§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are their reasons for the delay in considering the asylum applications of Sayed Haider H. A. Hasan, Hamza A. J. Kadhem and Sheikh Ali S. A. Salman, citizens of Bahrain, who applied for asylum on their arrival in the United Kingdom on 17 January 1995, after being imprisoned without charge or trial since early December 1994, and then expelled from their country by the authorities; and when they expect to reach a decision on these cases.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Williams of Mostyn)Decisions will be taken on these applications once they have been considered against the requirements of the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the status of refugees. Current delays in dealing with applications are the result of the large backlog of cases in the Asylum Directorate. I am advised that decisions on these cases are unlikely to be reached before the spring at the earliest.