§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the backlog of cases is at IND; and what the estimated length of time is that IND takes to reply to a letter from hon. Members. [58001]
§ Beverley HughesAt the end of March 2002, there were 35,500 asylum cases awaiting an initial decision, including work in progress.
Our latest estimate for appeals with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) waiting to be sent to the Immigration Appellate Authority, provided to my hon. Friend previously on 14 May 2002, Official Report, column 604W, gives a figure of 48,000, the majority of which are asylum appeals, including work in progress.
Information on the number of asylum cases awaiting an initial decision is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Statistics on the number of cases awaiting an initial decision in all other divisions of the IND are not currently available.
807WInformation on the average length of time it takes for officials in the IND to respond to hon. Members' correspondence is currently not collated centrally and is available only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many letters are unopened at his Department's Public Enquiry Office in Croydon. [58002]
§ Beverley HughesThe Croydon Public Enquiry Office (PEO) provides a fast-track, same-day service to personal callers with regard to straightforward immigration applications/inquiries as well as operating an urgent return of documents section. The small amount of incoming mail that PEO receives is opened during the working day. Each item is linked to its relevant Home Office file and/or allocated to a caseworking unit within 24 hours.