HL Deb 20 December 1995 vol 567 cc158-9WA
Earl Russell

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the average annual cost per person of placing asylum seekers in detention.

Baroness Blatch

For financial purposes, no distinction is made between people who have applied for asylum and others detained under immigration powers. The average cost of detaining a person within the Immigration Service detention estate is currently estimated at £540 per week. This figure includes the cost of administrative support from headquarters.

Some asylum applicants are detained in Prison Service remand centres or local prisons, where the average cost per place in 1994–95 was £449 per week, excluding headquarters costs.

The large majority of those who are detained who have claimed asylum at some stage have already had their applications rejected.