§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been detained for more than seven days in the last two years in Northern Ireland; and on what grounds these individuals were detained. [18857]
§ Angela EagleThe available information relates to persons detained under Immigration Act powers as at 30 June 2001. As at that date, there were less than five persons who had sought asylum at some stage who had been detained for more than seven days in Northern Ireland.
I regret that information on the grounds for detention of individual detainees, and the requested information on asylum seekers detained for more than seven days in the last two years in Northern Ireland is not available and could only be obtained by examining individual case files at disproportionate cost. However, in general terms detention would have been on the grounds that the persons concerned were in the process of being removed from the United Kingdom, their identities and the basis of their claim needed to be established, or it was believed that they would not comply with the terms of temporary admission or release.