§ Mr. ColemanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deportation orders are outstanding against asylum seekers whose applications have been refused; and if he will list(a) how long they have been outstanding and (b) his Department's estimated timetable for when they will be carried out. [92103]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe available information relates to persons recorded on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's central immigration enforcement database (HOMIES) who have an unenforced deportation order outstanding against them and who have also had an asylum application initially refused. Some 1,575 such persons were recorded on HOMIES on 4 January 1999, the latest reliable snapshot figure. The breakdown by length of time since signing of the deportation order is given in the table.
In addition to those cases where further representations are being considered or where the decision to remove is subject to legal challenge, in many of these cases the subject of the deportation order has absconded and his or her present whereabouts are unknown. In some instances, it is even possible that the individual concerned has left the country of his or her own accord without the knowledge of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate. In these circumstances, a timetable for completing the removal of the outstanding cases would have little meaning.
627W
Persons recorded as having a deportation order outstanding against them and having had an asylum application initially refused, by length of time since the deportation order was signed, as at 4 January 1999 Time elapsed since deportation order signed1 2Number of persons 0 to 1 year 235 1 to 2 years 310 2 to 3 years 465 3 to 4 years 255 4 to 5 years 175 Over 5 years 135 Total 1,575 1 Time elapsed between the date the deportation order was signed and 4 January 1999, the date of the database snapshot 2 Figures are rounded to 5
§ Mr. ColemanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who are waiting for their applications to be processed are currently held in one of Her Majesty's prisons; and if he will list(a) in which prisons they are located and (b) how long they have been in their current accommodation. [92101]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe available information relates to the snapshot of all asylum seekers detained solely under Immigration Acts powers, at any location in the United Kingdom, as at 29 June for port applicants and 30 June for in-country applicants. 351 such persons were recorded as awaiting an initial decision on their asylum application; the lengths of time they had been continuously detained solely under Immigration Acts powers are given in the table. Regrettably, information relating specifically to asylum seekers detained in prisons is available only at disproportionate cost.
Number of people recorded as being detained1.2 on 29 June 19993 and 30 June 19933 who were awaiting an initial asylum decision4 by length of detention5 Length Number of persons 0 to I month 72 1 to 2 months 60 2 to 6 months 105 6 to 12 months 92 Over 12 months 22 Total 351 1 Persons detained solely under the powers contained in Schedule 2 or 3 of the Immigration Act 1971. 2 These figures are approximate because of the delay in recording receptions into, and releases from, detention and the large number of persons detained for a short period. 3 Port figures obtained at 29 June 1999. After entry figures obtained at 30 June 1999. 4 Principal asylum applicants only. 5 In some cases the date a person enters detention may be understated due to the method of recording
§ Mr. ColemanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many asylum seekers who are waiting for their applications to be processed are currently being housed by local authorities in temporary accommodation in London; and if he will list the numbers in each of the boroughs; [92104]
(2) how many children of asylum seekers who are waiting for their applications to be processed are currently in the care of local authorities. [92102]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThis information is not available to the Home Office. Currently, asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute may receive support in one of two ways. Those who apply at their port of entry are eligible for social security benefits and can find their own accommodation. Those who apply in-country may be supported by local authority social services departments under the terms of the National Assistance Act 1948 or the Children Act 1989. Asylum seekers make applications for support by local authorities direct to an individual local authority. The Home Office does not co-ordinate this information centrally.