§ Mr. DarlingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (I) if he will list by nationality the numbers of nationals seeking asylum in the United Kingdom whose applications have been outstanding for(a) one month, (b) six months, (c) 12 months, (d) 18 months and (e) 24 months; and, of these, how many are in detention;
(2) if he will list the number of asylum seekers by nationality detained at (a) Hardmondsworth, (b) Haslar and (c) HM prisons for a period in excess of (i) one month, (ii) two months, (iii) three months, (iv) four months, (v) five months, (vi) six months and (vii) seven months.
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Table B: Asylum applicants detained1, by nationality, place of detention and length of detention Number of persons Nationality Harmondsworth1 Haslar2 Her Majesty's prisons2 Total (i) Detained for between one and two months Angolan 2 — — 2 Bangladeshi 5 — 7 12 Colombian — 1 — 1 Gambian — — 1 1 Ghanaian — 1 — 1 Indian — 1 4 5 Nigerian 1 — 1 2 Pakistani — — 2 2 Turkish — 1 6 7 Zairois — 1 1 2 Nationality doubtful — — 1 1 Total 8 5 23 36 (ii) Detained for between two and three months Albanian — 1 — 1 Angolan 1 — — 1 Bangladeshi 5 — 1 6
§ Mr. Peter Lloyd[holding answer 1 May 1991]: A breakdown by nationality of the number of asylum applications which have currently been awaiting a decision for less than 12 months is not readily available because of delays in recording. Approximate estimates of applications awaiting a decision for between 12 and 24 months are given in table A. Reliable information on cases outstanding for more than 24 months is not available.
Available information on asylum applicants detained is given in table B. No applicants currently detained have been in detention for more than 18 months.
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Table A Approximate estimates1 2 of asylum applicants awaiting a decision in the United Kingdom for between 12 and 24 months, by nationality and length of time outstanding Number of persons Outstanding for between 12 and 18 months3 Outstanding for between 18 and 24 months3 Angolan 160 110 Bangladeshi 10 * Colombian 20 5 Czechoslovakian * 15 Ethiopian 220 155 Ghanaian 320 150 Indian 555 280 Iranian 65 95 Iraqi 50 35 Lebanese 10 5 Libyan * 10 Pakistani 280 40 Polish 5 10 Seychellois 10 10 Somalian 125 150 South African 10 5 Sri Lankan 1,415 650 Sudanese 95 60 Turkish 210 345 Ugandan 465 250 Zairois 750 270 Other and unknown nationality 210 170 GRAND TOTAL 4,990 2,810 1 As at 26 April 1991. Figures rounded to the nearest 5, with '*' = less than 3. 2 Including associated dependants. 3 Figures for African countries may understate because of delays in recording applications: those for other countries may overstate, because of under-recording of decisions made earlier.
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Nationality Harmondsworth2 Haslar2 Her Majesty's prisons2 Total Colombian 1 — — 1 Ethiopian — 1 — 1 Ghanaian 8 3 — 11 Guyanan — — 1 1 Indian — 1 — 1 Iraqi — 1 — 1 Nigerian — 2 — 2 Turkish — 1 2 3 Zairois 2 1 — 3 Total 17 11 4 32 (iii) Detained for between three and four months Algerian — 1 — 1 Angolan — — 3 3 Bulgarian — 1 — 1 Egyptian — 1 — 1 Ghanaian — — 1 1 Indian — — 1 1 Iranian — — 1 1 Lebanese — — 1 1 Romanian 2 — — 2 Sri Lankan 1 — — 1 Turkish — — 1 1 Total 3 3 8 14 (iv) Detained for between four and five months Algerian — 1 — 1 Angolan 1 — — 1 Ghanaian — 1 — 1 Turkish — — 1 1 Zairois — — 2 2 Total 1 2 3 6 (v) Detained for between five and six months Ghanaian — — 6 6 Indian — — 1 1 Nigerian — 1 — 1 Total — 1 7 8 (vi) Detained for between six and seven months Bangladeshi — 1 — 1 Ghanaian — 1 — 1 Pakistani 1 — 1 2 Zairois 1 1 1 3 Total 2 3 2 7 (vii) Detained for between seven and twelve months Angolan — 2 — 2 Colombian 1 — — 1 Ghanaian — 5 — 5 Jordanian — 1 — 1 Turkish — 1 — 1 Zairois 1 1 4 6 Total 2 10 4 16 (viii) Detained for longer than twelve months Ghanaian — 1 — 1 Total — 1 — 1 1Persons detained, as at 26 April 1991, solely under the powers contained in Schedules 2 or 3 of the Immigration Act 1971. In some cases the asylum application will have been lodged subsequent to the applicant being detained. The figures include both detained asylum applicants who applied at ports, and those detained in after-entry enforcement work. For the latter, the figures exclude persons whose asylum application was refused but who remained in detention. 2Any asylum applicant detained for longer than one month is held in one of these locations.