§ Sir David SteelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each of the last 10 years(a) the number of asylum seekers, (b) the number of persons granted refugee status, (c) the number of persons granted exceptional leave to remain and (d) the total number of applicants held in detention; and if he will list for each year the six major countries of origin of the applicants. [18870]
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerInformation on the number of asylum applications and decisions made during 1994 is given in the table. The countries with the largest number of nationals applying for asylum in the United Kingdom in 1994 were Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Turkey, India, Ghana and Somalia.
Information on asylum applications and decisions for the years 1985 to 1993 is published in table 1.2 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 1993", issue 17/94. Information on the nationalities of asylum applicants in the years 1985 to 1993 is published in table 2.1 of the same publication, a copy of which is available in the Library.
As at 29 March 1995, 619 persons who had sought asylum were detained. This included persons awaiting an initial decision on their claim for asylum and those pending appeal or awaiting the setting of removal directions. Information on the number of persons who have applied for asylum held in detention during 1990 to 1995 is not available.
86W
Decisions on applications for asylum1 received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, 1994 Numbers of principal applicants Asylum applications2 32,830 Total Decisions2 3 20,990 Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum 825
Decisions on applications for asylum1 received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, 1994 Numbers of principal applicants Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave to remain4 3,660 Total refused5 16,500 1 Provisional figures rounded to the nearest 5, with = 1 or 2.2 Figures exclude information on applications made overseas. 3 Decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same year. 4 Usually granted for a year in the first instance, subject then to further review. 5 Includes refusals made after full consideration, refusals under para 340 (para 180F prior to 1 October 1994) for failure to provide evidence to support the asylum claim within a reasonable period, and refusals on the grounds that the applicant had arrived from a safe third country.