HC Deb 16 December 2002 vol 396 cc633-4W
Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide temporary accommodation for asylum seekers within the Daventry district; and if he will make a statement. [87120]

Beverley Hughes

Daventry is not currently a dispersal area for asylum seekers who need accommodation. Asylum seekers without accommodation will be provided with emergency accommodation while their application for support is assessed. The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) does not have any current plans to use Daventry as either a dispersal area or for the emergency accommodation of asylum seekers.

Urgent accommodation has had to be found to cater for the arrivals from Sangatte. As part of this exercise NASS did consider a site (the Landmark hotel) in the Daventry district. In the event a decision was taken not to use the site for this or any other purpose at this time.

NASS needs to keep its accommodation needs under continual review. While I cannot say that the area will never be used to accommodate asylum seekers I can say that we have no present plans to do so.

Mr. Chope

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it a policy of the Government to require all asylum seekers to comply with a medical examination; and if he will make a statement. [87556]

Beverley Hughes

We do not believe that it is necessary to require all asylum seekers to undergo a medical examination as a matter of policy although development of the new policy initiatives introduced by the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act will effectively introduce screening to all those who attend an induction centre.

Once they are fully operational we intend that all new asylum applicants who go to an induction centre on arrival will undergo basic health screening. A pilot screening programme started at the Dover induction centre this summer. The evaluation of this pilot has not yet been completed. Immigration officers are obliged, under the terms of the immigration rules, to refer for medical examination anyone who mentions health or medical treatment as a reason for coming to the United Kingdom or who appears not to be in good physical or mental health. Furthermore those seeking leave to enter the United Kingdom for a period of more than six months should normally be referred.