§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of time asylum seekers have been kept in prison; and what is the longest time an asylum seeker has been held in prison. [13062]
§ Mr. Kirkhope[holding answer 27 January 1997]: Information on the average length of time an asylum seeker has been kept in prison can be obtained only by examination of individual case records. The information requested is, therefore, available only at disproportionate cost.
As at 24 January 1997, the longest currently detained person who had sought asylum, irrespective of their detention location, has been held—solely under Immigration Act powers—since 12 October 1993. The individual concerned was detained at the end of his prison sentence following a court recommendation for deportation following his conviction for supplying class A drugs. He subsequently claimed asylum and the application was refused in February 1994. After exhausting rights of appeal before the domestic courts, he made an application to the European Court of Human Rights and a date for the full hearing is awaited.