§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of provision for(a)the processing of asylum applications and (b)the housing of asylum seekers in Northern Ireland. [157969]
§ Beverley HughesThe UK Immigration Service has staff based at Belfast International Airport part of whose responsibility is to screen new asylum applicants encountered in Northern Ireland.
After screening, new applicants are normally interviewed by staff from the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's Asylum Casework Group to determine whether they have a valid claim, as is the procedure elsewhere in the UK.
The number of asylum applications received in Northern Ireland is relatively low and I am confident that the numbers of staff and facilities available for this work is commensurate with the current level of demand.
The Northern Ireland Housing Executive has responsibility for housing those asylum seekers who are supported by the National Asylum Support Service. These asylum seekers are referred to the Housing Executive by the Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities. The National Asylum Support Service does not disperse asylum seekers to Northern Ireland and the numbers supported there are low. Accommodation is provided to acceptable standards and is subject to housing inspections.
§ Mr. RandallTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many travellers were subject to immigration control at(a)Heathrow and (b)all other UK ports in each of the last five years for which there are records; and of these, what proportion were referred to medical inspectors (i) at Heathrow and (ii) at other ports. [156845]
§ Beverley HughesThe figures for travellers subject to immigration control and who were granted leave to enter at(a)Heathrow and (b)all other UK ports in each of the last five years are as follows.
1570Wcriminal courts—there is no applicant for these orders. Where applicable, data on the type of applicant are given in the table.
Passengers given leave to enter the United Kingdom, excluding European Economic area (EEA) nationals, 1998 to 20021: United Kingdom Number of journeys (million) Heathrow Other ports Total 1998 6.7 4.8 11.5 1999 6.8 5.2 12.0 2000 7.4 5.6 13.0 2001 7.4 5.4 12.8 20021 7.7 4.9 12.6 1Provisional. Notes: 1. The data are of the number of journeys made; a person who makes more than one journey is counted on each occasion. 2. Long-standing policy is that any person subject to immigration control who: (i) mentions health or medical treatment as a reason for coming to the United Kingdom, or appears unwell; or (ii) is seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom for six months or more and is at high risk of having been exposed to tuberculosis should be referred by the immigration officer to a medical inspector. The Department of Health does not collect data on the number of referrals for medical inspection. Data supplied by Heathrow and Gatwick health control units indicates the following number of referrals over the previous five years:
Heathrow Gatwick 1998–99 72,079 Not known 1999–2000 88,079 7,705 2000–01 108,170 5,845 2001–02 148,619 6,960 2002–03 164,655 3,745 Since these figures relate to financial years and those for travellers calendar years it is not possible to determine the actual proportion of travellers who were referred to the medical inspector.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether an on site nurse forms part of the service contracted by the National Asylum Support Service from Angel Heights, Newcastle; and whether this contract provides for female support workers as a result of a recent change in clients; [157044]
1571W(2) what payments his Department has made to NHS agencies and services in Newcastle in this financial year in respect of asylum seeker dispersal support. [157045]
§ Beverley HughesThe Home Office is not responsible for providing funding to NHS agencies to meet the costs of providing medical treatment to asylum seekers who have been dispersed. The National Asylum Support System does not provide on site nurses in any of its dispersal accommodation.
§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a)successful and (b)unsuccessful asylum applications there have been from Ethiopian citizens in the last live years; and how many of the unsuccessful applicants have been deported. [157650]
§ Beverley HughesThe table shows the number of asylum applications and initial decisions for nationals of Ethiopia (excluding dependants) in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003. Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period.
Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decisions1,2,3, by year, nationals of Ethiopia Principal applicants 1999 2000 20014 20025 20035 Applications received 455 415 610 700 640 Initial decisions Total initial decisions 260 895 1,175 705 740 Cases considered under normal procedures Grants of asylum 20 40 90 50 15 Grants of ELR 5 80 240 170 40 Grants of HP n/a n/a n/a n/a — Grants of DL n/a n/a n/a n/a 95 Total refusals 35 355 845 485 590 Backlog clearance exercise Grants of ELR under backlog criteria6,7 190 390 n/a n/a n/a Non compliance refusals under backlog criteria6,8 10 30 n/a n/a n/a n/a = not applicable. 1Figures rounded to the nearest five. 2Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period. 3Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. 4Revised figures. 5Provisional figures. 6Cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre 1996 asylum backlog. 7May include a small number of cases where asylum has been granted. 8May include a small number of cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds. The table shows the available data, for outcomes of adjudicator appeals at the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA) for nationals of Ethiopia in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Appeals may relate to initial decisions made in earlier periods. Corresponding information on appeals to the Immigration Appellate Tribunal (IAT) relating to Ethiopian nationals (including appeals made by the Secretary of State) is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case files. Data on the nationality of appeals made in 1999 and 2000 are not available.
1572W
Outcome of appeals1,2determined by adjudicators of the Immigration Appellate Authority, excluding dependants, nationals of Ethiopia, 2001 to 2003 Number of principal appellants Appeals determined by adjudicators 2001 2002 2003 Total determined 265 615 1,060 Allowed Total 110 230 325 As percentage of determined 42 37 31 Dismissed Total 140 340 685 As percentage of determined 53 55 65 Withdrawn Total 15 50 50 As percentage of determined 6 8 5 1Provisional figures rounded to nearest 5 (except percentages). Figures may not add up due to independent rounding. Data on appeal outcomes by nationality in this table are derived from Immigration and Nationality Directorate electronic sources. 2Figures include cases withdrawn by the Home Office, as well as the appellant. Deportations are a specific subset of removals alongside persons subject to administrative removal, removal due to illegal entry action or those refused entry at port and subsequently removed.
Estimates of the number of nationals of Ethiopia who had sought asylum at some stage and who were removed from the UK between January 2001 and September 2003 (the latest date for which figures are available) are shown in the table. These figures include persons departing 'voluntarily' after the initiation of enforcement action against them, and persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Returns Programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. Removals do not necessarily relate to initial decisions made in the same period. Data on the nationality of removals made in 1999 and 2000 are not available.
Removals and voluntary1departures of principal asylum applicants (excluding dependants), nationals of Ethiopia2,3,4 Number 2001 10 2002 10 January to September 2003 * 1Includes persons departing "voluntarily" after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted voluntary return programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration, and removals on safe third country grounds. 2Figures rounded to the nearest five, with "*" = 1 or 2. 3Data have been estimated due to data quality issues. 4 Provisional figures Information on asylum applications, initial decisions, appeals and removals are published quarterly. The current publication covering the fourth quarter of 2003, and provisional 2003 data, is available on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration 1 .html. Data on the nationality of removals are published a quarter in arrears. Data for the final quarter of 2003 will be published at the end of May.