§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what statistics are held by(a) the National Asylum Support Service and (b) the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate relating to the length of time asylum applicants have been in the UK before making an application for support. [76918]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 24 October 2002]: There are no statistics available on the length of time asylum applicants have been in the UK before making an application for support.
There is, however, evidence that a proportion of applications for asylum will have been made by someone who has been in the country for some time. Since a person cannot apply for asylum support until they have applied for asylum, it can be similarly inferred that this will also be the case for support application.