§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they keep records of the number and causes of deaths of asylum seekers (a) while held in detention centres and prisons; (b) while in National Asylum Support Service accommodation; and (c) otherwise; if so, what are the figures for the past 12 months; and, if not, what are the reasons for not collecting such information. [HL1631]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker)Records are kept of the number of causes of death of asylum seekers while held in detention centres and prisons. No deaths have been recorded in the 12 months up to 30 September 2001.
The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) does not keep records of the number and causes of death of asylum seekers it is supporting. It is not considered necessary to collect this information since the cause of death is unlikely to be directly linked to the provision of support. NASS would be informed if the person died as a result of an accident in the home, which was believed to be as a result of a failure on the part of the contractor.