§ Lord Russell-Johnstonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many refugees of the Chechen wars have been offered political asylum to the latest convenient date. [HL1431]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalIt is not possible to say how many people have been granted asylum in the UK who had previously become refugees of the conflict in Chechnya. Data on asylum applications, initial decisions and appeals outcomes are collated by nationality only. Data on the ethnic origin of asylum seekers granted refugee status or their reasons for claiming asylum are not collated centrally and would be available only by examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.
Information on asylum applications, initial decisions and appeal outcomes is published quarterly, including data on Russian nationals. 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/ immigration1.html.