§ Mr. MaclennanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish a breakdown of the number of asylum seekers held in detention on 1 January,(a) by nationality, (b) by length of detention and (c) by immigration status at the time of application.
§ Mr. Charles WardleThe available information shows that 622 asylum seekers were held in detention on 21 January; information relating to 1 January is not available.
The breakdown by nationality is as follows:
645W
Number Afghanistan 1 Algeria 44 Angola 17 Bangladesh 7 Benin 1 Bermuda 1 Brazil 2 Bulgaria 1 Burma 1 Cameroon 2 China 9 Columbia 5 Congo 2 Cyprus 8 Djibouti 1 Egypt 3 Ethiopia 14 Eritrea 2 Ghana 74 Guinea-Bissau 2 Haiti 1 India 106 Iran 2 Ivory Coast 12 Jamaica 1 Kenya 20 Lebanon 1 Liberia 4 Libya 2 Lithuania 1 Malawi 1 Morocco 1 Niger 4 Nigeria 67 Pakistan 20 Peru 1
Number Poland 1 Romania 7 Sierra Leone 7 Singapore 1 Somalia 16 South Africa 2 Sri Lanka 22 Sudan 5 Tanzania 3 Tongo 1 Tunisia 2 Turkey 53 Uganda 2 Ex-USSR 4 Ex-Yugoslavia 9 Zaire 34 Zambia 1 Zimbabwe 1 Nationality Doubtful 1 Unrecorded 9 Total 622 The breakdown by length of detention is as follows:
Length of detention Number Less than 1 month 193 1–2 months 216 2–6 months 133 6–12 months 64 12 months + 16 Total 622 Of the 622 asylum seekers held in detention, 341 had been detained at the port of entry and 228 were discovered to thave entered unlawfully. They would not, therefore, have had current leave at the time of their application. The remaining 53 detainees are the subjects of deportation action. Of these, 42 are known to have been overstayers at the time of their asylum applications. The status of the remaining 11, who are to be deported on conducive grounds, or on the recommendation of a court, is not recorded.