§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were accommodated in prisons in(a) November 2001, (b) December 2001 and (c) January 2002. [37656]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 27 February 2002]: The latest available information on the number of persons detained under Immigration Act powers relates to 30 September 2001. The total number of asylum seekers detained in prison establishments as at that date is given in the table.
50W
Place of detention Asylum seekers detained as at 30 September 20011, 2 Dedicated Immigration Service wings3 390 Other prison establishments4 460 Total persons detained in prison establishments4 850 1 Figures rounded to the nearest five, and may not sum due to rounding. 2 Persons detained under Immigration Act powers who are recorded as having claimed asylum at some stage. 3 Persons detained at the dedicated Immigration Service wings at Haslar, Lindholme and Rochester. 4 Includes 145 persons detained under dual immigration and other powers. nationality policy, (f) constitutional policy, (g) reducing crime, (h) the prevention of terrorism and the reduction of organised and international crime, (i) sentencing, (j) youth justice policy, (k) crime prevention policy, (l) policy relating to victims and witnesses and (m) community and voluntary sector policy; how many of those targets have been (i) amended, (ii) revoked and (iii) achieved since May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [37762]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 27 February 2002]: The details requested are set out in the table, although most have not yet reached their target date of either 31 March 2002 or March 2004.
Information on Immigration Act detainees as at 29 December 2001 will be published on 28 February 2002 on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS) website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigrationl.html.
The temporary use of spaces in a number of local prisons ended in mid-January 2002, as did the use of the accommodation at Her Majesty's prison (HMP) Rochester. In addition, the dedicated detention facilities at HMP Haslar and HMP Lindholme were redesignated formally as immigration removal centres on 8 February 2002, thus requiring them to operate under Detention Centre Rules rather than Prison Rules. These changes will not be reflected fully in the statistics until the information on Immigration Act detainees as at 30 March 2002 is published on 31 May 2002 on the RDS website.