HC Deb 03 December 1993 vol 233 cc741-2W
Mr. Madden

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the establishment of the immigration appeals office in London and(a) in each of the past five years and (b) in the current year; what plans there are to increase the staff establishment and the number of adjudicators in (i) London and (ii) Leeds.

Mr. John M. Taylor

Staff establishment levels in past years at the immigration appellate authorities—IAA—are available only for the IAA as a whole and not for individual centres. The figures in each of the past five years were as follows:

Numbers
1989–90 77
1990–91 94½
1991–92 97
1992–93 95½
1993–94 117

The number of staff allocated to the centre at Thanet house in London for the year 1993–94 is 63.

There are currently no plans to increase either the staff establishment or the number of adjudicators at either Thanet house in London or in Leeds, although these will be kept under review in light of the current and projected workloads.

Mr. Madden

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the total number of appeals awaiting processing by the immigration appeals office in London; what is the average time taken between the receipt of papers from British overseas posts and the listing of appeals before adjudictors, in(a) the United Kingdom and (b) Leeds: what action he is taking to expedite the hearing of appeals; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. John M. Taylor

As of 31 October 1993 there were 19,074 appeals outstanding before the adjudicators within the IAA as a whole. As of 26 November 1993, there were 324 appeals which had been received at Thanet house in London and had not yet been processed.

Figures are not available for the average time taken between the receipt of papers from British overseas posts and the listing of appeals before adjudicators. However, upon receipt of the explanatory statement and notice of appeal from the post overseas, the IAA normally dispatches copies of the case papers to to the parties' representatives in the country within five days. The parties must then prepare the case for the hearing. The current average time between the IAA receiving a certificate of readiness from a party to the date of the hearing for (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Leeds is as follows:

Short appointment Long appointment
(a) 12 Weeks 13½ Weeks
(b) 9 Weeks 12 Weeks

Where an earlier hearing date is available at a different IAA centre, appellants are offered a hearing at that centre.