§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many appeals by asylum seekers are waiting to be heard; what is the average length of time for the determination of appeals; and what is the monthly rate of increase in the backlog of appeals.
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Mackay of Clashfern)As at the end of February 1996, there were 13,909 asylum appeals with the immigration appellate authorities waiting to be heard. Appeals by detained appellants are normally determined within six weeks of their receipt. For other cases, due to the concentration of asylum appeals in the south east, it currently takes 13 to 14 months for a case to be heard at the Hatton Cross and Thanet House centres. However, cases can be transferred to regional centres, where waiting times are between one to three months. In February 1996, there was an 8 per cent. increase in the backlog of appeals compared to the previous month.