HC Deb 14 February 2000 vol 344 c413W
Mr. Corbyn

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from Somalia have entered the United Kingdom in each of the last five years, indicating the number who are (a) asylum seekers, (b) dependants seeking family reunion, and (c) visitors; and of those how many have been (i) accepted, (ii) informed and are appealing and (iii) refused and removed. [109489]

Mrs. Roche

The available information is given in the tables.

Table 1: Admissions and refusals of nationals of Somalia 1995–99
1995 1996 1997 1998 19991
Total admissions2 5,720 5,560 4,490 4,900 1,460
Of which:
Visitors 1,820 1,470 1,470 1,780 870
Dependants3 350 280 270 390 110
Passengers refused and removed 63 76 99 190 99
1 January to June only.
2 Persons, including port asylum seekers, given leave to enter. Excludes persons given temporary admission.
3 Family members coming for settlement.

Table 2: Asylum applications received in the United Kingdom (excluding dependants), initial decisions1 on applications, appeals and removals and voluntary departures2 of Somalia
1995 1996 1997 19983 19993
Applications received 3,465 1,780 2,730 4,685 7,495
Total decisions 2,400 3,835 2,305 2,805 480
Of which:
Granted asylum 10 15 985 2,330 20
Not recognized as a refugee but granted ELR 2,205 3,580 1,015 375 520
Refused asylum and ELR 185 235 305 100 40
Appeals sent to the IAA (adjudicators) 165 110 30 15 6
Removals and voluntary departure2,7 20 40 50 35 6
1 Excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.
2 Includes voluntary departures up to and including notification of the decision on the asylum application for port applicants. Includes only those voluntary departures taking place after the initiation of enforcement action for in-country applicants.
3 Provisional data.
4 January to May only.
5 Includes 15 cases decided under pragmatic measures aimed at reducing the pre-1996 Act asylum backlog.
6 Not available.
7 1998 figure is estimated.