§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total annual cost to public funds of housing in detention all those seeking asylum.
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerThe available information does not identify separately those costs which relate to asylum seekers.
§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the cost per detainee per year for each of the establishments in which those who are seeking asylum in the United Kingdom are detained.
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerThe overall cost of detaining a person in detention accommodation for which the Immigration Service is responsible is currently estimated at £540 per week including full Immigration Service staffing costs. This would equate to £28,080 in a year but 179W detention for this period would be most unusual. Figures for individual centres are not kept separately. Some people are detained under powers in the Immigration Act 1971 in Prison Service establishments, where the average cost per place in 1993–94 was £411 per week–£21,372 per year–but these figures exclude headquarters staffing costs.