§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the text of the amendment to the motion considered by the House on 2 February 2000 which was approved by Ministers but not tabled, to which he referred in his oral statement of 2 February 2000,Official Report, column 1048. [109215]
§ Mr. StrawThe text of the amendment to the motion approved by Ministers but not tabled, read as follows
That this House approves the Government's comprehensive, integrated strategy to modernise the immigration and asylum system to make it fairer, faster and firmer; notes the increase in asylum applications in the United Kingdom and other European countries as result of the war in Kosovo and instability in other countries; welcomes the provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 which will overhaul the inadequate legislative framework created by the previous Government and replace the present chaotic asylum support arrangements which have imposed an intolerable burden on local authorities; notes with concern the conclusion of the Seventh Report of the Public Accounts Committee that the contract signed in 1996 to computerise the Immigration and Nationality Directorate was over-ambitious from the outset; welcomes the substantial additional investment that the Government is making to increase the volume and speed of asylum decisions; and supports the Government's commitment to protecting genuine refugees while dealing firmly with those who seek to evade the control".
§ Mr. LidingtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions there have been under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 in each of the last three years; how many were successful; and what penalties were imposed in each case. [109211]
§ Mrs. RocheHome Office administrative records show only one prosecution under section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996, in 1999. A company was found guilty on nine counts, fined £500 on each count and ordered to pay costs.