§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many applicants for asylum have so far been dispersed from the points at which they originally claimed asylum; to which local authority areas; and what standards are specified for their accommodation. [HL1605]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonInformation on the number of asylum applicants dispersed is not available in precisely the form requested.
Under the interim voluntary dispersal scheme operated by the Local Government Association and the Association of London Government/London Asylum Seekers Consortium, 1,797 households have been offered dispersal since 6 December 1999.
The available information shows the number of offers of dispersa made to asylum applicants and their dependants. This information is shown in the table.
The standard of accommodation provided under the voluntary dispersal scheme is the responsibility of the local authority supporting the asylum seeker. The relevant standards are the same as those applied when rehousing any homeless residents.
Table showing the dispersal offers made to asylum seekers and then dependants who made an asylum application in London or Kent under the interim voluntary dispersal scheme as at 15 March 2000.
70WA
Asylum Seekers—Interim Scheme 1. Dispersal by Region From London Kent Total To North West 663 49 712 North East 256 5 261 Yorkshire/Humberside 285 186 471 West Midlands 55 12 67 East Midlands 98 0 98 Wales 0 0 0 East 0 0 0 South West 24 7 31 South Central 157 0 157 Total 1,538 259 1,797
2. Dispersal by Region/Local Authority Number North West Liverpool 259 Bolton 44 Blackburn 35 Manchester 46 Oldham 26 Blackpool 19 Salford 63 Wigan 48 Bury 52 Rochdale 62 Trafford 15 Tameside 23 Stockport 20 North East Newcastle 103 Sunderland 49 Redcar 26 North Tyneside 33 Gateshead 32 Middlesbrough 9 South Tyneside 9 Yorkshire/Humberside Calderdale 11 Wakefield 93 Kirklees 70 Sheffield 75 Barnsley 41 Leeds 39 Grimsby 88 Rotherham 38 Bradford 9 Doncaster 7 West Midlands Wolverhampton 23 Birmingham 10 Dudley 12 Warwick 2 Coventry 1 Sandwell 19 East Midlands Derby 86 Nottingham 12 Wales NIL East NIL South West Gloucester 23 Devon 5 Swindon 3 South Central Basingstoke 16 Portsmouth 120 Bournemouth 21