, Pershore on 8 October 2002.
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Scottish Executive will have the final decision in the consideration of planning permission for an asylum seeker accommodation centre at RAF Turnhouse. [74183]
§ Beverley HughesPlanning proposals in Scotland are determined by the Scottish planning authorities and the Scottish Ministers.
737WIf such a proposal for the Turnhouse site were to be pursued, it would be a matter for consideration by the City of Edinburgh Council in the first instance. If the Council were to object then the Home Office, as developer, would consider whether to refer the proposal to the Scottish Ministers for a final decision.
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to identify potential sites for asylum seeker accommodation centres other than those already announced as under consideration. [74182]
§ Beverley HughesSite searching has continued since we made our initial announcement, as we said it would. We will not be putting into the public domain details of such sites unless and until they are considered to be a serious prospect for the siting of an accommodation centre.
Total Initial Decision3 Cases considered under normal procedures4 Backlog clearance exercises5 Granted asylum Granted ELR7 Refused Granted Asylum or ELR,7 under backlog criteria Refused under backlog criteria6 2000 595 20 10 525 35 5 2001(p) 2,105 115 45 1,950 - - January to June 2002(p) 2,310 645 55 1,610 - - Notes:
1Figures rounded to the nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2.
2Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period.
3Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.
4Cases considered under normal procedures may include some cases decided under the backlog criteria.
5Cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre 1996 asylum application backlog.
6Includes some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds.
7ELR = exceptional leave to remain.
(p)Figures for 2001 and 2002 are provisional and subject to change.
Information on asylum applications and decisions is published quarterly. The next publication will be available from 29 November 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration 1.html.
§ Bob SpinkTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the backlog in asylum applications was at the end of each of the last 10 quarters for which figures are available. [74451]
§ Beverley HughesThe number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision, as at the end of each of the last 10 quarters, is shown in the table.
Applications for asylum awaiting initial decision, Q1 2000–Q2 2002, principal applicants only Year 2000 Q1 114,600 Q2 102,800 Q3 96,900 Q4 88,600 2001(p) Q1 60,200 Q2 47,800 Q3 43,000 Q4 38,800 2002(p) Q1 34,800 Q2 35,300 Notes:
Rounded to nearest 100
(p) provisional data
738W
§ John BarrettTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what compensation will be made available to people living close to sites of asylum seeker accommodation centres. [74180]
§ Beverley HughesI refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle) gave to the hon. Member for Banbury (Mr. Baldry) on 19 April 2002,Official Report, column 1262W.
§ Mr. Peter DuncanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum have been(a) approved and (b) rejected in respect of Zimbabwean nationals since 1 January 2000. [73796]
§ Beverley HughesThe table shows the initial decisions of Zimbabweans claiming asylum, excluding dependants, from January 2000 to June 20021,2.
Information on the number of asylum cases awaiting an initial decision is published quarterly. The next publication will be available from 29 November 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistic Directorate web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.htm.