§ Mr. Bill WigginTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons originating from countries that are not members of the Commonwealth were granted political asylum in Great Britain in 2001, broken down by their country of origin. [83889]
§ Beverley HughesI regret that information on the number of asylum seekers granted asylum in Great Britain in 2001 is not available—applications are made
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Initial decisions1,2 on applications for asylum in the UK from non-Commonwealth nationals, excluding dependants, by type, and broken down by nationality, 2001 Total initial decisions Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave Total refused Europe Albania 1,710 30 160 1,525 Armenia 145 15 — 130 Azerbaijan 125 20 5 100 Belarussia 510 5 5 500 Bosnia-Herzegovina 185 10 20 155 Bulgaria 145 — 10 130 Croatia 390 15 10 360 Czech Republic 895 — 5 890 Estonia 265 — — 265 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 11,165 340 2,015 8,810 Georgia 205 10 5 190 Hungary 10 — — 10 Kazakhstan 40 — 5 35 KyrgyzStan 10 — — 10 Latvia 395 — 5 390 Lithuania 685 — 30 655 Macedonia 625 5 140 480 Moldova 400 5 45 345 Other FSU (n/k) 5 — — — Poland 805 — 10 790 Romania 2,155 — 70 2,080 Russia 870 20 35 815 Slovakia 95 5 — 90 Slovenia 5 — — 5 Tajikistan 15 — — 10 Turkey 7,000 195 275 7,190 Turkmenistan 5 — — 5 Ukraine 1,145 10 25 1,110 Uzbekistan 30 — — 25 Other Europe 40 — 5 35 Total excluding UK Commonwealth 30,680 685 2,885 27,105 Americas Argentina 5 — — — Bolivia 55 — 5 50 Brazil 70 — 5 65 Chile 15 — — 10 Colombia 750 40 55 660 Cuba 30 — — 25 Ecuador 510 10 10 490 El Salvador — — — — Guatemala — — — — Guyana 5 — — 5 Haiti 5 — — 5 Honduras — — — — Mexico 5 — — 5 Nicaragua — — — — Peru 35 — 10 25 Surinam 5 — — — Uruguay — — — — Venezuela 20 — — 20 Other Americas 25 — 5 20 Total excluding UK Commonwealth 1,510 60 90 1,360 for asylum in the United Kingdom (UK). Reliable information on the geographical location of applicants at the time of decision outcomes is not available by region. Information on the country of origin of asylum applicants is not available.
The table provides statistics on the outcomes of initial decisions made on applications for asylum in the UK in 2001 relating to principal applicants who were nationals of countries that are not members of the British Commonwealth.
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Initial decisions1,2 on applications for asylum in the UK from non-Commonwealth nationals, excluding dependants, by type, and broken down by nationality, 2001 Total initial decisions Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave Total refused Middle East and North Africa Bahrain 5 — — — Egypt 105 5 5 90 Iran 5,825 555 295 4,975 Iraq 8,880 815 1,855 6,210 Israel 100 — 5 90 Jordan 50 5 5 45 Kuwait 60 5 10 40 Lebanon 455 15 20 420 Libya 385 60 80 225 Morocco 50 — — 50 Oman 5 — — 5 Palestine 70 5 — 60 Saudi Arabia 20 — — 10 Syria 220 20 15 185 Tunisia 45 5 — 40 UAE 5 — 5 — Yemen 275 25 25 225 Total excluding UK Commonwealth 16,520 1,520 2,325 12,670 Africa Algeria 2,665 60 75 2,530 Angola 1,255 100 495 665 Benin 15 — — 10 Burkina Faso 25 — — 20 Burundi 1,095 225 250 625 CAR 5 — — 5 Chad 105 20 5 80 Comoros — — — — Congo 885 105 70 690 Democratic Republic of Congo 2,435 310 330 1,795 Djibouti 5 — — 5 Equatorial Guinea 5 — — 5 Eritrea 1,300 120 235 945 Ethiopia 1,155 85 235 835 Gabon 5 — — 5 Guinea 110 25 10 75 Guinea-Bissau 25 — — 25 Ivory Coast 485 15 20 445 Liberia 190 10 90 90 Madagascar — — — — Mali 5 — — 5 Mauritania 10 — — 10 Niger 25 — — 25 Rwanda 965 200 320 445 Senegal 15 — — 15 Somalia 8,305 2,845 1,960 3,495 Sudan 770 120 50 595 Togo 150 20 15 110 Other Africa 5 — — — Total excluding UK Commonwealth 21,980 4,270 4,165 13,550 Far East Afghanistan 12,155 2,280 7,370 2,530 Bhutan 90 15 5 65 Burma (Myanmar) 125 30 5 90 Cambodia 5 — — 5 China 4,290 15 160 4,110 Hong Kong 15 — — 15 Indonesia 385 5 — 360 Japan 5 — — 5 Korea North 15 — — 15 Korea South 5 — — 5 Macau 5 — — 5 Mongolia 180 — — 180 Nepal 1,000 25 15 960 Philippines 55 — 5 50 Taiwan 5 — — 5 Thailand 30 — — 30 Vietnam 390 15 70 300
Initial decisions1,2 on applications for asylum in the UK from non-Commonwealth nationals, excluding dependants, by type, and broken down by nationality, 2001 Total initial decisions Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave Total refused Western Samoa — — — — Other Far East 5 — — 5 Total excluding UK Commonwealth 18,735 2,370 7,635 8,730 Grand Total excluding UK Commonwealth 89,425 8,910 17,100 63,415 1 Provisional figures rounded to nearest 5, with '—' = 1 or 2 (except percentages) 2 Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decision
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average cost of legal aid for an asylum seeker was in the last 12 months; how much was spent in the last year on legal aid for asylum seekers; and if she will make a statement. [84879]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonI have been asked to reply.
The Legal Services Commission's systems do not record expenditure in such a way as to separate asylum seekers from immigration and nationality cases generally. Nor does the commission record information on individual cases1.
The Commission can provide an estimate of the average cost of publicly-funded work for the stages of an immigration and asylum case based upon claims received for work conducted during year 2001–02:
work on an asylum application up to and including the initial decision cost on average £900;work on an appeal to the Immigration Adjudicator cost on average £1,000.work on a further appeal to a full hearing at the Immigration Appeals Tribunal cost on average £1,000; andthe average cost of publicly-funded legal representation for immigration and asylum cases was £3,133. This could cover proceedings in the High Court, Court of Appeal, and the House of Lords.Payments for all immigration and asylum advice, assistance and representation in 2001–02 came to a total of £129.7 million.
1 The number of publicly-funded asylum cases decreases at each stage. For example, only a small proportion of cases would be taken to the ImmigrationAppeal Tribunal, and even fewer to proceedings in the High Court or Court of Appeal. It is therefore wrong to aggregate the average costs reported in this answer and imply that the sum is the average cost of a typical asylum case.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers awaiting removal from the country his Department has failed to contact; what steps have been taken with regard to these asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement. [84881]
§ Beverley HughesI regret that the information requested is not available. Asylum applicants do not always inform the Immigration Service (IS) that they are leaving the United Kingdom.
We are making improvements in contact management, as detailed in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, 2002. We will seek to maintain contact with all asylum seekers. Asylum seekers 864W will be informed of their obligations to provide up-to-date address details, and to report as required, during the induction process. Provision of support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) is conditional on complying with these requirements. Those not accommodated by NASS will also be required to report. The IS will manage the contact process actively through the eight designated reporting centres, by using police stations and by visiting asylum seekers at their accommodation.
§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers there were in Somerset in each of the last three years. [85062]
§ Beverley HughesThe information is not available in the form requested.
The availability of information on the location of asylum seekers in the United Kingdom is currently linked to the support the asylum seeker receives. Asylum seekers in the United Kingdom either receive support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), local authorities or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or are supporting themselves.
Currently, asylum seekers provided accommodation by NASS are not dispersed to Somerset because NASS has no dispersal accommodation there. Some asylum seekers supported by NASS find their own accommodation and receive subsistence-only support from NASS. The following table shows the number of asylum seekers (including dependants) who were receiving subsistence-only support from NASS, and were resident in the South West region (which includes Somerset) at the requested dates:
Number of asylum seekers (including dependants) receiving subsistence-only support from NASS in the South West region1 End of December 2000 145 End of December 2001 350 End of September 2002 540 1 Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. These figures exclude cases where support has been ceased. From the grant claims sent to the Home Office by local authorities, as at the end of September 2002, and the end of September 2001, there were five asylum seekers (excluding dependants) who were being supported by Somerset Local Authority.1
865WNo information is held centrally on the numbers of asylum seekers supported by DWP or who support themselves living in Somerset.
Statistics on the number of asylum seekers supported by NASS in each region are available on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website:http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html
1 Asylum seekers are not necessarily resident in the Local Authority which supports them due to the voluntary dispersal programme which operated prior to NASS.
Recorded crime: Number of domestic burglary offences recorded from April 2000 to March 2002, by quarter Street crime initiative forces April 2000 to June 2000 July 2000 to September 2000 October 2000 to December 2000 January 2001 to March 2001 April 2001 to June 2001 July 2001 to September 2001 October 2000 to December 2001 January 2002 to March 2002 Avon and Somerset 2,823 2,891 3,346 3,336 3,529 3,840 3,693 4,933 Greater Manchester 9,447 9,043 9,878 10,816 9,232 8,940 10,246 10,663 Lancashire 2,285 2,374 2,825 3,159 3,071 3,266 2,990 2,775 Merseyside 2,882 2,997 3,163 3,472 3,499 3,498 3,655 3,695 Metropolitan police 16,651 16,523 18,137 18,858 16,596 18,352 19,599 19,384 Nottinghamshire 3,032 2,801 3,191 3,236 2,923 3,420 3,638 4,352 South Yorkshire 3,827 3,185 3,526 4,150 3,482 3,607 4,326 4,773 Thames Valley 3,106 2,867 3,642 3,607 2,827 3,486 3,254 3,830 West Midlands 7,229 7,231 8,240 8,293 6,934 7,595 8,777 7,913 West Yorkshire 6,371 6,834 8,491 8,510 6,998 7,842 9,387 10,451 England and Wales total 95,204 93,656 105,666 108,457 95,970 104,486 112,875 117,029 National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS)
The Home Office counting rules have again been revised as from April 2002, in order to incorporate the new National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS), which aims to introduce a greater degree of consistency to the ways in which crime is recorded in different police forces and to take a more victim orientated approach to crime recording. The effect will be to increase significantly the number of crimes in the recorded crime count.
Avon and Somerset (from October 2000), Lancashire (from August 2000) and Greater Manchester (from January 2002) introduced the new standard in advance of national implementation, and the recorded crimes in these forces may be significantly affected. West Midlands adopted the Standard in April 1999, and hence the figures given will not be influenced by the Standard.
The other SCI forces adopted the Standard in April 2002.