HL Deb 25 January 1994 vol 551 cc71-2WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many of the 6,000 places in the United Kingdom set aside for Bosnian concentration camp survivors and asylum seekers generally have been taken up at the most recent date.

Earl Ferrers

In November 1992, the United Kingdom offered to provide temporary refuge to 1,000 ex-detainees whom the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees judged to be particularly vulnerable, and their close dependants—an estimated total of 4,000 people in all. In June 1993, the Government offered to extend these arrangements by taking any national of the former Yugoslavia within the group of 1,000, whether they had been detained or not, whom the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees judged to be particularly vulnerable.

At 18 January this year, 488 vulnerable individuals and 713 dependants had arrived in the United Kingdom —a total of 1,201. In addition, nearly 7,500 nationals of the former Yugoslavia sought asylum in the United Kingdom between January 1992 and December 1993, excluding dependants. This figure is provisional. No limit is imposed on the number of people who may apply for or be granted asylum