§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on the granting of exceptional leave to remain for asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo. [151268]
§ Mrs. RocheEach asylum application is considered individually on its merits. In cases where asylum has been refused, exceptional leave to remain may be granted on a discretionary basis in individual cases. Exceptional leave may be granted to a person for a wide number of reasons, but it is most usually granted for compassionate or humanitarian reasons, or to protect from ill treatment a person who does not otherwise qualify for asylum under the terms of the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention.