§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has considered the prospect of floating coastal accommodation centres for asylum seekers, and the cost and other implications thereof; and if he will make a statement. [75405]
§ Beverley HughesSite searching has continued as we said it would when we announced our shortlist for Accommodation Centre sites on 14 May. We have not ruled out the possibility of using floating accommodation centres for asylum seekers.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made to establish a system enabling the Home Office to identify the whereabouts of every asylum seeker during the period from application to final determination. [75435]
§ Beverley HughesWe are making improvements in contact management as detailed in the current Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill. This states that asylum seekers in the proposed Accommodation Centres may be required to report daily within the Centre. We will seek to maintain contact with those asylum seekers who are dispersed. Those who do not require the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) accommodation will also be required to report. During
Applications Received Total Initial Decisions Recognised as a refugee and granted asylum Not recognised as a refugee but granted exceptional leave Refusals Quarter 1 2002 2,840 2,535 220 1,430 890 Quarter 2 2002 3,420 2,545 195 1,775 575 Notes:
1 Figures rounded to the nearest five.
2 Decision figures do not necessarily relate to applications received in the same period.
p Provisional figures
Data on initial decisions are independent of applications data, and do not all necessarily relate to applications lodged in the same period.
There are no data available on asylum appeals lodged by nationality. The requested information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.
In the first quarter (January to March) of 2002, an estimated 35 Iraqi principal asylum applicants were removed. This includes persons departing "voluntarily" after enforcement action had been initiated against them and persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International organisation for migration (IOM), and excludes dependants.
Data on removals by nationality in the second quarter of 2002 are not yet available. This information will be published on 29 November on the Home Office
232Wthe induction process asylum seekers will be informed of their obligations to provide up to date address details and to report as required. Provision of support will be conditional on complying with these requirements.
The Immigration Service will manage the contact process actively. There are eight designated reporting centres which have been established throughout the country to assist in managing these reporting regimes. Contact management will be further enhanced by the use of a mobile reporting centre, by immigration staff using specified police stations for reporting and by visiting asylum seekers at their accommodation.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the latest estimated cost is of(a) building and (b) staffing the proposed pilot accommodation centres for asylum seekers. [75431]
§ Beverley HughesI refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle) gave to the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire (Peter Luff) on 8 March 2002,Official Report, column 595W.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how may applications for asylum from Iraq were received in the first two quarters of 2002; how many were rejected; how many are subject to appeal; and how many removals have taken place. [75412]
§ Beverley HughesThe table shows the number of applications received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, and initial decisions1,2,p of Iraqi nationals for the first two quarters of 2002.
Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration 1.html.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he anticipates that the first pilot accommodation centre for asylum seekers will become operational. [75429]
§ Beverley HughesI refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Mid Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) of 18 June,Official Report, column 278W.
§ 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. [75423]
§ Beverley HughesThe latest available information on the number of persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers relates to 29 June 2002. As at 233W that date, 105 persons (to the nearest five) were being detained in Prison Service accommodation who are recorded as having claimed asylum at some stage.
The routine use of Prison Service accommodation for immigration detainees ended at the beginning of this year, but it remains necessary to hold small numbers of detainees in prison for reasons of control and security. The figure of 105 may also include individuals who are held pending deportation on completion of custodial sentences.
Information on Immigration Act detainees as at 28 September 2002 will be published on 29 November 2002 on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration 1.html.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what efforts he has made to renegotiate the bilateral agreement with France relating to the return of illegal entrants to France; and if he will make a statement. [75415]
§ Beverley HughesA bilateral "Gentleman's Agreement" between the UK and France operated in relation to asylum seekers from 1995 to 1997 and is still in force in relation to other illegal entrants. The first clause of that agreement stated that its application to asylum seekers would be superseded by the Dublin Convention when that came into force.
We believe the most important thing is to stop the flow of clandestine immigrants from France to the UK in the first place. My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary has developed a very constructive working relationship with his French counterpart, Mr. Sarkozy, and we are putting in place a broad range of measures which will drive this flow down. These include a commitment to closing the Sangatte centre, and tougher immigration controls and security measures.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the number of failed asylum seekers in the UK. [75416]
§ Beverley HughesThe information requested is unavailable, partly because it is not possible to determine the number of unsuccessful asylum seekers who leave the United Kingdom voluntarily without informing the Immigration Service of their departure.
234WInformation on asylum applications, decisions, appeals and removals is published regularly on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of failed asylum seekers who were removed from the UK in the last 12 months were(a) in detention prior to removal and (b) at large prior to removal. [75413]
§ Beverley HughesThe number of asylum seekers removed in the 12 months ending June 2002 is given in the table. More recent information is not yet available. Information on how many of these persons were in detention or at large prior to removal could be obtained only by examining individual case files at disproportionate cost.
Asylum seekers removedp,1 principal applicants removed Dependants removed Total asylum seekers removed July 2001 to June 2002 9,890 2,030 11,920 Notes:
P Provisional data, rounded to the nearest five.
1 Includes persons departing "voluntarily" after enforcement action had been initiated against them and persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration.
Information on the number of asylum seekers removed in the third quarter (July to September) of 2002 will be published on 29 November on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/ immigration1.html.
§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what opportunities are available to those claiming asylum to change(a) caseworkers and (b) counsel allocated to them. [75482]
§ Beverley HughesIt is open to applicants to change their representatives or counsel at any time, as they are engaged by the applicant and not allocated by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND). IND caseworkers are allocated according to the needs of the business, and it would not be open to the applicant to request a change, save in the most exceptional circumstances.
235W