§ Ms Oona KingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum claims have been refused because the applicants did not submit their SEF within the two-week deadline. [150098]
§ Mrs. RocheInformation relating to asylum applicants who did not submit their Statement of Evidence Form (SEF) within the 10 working day deadline is not currently routinely collected so could only be obtained through examination of individual case records and is therefore available only at disproportionate cost.
The available information relates to total refusals of asylum on non-compliance grounds; comprising failure to provide further evidence as required and failure to respond to invitations for interview to establish identity as well as failure to complete a SEF correctly and within the time allowed.
The information that is available is given in the table.
Refusals of asylum on non-compliance grounds in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, April—December 20001,2 Of which on no compliance grounds: Month Total refused Cases under normal procedures Cases under backlog criteria3 April 4,205 1,165 — May 5,780 1,655 255 June 6,740 2,135 380 July 6,575 2,015 230 August 7,680 3,125 170 September 6,785 2,885 75 October4 7,250 3,110 5— November 10,105 4,425 5— December 7,850 2,840 5— 1 Provisional figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest 5 2Information is for initial decision, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions 3Includes cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre 1996 asylum application backlog 4 Cases considered under normal procedures may include some cases decided under the backlog criteria 5 Nil Note:
Includes some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds
Information on the number of refusals, and the number of refusals on non-compliance grounds is published regularly on the Department's website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.htm.
§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum cases have been dispersed under the terms of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; how many of these were(a) single adults and (b) couples without children; and if he will make a statement. [150039]
250W
§ Mrs. Roche[holding answer 12 February 2001]: As at the end of December 2000, 16,5901 bedspaces in National Asylum Support Service (NASS) accommodation were allocated to asylum seekers and their dependants. The number of bedspaces allocated to single adults and to couples without children is not available.
1 Figures rounded to the nearest ten.
§ Miss WiddecombeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in each of the past three years(a) how many failed asylum seekers were removed from the United Kingdom and (b) how many asylum applications were refused; and if he will make a statement. [150076]
§ Mrs. Roche[holding answer 12 February 2001]The information is given in the table.
Year Total refusals 1,2 Asylum seekers removed3 1998 22,315 6,990 19991 12,300 7,660 2000 4 78,180 8,970 1 Initial decision outcome 2 Figures rounded to the nearest 5 3 Figures rounded to the nearest 10 4 Provisional figures The Government are determined to increase substantially the number of failed asylum seekers who are removed.
We are taking additional measures, including expanding the number of detention places, to increase and speed up the removal of failed asylum seekers. The programme of works to deliver around 2,000 new detention places by the end of 2001 is well on track. In addition to the current facilities at Tinsley House, Gatwick, Campsfield House, Oxford and Harmondsworth, near Heathrow, we have successfully let contracts to deliver 900 places at Yarl's Wood in Bedfordshire by May 2001 and 550 places at Harmondsworth, to replace the current facility by the end of June 2001. We are also tendering a contract to deliver up to 150 places on the old Dungavel House prison site in Lanarkshire, Scotland by the autumn of 2001 and progressing plans to deliver 300 places at Aldington in Kent. An agreement is also in place with the Prison Service to allow us to use 112 places at Her Majesty's Prison Lindholme and up to a further 500 prison places throughout England for Immigration Act detainees, while the new facilities are under construction.
§ Mr. CorbynTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what average payments were made to each London borough per asylum seeker for housing allowance for the latest year for which information is available. [150547]
§ Mrs. RocheIt is not possible to give separate figures for housing allowance. The table gives the information that is available and shows the actual average amounts paid by the Home Office to each London borough for families and single adults for the year 1999–2000. The amount covers accommodation, support and administration costs. 251W
Average unit costs for 1999–2000 Adults Families Barnet 134.5 243.5 Barking and Dagenham 134.5 245.2 Bexley 141.2 231.1 Brent 119.2 240.1 Bromley 140.0 240.0 Camden 140.0 240.0 Corporation of London 140.0 240.0 Croydon 110.6 194.5 Ealing 136.2 242.4 Enfield 142.1 226.5 Greenwich 83.3 221.0 Hackney 137.2 158.4 Hammersmith and Fulham 140.0 240.0 Haringey 155.7 197.5 Harrow 140.0 240.0 Havering 140.0 240.0 Hillingdon 124.9 240.0 Hounslow 130.4 247.9 Islington 140.0 240.0 Kensington and Chelsea 140.0 240.0 Kingston upon Thames 141.2 222.5 Lambeth 137,6 215.4 Lewisham 91.1 180.3 Merton 142.8 230.7 Newham 127.1 191.4 Redbridge 110.3 224.0 Richmond upon Thames 78.4 243.6 Southwark 140.0 240.0 Sutton 140.0 240.0 Tower Hamlets 140.0 240.0 Waltham Forest 75.5 233.2 Wandsworth 132.7 241.8 Westminster 140.0 240.0