HL Deb 25 October 1989 vol 511 cc1546-7WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many immigrants, claiming asylum as refugees, are currently in detention; whether they will break down the total by country of origin; what has been the average length of detention; and what steps are proposed in order to minimize the use of detention.

The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)

The information centrally available relates to passengers who claimed asylum on arrival in the United Kingdom, and in respect of whom an asylum questionnaire had been completed.

As of 17th October, the number shown in detention was 105; the breakdown of nationalities is given in the table. The average length of detention in these cases is currently three and a half weeks. Detention is already kept to a minimum, and individual cases are regularly reviewed.

Angola 14
Bangladesh 1
People's Republic of China 1
Ethiopia 11
Ghana 3
India 1
Iraq 4
Kenya 1
Lebanon 5
Morocco 1
Nigeria 1
Somalia 45
Sri Lanka 4
Sudan 1
Turkey 6
Uganda 4
Zaire 2
Total 105