HC Deb 10 January 2000 vol 342 cc34-5W
Miss Widdecombe

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the average waiting time in(a) 1998 and (b) 1999 for (i) a hearing and (ii) a decision in respect of appeals against asylum decisions. [104043]

Jane Kennedy

The Immigration Appellate Authority has been unable to monitor the average waiting time for a decision in respect of appeals against asylum decisions. The following table details the average waiting times for a hearing.

Category of hearing 1998 1999
Certified 11 5
Substantive 26 6
Detained 4 4

Note:

Average waiting time shown in weeks

Miss Widdecombe

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many asylum seekers are currently awaiting the(a) hearing and (b) outcome of a hearing of an appeal against an initial refusal of their claim for asylum. [104046]

Jane Kennedy

The Immigration Appellate Authority does not hold separate statistics for these two categories. There were a total of 4,327 asylum appeals outstanding before adjudicators as at 31 December 1999.

There are in addition, 2,245 asylum appeals outstanding before the Tribunal as at 31 December.

Miss Widdecombe

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many appeals against initial asylum decisions were heard in(a) 1998 and (b) 1999. [104044]

Jane Kennedy

The number of asylum appeals determined by adjudicators in(a) 1998 was 25,322 and in (b) 1999 was 19,461.