§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost has been to Government Departments of airline tickets for the deportation of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [27844]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 16 January 2002]: For the period 1 January to 31 December 2001 £162,868 was spent on public expense removals to Harare. This figure includes the cost of any escorts that might have been needed. The following figures cover asylum and non-asylum removals:
Month £ January 5,283 February 7,815 March 9,056 April 9,691 May 10,703 June 11,584 July 15,371 August 9,260 September 21,031 October 19,644 November 10,524 December 32,906 Records do not differentiate between asylum and non-asylum removals.
Where we can identify the inbound carrier the cost of removal will fall to be met by the company responsible for bringing the person to the United Kingdom.