HC Deb 20 March 2002 vol 382 cc408-11W
Mr. Malins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are being held in Prison Service accommodation. [43038]

Angela Eagle

[holding answer 14 March 2002]: The latest available information on the number of persons detained under Immigration Act powers relates to 29 December 2001. The total number of asylum seekers detained in prison establishments as at that date is given in the table.

Place of detention Asylum seekers detained as at 29 December 20011,2
Dedicated Immigration Service wings3 295
Other prison establishments4 170
Total persons detained in prison establishments 4 465
1 Figures rounded to the nearest five.
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 125 persons detained under dual immigration and other powers.

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 Rochester. In addition, the dedicated detention facilities at Her Majesty"s Prison Haslar and Her Majesty"s Prison 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 Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration 1.html.

Following the incident at Yarl"s Wood removal centre on 14-15 February 2002 a number of detainees held at that centre and others have been transferred to prison accommodation. This is consistent with our policy on the use of prison accommodation for detainees who pose particular control and security risks.

Mr. Matins

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he has changed his policy on his commitment not to house asylum seekers in prisons; and if he will make a statement; [43031]

(2)if asylum seekers who have not had an initial decision on their case are being held in Prison Service accommodation. [43030]

Angela Eagle

[holding answer 14 March 2002]: Our policy on the detention of asylum seekers in prison remains as set out in our White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven—Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain". We made it clear that, although the routine use of prison accommodation for immigration detainees had ended, there would remain a need to hold small numbers of individuals, including asylum seekers, in prison for reasons of security. This would, for example, include individuals transferred to prison accommodation following the incident at Yarl"s Wood removal centre on 14-15 February 2002. Such individuals would be identified on the basis of the security risk they are assessed to pose rather than on the progress of any asylum or other claim they may have made. As such, individuals who are assessed to pose a security risk and who have yet to receive a decision on their asylum application may be held in prison accommodation.

Julie Morgan

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if asylum seekers with dependent children will be eligible for subsistence benefits for them and their children if they choose to live with family or friends in the UK under his immigration and asylum proposals. [40681]

Angela Eagle

The White Paper "Secure Borders, Safe Haven—Integration with Diversity in Modern Britain" (Chapter 4 Paragraph 53) makes it clear that for the future, the case for abolishing the subsistence only option will be looked at and a power to allow this will be taken in forthcoming legislation. As yet we have not set any timetable for ending the subsistence only support option.

Paragraph 4.33 of the White Paper makes it clear that asylum seekers who refuse the offer of a place in one of the accommodation centres being trialled will not be offered any alternative forms of support. There is no reason why these proposals should lead to greater destitution among asylum seekers. We will be offering both accommodation and subsistence support to those who need it.

John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) of 13 February 2002, Official Report, column 461W, on asylum seeker accommodation centres, when the final criteria for selection of the four accommodation centres will be decided; who will draw up the final criteria; and how this information will be announced. [42747]

Angela Eagle

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) on 11 March 2002, Official Report, column 718W.

John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Banbury (Tony Baldry) of 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 160W, on asylum seeker accommodation centres, what education facilities will be made available to asylum seekers; and what role(a) local schools, (b) colleges and (c) other education institutions will be expected to take in the provision of education. [42727]

Angela Eagle

The trial accommodation centres will offer education facilities. We are working with key stakeholders to establish the range of facilities that will be available to children on-site and what if any role local schools, colleges and other educational institutions will be expected to take.

Mr. Gerrard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are detained; and of these how many are(a) awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim and (b)awaiting an appeal. [42947]

Angela Eagle

The latest available information on the number of persons detained under Immigration Act powers relates to 29 December 2001. As at that date, 1,410 persons (to the nearest five) were being detained who had sought asylum at some stage.

I regret that the requested information on how many of these persons were awaiting an initial decision on their asylum claim and how many were awaiting an appeal on 29 December 2001, is not available and could be obtained only by examining individual case files at disproportionate cost.

Information on Immigration Act detainees as at 30 March 2002 will be published on 31 May 2002 on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice. gov.uk/rds/immigrationl.html.

Mr. Caton

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will serve an asylum seeker"s appeal dismissal when it is served personally on the other parties and the appellant"s representative, if he has one, under the rules that came into force on 7 January. [42907]

Angela Eagle

An official of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) serves the appeal determination, either in person, by post or by facsimile. If the asylum seeker"s representative is present at the time of personal service, they will receive simultaneous notification from the official serving the determination on their client. If the representative is not present, it is usual practice for an IND official to provide notification, normally by facsimile, within 24 hours.

John Barrett

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been dispersed to areas in Scotland in the last 12 months, broken down by local authority; and what percentage of these have had their asylum applications approved. [42737]

Angela Eagle

The only cluster area to which the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) disperses asylum seekers in Scotland is Glasgow.

As at the end of December 2001, 4,750 asylum seekers (including dependants) were being supported in NASS accommodation in Glasgow. The cumulative number dispersed to Glasgow over the last 12 months is not currently available.

This information broken down by local authority is not currently available.

NASS does not currently hold statistics on the asylum status of supported asylum seekers.