HC Deb 02 March 1999 vol 326 c635W
Kali Mountford

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make available the first revisions of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's country assessments. [74678]

Mr. Mike O'Brien

Revised country assessments were made available to caseworkers during December 1998 and January 1999. They will be made publicly available on the Home Office Internet site within the next few weeks and copies have been placed in the Library.

The assessments are all sourced to information obtained from independent external sources and from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The assessments have been reformatted to take account of many comments received from various representative bodies and asylum interest groups (the Consultative Group). A list of assessments was set out in my reply to my hon. Friend, the Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Twigg), on 13 May 1998, Official Report, columns 127–28.