§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, and if so to what extent, the Asylum Bill and any consequent delegated legislation have retrospective effects, in particular concerning deportation from the United Kingdom.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Earl Ferrers)The majority of the provisions of the Asylum Bill will apply to people with outstanding asylum applications at the time they are brought into force as well as those who make applications after the relevant date. The housing provisions will apply to applications under the homelessness legislation made after they come into force. The new Immigration and Appeals Procedure Rules will apply respectively to decisions taken and appeals made after they come into force. This general pattern applies to decisions to deport and appeals against such decisions.