HL Deb 04 February 1997 vol 577 cc143-4WA
Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer given by Baroness Blatch on 20th January 1997 (WA 45), what is the nature of the information they have about the number of asylum seekers placed in detention pending the determination of their applications for each year during the past five years.

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch)

Information on asylum seekers currently detained is compiled for operational and statistical purposes. The information it provides on the historical flow of asylum seekers detained pending determination of their application is unreliable and would require the examination of individual, locally kept, records.