HC Deb 21 February 2000 vol 344 cc819-20W
Mr. Tyrie

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what are the criteria he used to distinguish applications from those seeking asylum following the Stansted hijacking from other applications outstanding which led him to consider the former personally. [110562]

Mrs. Roche

While it is for the Secretary of State to make decisions on asylum claims, there are too many for the Home Secretary to do so in every case. However, as my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary, said in his statement to the House on 10 February 2000,Official Report, columns 417–18, the special circumstances of the hijacking caused him to decide to consider these particular asylum applications personally.