HC Deb 16 February 1999 vol 325 cc652-4W
Mr. Coleman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the(a) average, and (b) longest time taken by his Department t o grant leave to enter or remain to a person whose asylum appeal had been allowed in 1998; and if applicants were entitled to (i) benefits and (ii) family reunion as a refugee pending the grant of such leave. [70718]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

I regret that information regarding the time between a final appeal outcome and a subsequent decision to grant leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

A person whose asylum appeal has been allowed is not entitled to benefits of family reunion until leave as a refugee has actually been granted. Once such leave has been granted benefits will be backdated to the date they ceased.

Mr. Coleman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many decisions to deport made under section 3(5)(6) of the Immigration Act 1971 with a right of appeal not limited by section 5 of the Immigration Act 1998 have been(a) made, (b) withdrawn after an appeal against the decision was allowed and (c) withdrawn in other circumstances since the introduction of section 5 of the 1998 Act. [70728]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

Section 5 of the Immigration Act 1988, as amended, places certain restrictions on the right of appeal where a decision is taken to make a deportation order against a person under section 3(5)(a) or section 3(5)(aa) of the Immigration Act 1971, or under section 3(5)(c) against a family member of such a person.

Information at the level of detail requested could be obtained only through the examination of individual records and is, therefore, available only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Coleman

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many final decisions on asylum applications were taken by an officer of administrative officer grade in 1997 and 1998, broken down by (i) successful and (ii) unsuccessful applications. [70733]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

I regret that the information on how many final decisions on asylum applications taken by an administrative officer grade in 1997 and 1998 could be obtained only by examination of individual case records and is, therefore, available only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Nigel Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact which delays to the development of the new casework system are having on the processing of asylum claims and other services provided by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. [70908]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

The Immigration and Nationality Directorate caseworking operation is at present being reorganised and new ways of working are being introduced as part of the business change and modernisation initiative. The disruption has caused a temporary reduction in service standards and in numbers of casework decisions.

Under the privately financed contract for the Casework Programme the financial risk of late delivery of elements of the Programme is carried by Siemens Business Services. There is no reason to believe the delay in delivery of the full casework information technology application will reduce casework decisions or service standards over the contract period.