§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to permit asylum seekers to take paid employment; and if he will make a statement. [9455]
§ Angela EagleWe do not presently envisage any changes to the operation of the employment concession for asylum seekers. Under the terms of the employment concession adult asylum seekers can apply for permission to work if their application has been outstanding for longer than six months without a decision being made on it.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost per week of detaining an asylum seeker(a) in prison and (b) in a closed reception centre; and if he will make a statement. [9456]
§ Angela Eagle(a) The weekly cost of detaining an immigration detainee in prison is set out in the table.
Location Cost per place Cost per prisoner Male locals 495 455 Haslar 323 360 These data are derived from the annual report for that year. We do not publish figures for cost per week so the above data have been derived by dividing the annual outturn by 52 weeks.
(b) The current weekly unit cost of housing an asylum seeker at Oakington, the only closed reception centre currently operating and based on an average occupancy of 170 in September, is estimated at £1,620. This is a higher figure than quoted in earlier replies but the unit cost is subject to variation because of changes in occupancy and, during September, this was significantly lower than during any of the previous six months. This was as a result of the contingency arrangements required in the light of legal proceedings on the legality of detaining asylum seekers at Oakington.
The weekly costs quoted are not comparable as they compare an average cost for a prison with the specific costs of a unit designed to take quick asylum casework decisions. Oakington was set up to fast track asylum applications and this has resulted in significant savings in the time taken to process applications and therefore in asylum seekers support costs, which offset operating costs.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the organisations involved in asylum seeker support and advice who have expressed to him their views on the voucher scheme; what proportion of them opposed it; and if he will make a statement. [9448]
§ Angela EagleWe have undertaken to place a list of the organisations that contributed to the review in the Library of the House, together with copies of their responses. A summary of the responses will be published in the review report.
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§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the level of support to asylum seekers including dependants, increased in the year 2001; and if he will make a statement. [9447]
§ Angela EagleThe National Asylum Support Service (NASS) is only responsible for setting the support levels for the asylum seekers it is supporting directly. NASS has not increased its levels of support in 2001. Individual local authorities are responsible for setting the level of support paid to asylum seekers supported under the interim scheme and there is no central record of the amounts paid. But the grant paid by the Home Office is subject to unit cost limits.
Some asylum seekers remain eligible for support under the income support arrangements. It is understood that the rates for adults and children were increased in April and that there was a further increase in the income support rate for children yesterday. In most cases, asylum seekers in receipt of income support will also get their full housing costs paid through housing benefit.
My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary intends to make a statement on the voucher review before the end of the month.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of every £10 allocated for vouchers to asylum seekers is spent on administering the support arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [9454]
§ Angela EagleOf the total amount spent by the Home Office on supporting destitute asylum seekers just over 3 per cent. can be identified as administration costs. This includes grants to the voluntary sector for the provision of services associated with the current support arrangements.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers and dependants whose applications have not been determined have been detained in custody for(a) over 25 days, (b) over 50 days, and (c) over 100 days; and if he will make a statement. [9452]
§ Angela EagleThe latest published information on the number of asylum seekers detained under Immigration Act powers relates to 30 June 2001. Information on the length of detention of persons detained as at this date is given in the table.
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Detained asylum seekers as at 30 June 2001 Length of detention1 Number2 More than 25 days 850 of which: more than 50 days 640 more than 100 days 365 1 Relates to current period of detention; where persons have been transferred to and subsequently from the Oakington Reception Centre, the time in detention prior to Oakington is excluded. 2 Figures rounded to the nearest five, and exclude persons detained in police cells and the Oakington Reception Centre. Figures include 100 persons who are recorded as being detained under dual immigration and other powers. Information on the stage of application of detained asylum seekers is not available except by examining individual case files at disproportionate cost, so it is not possible to determine how many of these persons were awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim on 30 June 2001.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers and dependants were held in detention on the last day of each of the last 12 months; and what proportion of these were detained in prison. [9453]
§ Angela EagleAs at 30 June 2001, 1,515 persons (to the nearest five) who are recorded as having claimed asylum at some point were being held in detention under Immigration Act powers. Of these, 880 (58 per cent.) were held in prison service establishments, which includes 400 persons detained in the dedicated Immigration Service wings at Haslar, Lindholme and Rochester, and 135 persons detained under dual immigration and other powers. Information on the number of asylum seekers held in immigration detention is not available prior to 30 June 2001. More recent information is not currently available.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) asylum appeals have (i) taken place and (ii) have failed and (b) failed asylum seekers, excluding dependants, were removed in (A) 1998, (B) 1999, (C) 2000 and (D) 2001; and if he will make a statement. [9458]
§ Angela EagleThe information requested is given in the table. The information on appeals relates to first appeals only (excluding appeals to the Tribunal, or a higher court). Appeal outcomes and removals in any given time-period do not necessarily relate to one another.
Asylum appeals Determined by IAA1 Of which dismissed2 Removals 1998 25,320 21,195 6,990 1999 19,460 11,135 37,665 2000 19,395 15,580 3,48,980 2001 January-July 423,760 19,4704 3,4,54,170 1 Provisional figures rounded to the nearest 5. 2 Immigration Appellate Authority. 3 Estimates based on Presenting Officer's Unit data. 4 Includes persons returned under the Voluntary Assisted Returns Programme. 5 Covers the period January to June only. Excludes dependants.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to abolish the voucher scheme for asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement. [9449]
§ Angela EagleWe are reviewing the operation of the voucher scheme. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary intends to make a full statement on immigration and asylum policy later this month. The outcome of the voucher and dispersal reviews will he announced at the same time.
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§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) women, (b) children under 14 and (c) children aged between 14 and 18 asylum seekers and relatives of asylum seekers are detained (i) in prison arid (ii) in closed reception centres; and if he will make a statement. [9460]
§ Angela EagleThe latest published information on the number of asylum seekers detained under Immigration Act powers relates to 30 June 2001. As at that date, 25 females (to the nearest five) who are recorded as having sought asylum at some point were being held in immigration detention centres, and 10 females were being held in prison service establishments, most of whom were being held under dual Immigration Act and other powers. Information on the age of detainees is not available except by examining individual case files at disproportionate cost, so it is not possible to determine the number of children detained. The requested information is not available for the Oakington Reception Centre.