§ 8. Mr. WilkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to relax the criteria for admission to the United Kingdom as a refugee in order to speed up the processing of applications by asylum seekers. [35157]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWe shall continue to apply the criteria for recognition as a refugee which are set out in the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. We are considering a range of measures for speeding up the asylum process and will announce our conclusions in due course.
§ Mr. AllanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of those applying for asylum in 1997 who have not complied with the terms of their temporary admission and whom the Immigration Service has been unable to trace. [36517]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienAs at 28 February 1998, approximately 1,290 persons who had applied for asylum in 1997, excluding dependants, were recorded as having breached the conditions of their temporary admission, temporary release or restriction order, or having lost contact with the Home Office.
§ Mr. AllanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of the numbers of asylum seekers currently detained under Immigration Act powers by(a) nationality, (b) gender, (c) place of detention, (d) length of detention and (e) stage of application and immigration status at the time of detention. [36518]
388W
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe available information on those persons recorded as detained under Immigration Act powers as at 27 February 1998, and who had sought asylum at some stage, is given in tables 1 to 4.
Regrettably, a reliable breakdown by location of detention could be obtained only at disproportionate cost through the examination of individual case records.
Table 1: Number of people recorded as being detained1,2 on 27 February 1998 who had sought asylum at some stage, by gender and immigration status Gender Port Illegal entrants Subject to deportation action Total Male 274 411 35 720 Female 18 11 3 32 Total 292 422 38 752 1 Persons detained solely under the powers contained in Schedule 2 or 3 of the Immigration Act 1971. 2 These figures include people who have been in detention for less than a month. Because of the delay in recording receptions into, and releases from, detention and the large number of persons detained for a short period, the figures should be used with caution.
Table 2: Number of people recorded as being detained1,2 on 27 February 1998 who had sought asylum at some stage, by stage of application and immigration status Stage of application Port Illegal entrants Subject to deportation action Total Awaiting initial decision 127 252 6 385 Awaiting result of appeal 123 79 15 217 Awaiting result of further challenge or documentation for removal3 42 91 17 150 Total 292 422 38 752 1 Persons detained solely under the powers contained in Schedule 2 or 3 of the Immigration Act 1971. 2 These figures include people who have been in detention for less than a month. Because of the delay in recording receptions into, and releases from, detention and the large number of persons detained for a short period, the figures should be used with caution. 3 Includes those persons awaiting the result of a further appeal/other challenge or awaiting removal pending documentation. 389W
Table 3: Number of people recorded as being detained1,2 on 27 February 1998 who had sought asylum at some stage, by length of detention3 and immigration status Length Port Illegal entrants Subject to deportation action Total 0–1 month1 69 169 4 242 1–2 months 46 86 1 133 2–6 months 148 127 11 286 6–12 months 21 34 15 70 12 months+ 8 6 7 21 Total 292 422 38 752 1 Persons detained solely under the powers contained in Schedule 2 or 3 of the Immigration Act 1971. 2 These figures include people who have been in detention for less than a month. Because of the delay in recording receptions into, and releases from, detention and the large number of persons detained for a short period, the figures should be used with caution. 3 In some cases the date a person enters detention may be understated due to the method of recording.
Table 4: Number of people recorded as being detained1,2 on 27 February 1998 who had sought asylum at some stage, by nationality and immigration status Nationality Port Illegal entrants Subject to deportation action Total India 15 84 1 100 Nigeria 49 29 8 86 Sri Lanka 11 61 2 74 Pakistan 19 43 2 64 Yugoslavia 6 36 0 42 Algeria 21 13 4 38 Albania 9 19 0 28 Turkey 11 16 0 27 China (Peoples Republic of) 7 15 1 23 Ghana 10 5 5 20 Kenya 16 2 2 20 Bangladesh 6 10 1 17 Angola 10 4 0 14 Romania 1 11 1 13 Russia 3 8 1 12 Uganda 8 3 0 11 Iran 7 0 0 7 Iraq 6 1 0 7 Poland 3 4 0 7 Somalia 4 3 0 7 Ivory Coast 4 2 0 6 Cyprus 5 1 0 6 Gambia 3 2 1 6 Jamaica 2 2 2 6 Zaire 6 0 0 6 Columbia 5 0 0 5 Sierra Leone 3 2 0 5 South Africa 2 2 1 5 Afghanistan 0 4 0 4 Lithuania 3 1 0 4 Morocco 0 3 1 4 Sudan 2 2 0 4 Bulgaria 1 2 0 3 Cameroon 3 0 0 3 Egypt 1 1 1 3 Togo 2 1 0 3 Ukraine (Ukranian SS) 0 3 0 3 Czech Republic 2 0 0 2 Ethiopia 1 1 0 2 Equatorial Guinea 2 0 0 2 Kazakhstan 0 2 0 2 Liberia 2 0 0 2 Libya 2 0 0 2 Niger 2 0 0 2 Slovakia 2 0 0 2 Tanzania 0 1 1 2 Thailand 0 2 0 2 Tunisia 0 1 1 2 Zimbabwe 1 1 0 2 Other 13 11 2 26 Nationality doubtful 1 8 0 9 Total 292 422 38 752 1 Persons detained solely under the powers contained in Schedule 2 or 3 of the Immigration Act 1971. 2 These figures include people who have been in detention for less than a month. Because of the delay in recording receptions into, and releases from, detention and the large number of persons detained for a short period, the figures should be used with caution.