§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which languages he plans will be used to educate children detained within asylum centres. [53688]
§ Angela EagleI assume that the hon. Member's question relates to educational provision in accommodation centres. The language needs of the children will be taken into account in the way that their education is provided including, where necessary, through the provision of interpreter support.
Asylum seekers will not be detained in accommodation centres.
§ Paul FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what his estimate is of the numbers of asylum seekers from Slovakia who have entered the UK in each of the past five years; and what percentage of them were subsequently found to have valid reasons for seeking asylum; [54013]
(2) how many asylum seekers from (a) Romania and (b) the Czech Republic have entered the UK in each of the past five years; and what percentage of them were subsequently found to have valid reasons for seeking asylum. [54019]
§ Angela EagleI regret that reliable information on the entry routes of asylum seekers, including when asylum seekers first enter the United Kingdom is not available. However the number of asylum applications received between 1997 and 2001 from nationals of Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia is given in the tables.
Information on the initial decisions made in this period is also given, though these initial decisions do not all relate to applications made in the same period.
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1997 1998 1999 20001 20011 Slovakia7 Applications received2 290 835 70 55 60 Total initial decisions3 375 335 160 220 85 Cases considered under normal procedures4: Number of cases 375 335 160 220 85 Granted asylum (percentage) 0 0 5 5 1 Granted ELR (percentage) 0 0 1 1 1 Refused (percentage) 100 100 93 93 98 Backlog clearance exercise5: Number of cases — — 6— 6— — Granted asylum or ELR under background criteria (percentage) 0 0 100 100 0 Refused under backlog criteria (percentage) 0 0 0 0 0 1 Figures for 2000 and 2001 are provisional and subject to change. 2May exclude some cases lodged at local enforcement offices between January 1999 and March 2000. 3 Information is of initial decision, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. 4Cases considered under normal procedures may include some cases decided under the backlog criteria. 5Cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre-1996 asylum application backlog. 6 1 or 2 cases. 7Data prior to 1999 for Slovakia refer to the Slovak Republic. Notes:
- 1. Figures rounded to the nearest 5.
- 2. Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period.
- 3. Percentages for cases considered under normal procedures and those within the backlog clearance exercise are calculated separately.
- 4. Includes some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds.
Information on applications and initial decisions is published quarterly. The next publication will cover the period up to March 2002, and will be available from 30 May 2002 on the Home Office research development and statistics directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.ulards/ immigrationl.html.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers he estimates will pass through asylum induction centres in each year; what estimate he has made of the costs of introducing the centres; and if he will make a statement. [53905]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 2 May 2002]: Eventually all asylum seekers will pass through induction centres. Those seeking National Asylum Support Service accommodation will remain in the induction centre for approximately seven days; whereas those seeking NASS financial support only or no NASS support at all, will remain in the centre for approximately one day—this may, in some cases, involve an overnight stay.
It is envisaged those asylum seekers who are to be housed in accommodation centres in the future, will remain in the induction centre for around two days, while appropriate arrangements are made for their transfer.
The cost of introducing induction centres has been kept to a minimum. The Dover induction centre required additional funding for a small number of staff, (and related resources, such as information technology), within migrant helpline to deliver the more comprehensive detailed briefing. In addition a local team of staff has been created, by means of local recruitment and the introduction of a NASS office in the area, (the site of which is yet to be finalised). The introduction of induction centres will negate the need to use expensive bed and breakfast type housing on an emergency basis.
The establishment of the induction centre in Dover has assisted in a faster dispersal of asylum-seekers to NASS accommodation throughout the country, despite the fluctuating numbers arriving there; and the streamlining 326W of Immigration Nationality Directorate processes. This has assisted in delivering a more cost effective front-end process.
Further induction centres in outer London, such as the Heathrow and Gatwick areas will follow. These centres will, of course, replace a significant amount of emergency accommodation currently used to house NASS applicants in inner London. In addition, a number of smaller centres within the regions will be established. Again the opening of such centres will be closely linked to the present use of emergency accommodation in related areas and the possibility of regionalising some of the work carried out by NASS staff.
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what right asylum seekers have to nominate their own(a) psychiatrist and (b) psychologist for the production of reports on their suitability for deportation; how many have done so in the last 12 months; and in how many cases people have been found to be psychologically unsuitable for deportation. [53960]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 2 May 2002]: It is open to anyone facing removal from the United Kingdom under the Immigration Acts to make representations against that decision, and they may submit whatever evidence, including medical evidence, they consider necessary in support of those representations. Where medical evidence is submitted, the Immigration and Nationality Directorate may seek a second opinion.
Information about numbers of cases where psychiatric or psychological reports have been submitted and the outcomes of such cases is not collected centrally.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to provide financial assistance to students waiting for their asylum applications to be processed towards their monthly train fare to Gatwick to report to the authorities. [54157]
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§ Angela EagleThe current immigration legislation does not provide a power to enable the Home Office to reimburse the costs of travel for those required to report to a police or immigration officer. The Nationality Immigration and Asylum Bill provides a power which, if introduced, will mean that the Secretary of State may meet the reasonable travelling costs of those required to report.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are being held in Prison Service accommodation; and if he will make a statement. [53906]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 2 May 2002]: I refer the hon. Member for Woking to the answer I gave him on 30 March 2002, Official Report, column 410W. Information on Immigration Act detainees as at 30 March 2002 will be published on 30 May 2002 on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigrationl.html.
§ Mr. SoamesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applicants have been refused(a) asylum and (b) exceptional leave to remain in each of the last two years; and what proportion of them subsequently appealed. [52760]
§ Angela Eagle[holding answer 30 April 2002]: Information on the outcome of initial decisions made on asylum applications in the United Kingdom during the last two years is given in the table.
Initial decisions made on applications for asylum in the UK, 2000 and 20011, principal applicants only 2000 2001 Total initial decisions 109,205 118,195 Cases considered under normal procedures2: Granted asylum 10,375 10,960 Granted ELR3 11,495 19,510 Refused asylum or ELR3 75,680 87,825 Backlog clearance exercise4: Granted asylum or ELR under backlog criteria 10,325 — Refused under backlog criteria5 1,335 — 1Provisional figures are rounded to the nearest 5, and exlude dependants. 2Cases considered under normal procedures may include some cases decided under the backlog criteria. 3ELR = Exceptional Leave to Remain. 4Cases decided under measures aimed at reducing the pre-1996 asylum applications backlog. 5Includes some cases where the application has been refused on substantive grounds. Our latest estimate is that 50–60 per cent. of those principal applicants who were refused asylum and exceptional leave to remain in 2000 subsequently lodged an appeal. An estimate for 2001 will be published in the forthcoming annual Home Office bulletin 'Asylum Statistics 2001'.
Information on initial decisions and appeals is also published quarterly. The next publication will cover the period up to March 2002, and will be available from 30 May 2002 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigrationl.html.
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§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether accommodation centres for asylum seekers will be located in cluster areas where they are currently being accommodated through the NASS. [53740]
§ Angela EagleI refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) on 11 February 2002,Official Report, column 57W.