Asylum Seekers (Hansard, 8 December 1994)

§ Dr. Lynne Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases he is aware of involving asylum seekers who have absconded after being granted temporary admission; and in what time period these cases arose.

§ Mr. Nicholas Baker
The information requested is not available.

§ Dr. Lynne Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total cost in the financial year 1993–94 to the Home Office of detaining asylum seekers under Immigration Act powers; and if he will provide a breakdown of these costs.

§ Mr. Nicholas Baker
The available information does not identify separately those costs which relate to asylum seekers.

§ Dr. Lynne Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who have been refused asylum have been removed or deported in the last 12 months.

§ Mr. Nicholas Baker
In the period 1 November 1993 to 31 October 1994, 1,860 asylum seekers were removed or voluntarily departed.

§ Dr. Lynne Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum made after 26 July 1993 are still awaiting an initial decision.

§ Mr. Nicholas Baker
At 31 October 1994—the latest date for which information is available—an estimated 16,790 applications which were lodged after the implementation of the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 on 26 July 1993 were outstanding.

§ Dr. Lynne Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how asylum seekers are detained in prison establishments other than the designated prisons for that purpose;
(2) how many different asylum seekers have been detained over the last 12 months at (a) HMP Birmingham, HMP Haslar, HMP Rochester, HMP Doncaster and HMP Holloway and (b) Campsfield detention centre, Harmondsworth, Gatwick Beehive, Queen's building Heathrow, Stansted airport and Dover docks.

§ Mr. Nicholas Baker
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to a question from the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche) on 23 November 1994,Official Report, column 159–61.

§ Dr. Lynne Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the proportion of the 50,000 asylum applicants whose claims are still under consideration by the Home Office are liable to detention under Immigration Act powers.

§ Mr. Nicholas Baker
It is not possible to say whether individual applicants are liable to be detained until their cases have been considered. However, only a tiny proportion of people who have sought asylum are currently detained.

§ Dr. Lynne Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average cost of transporting and escorting an asylum seeker detained under Immigration Act powers to an appeal or bail hearing before the Immigration Appeals Authority.
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§ Mr. Nicholas Baker
Separate records are not maintained of the costs of escorting people who have sought asylum to appeal and bail hearings and the information sought is therefore not available.

§ Dr. Lynne Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who are held in detention under Immigration Act powers have appealed against refusal of asylum in the last 12 months; and how many of those have been withdrawn.

§ Mr. Nicholas Baker
Of those currently held in detention who had sought asylum, it is estimated that just over 60 per cent. had lodged an appeal in the last 12 months. Less than 1 per cent. of these appeals had been withdrawn.