HC Deb 05 February 2001 vol 362 cc437-8W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the immigration status of those persons who claimed asylum after arriving on the hijacked Afghan airliner in February 2000, how many such persons have left the United Kingdom to date; and if he will make a statement. [148821]

Mrs. Roche

Of the 170 passengers who arrived on the aircraft, 81 returned to Afghanistan. 51 passengers claimed asylum. Because of the exceptional circumstances of the hijack and the wider issues surrounding it, the Home Secretary personally decided each of the asylum claims.