HC Deb 20 July 2000 vol 354 cc323-4W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 4 July 2000,Official Report, column 166W, ref. 128237, how many asylum seekers were supported in 1999–2000. [130841]

Mrs. Roche

In 1999–2000, asylum seekers were supported by either the Department of Social Security or local authorities. The available information shows that in the final quarter of 1999–2000, there were estimated to be 49,660 asylum seeker principal applicants being supported by the Department of Social Security each month. In the week ending 31 March 2000, 35,815 asylum seeker principal applicants were being supported by local authorities in London.

Information on asylum seeker principal applicants supported by local authorities outside of London is not held centrally.

Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 4 July 2000,Official Report, column 166W, on asylum seekers, for what reason information on average decision times was not available; and if he will make a statement. [130843]

Mrs. Roche

Average times for initial decisions were calculated until the end of 1999. In December 1999 the average time taken to reach initial decisions was 13 months. The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) are setting in place new systems, which will enable average decision times to be calculated and to report the percentage of applications receiving an initial decision within two months.

Details of the time to final resolution, as previously requested, are not available as there is no source from which to obtain this information. IND and the Lord Chancellor's Department are working together to enable such information to be available in future.

Mr. Gordon Marsden

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff have been allocated to the performance monitoring inspections team for asylum seeker accommodation providers; how many of these staff will be engaged on personally inspecting accommodation and support arrangements; and what targets have been set for the proportion of asylum seeker accommodation to be inspected by the performance monitoring inspections team. [131424]

Mrs. Roche

It is currently anticipated that the performance monitoring section of the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) will comprise of around 83 staff. About 20 of these will be involved in personally inspecting accommodation. Inspections will also be carried out by the property advisers to the civil estate. The remaining staff in the performance monitoring section will be engaged in carrying out investigations into complaints and allegations of fraud. Final targets have not yet been set but the accommodation inspection team is required to have inspected all NASS contracted houses of multiple occupancy of 20 bed spaces or more by 31 March 2001.