§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are their current criteria for deciding whether a country should be classified as "designated" for the purpose of immigration and asylum control; and [HL1900]
193WAWhat are their reasons for continuing to classify Pakistan as a "designated" country for the purposes of immigration and asylum control. [HL1901]
§ Lord Williams of MostynParagraph 5 of Schedule 2 to the Asylum and Immigration Appeals Act 1993 (as substituted by Section 1 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996) provides that a country or territory in which it appears to the Secretary of State there is, in general, no serious risk of persecution may be designated by order. The Government are reviewing all aspects of asylum law and procedure, but are for the present maintaining the designation of those countries currently designated under paragraph 5 of Schedule 2 to the 1993 Act, subject to our continuing assessment of conditions in countries to which applicants for asylum are liable to return.