§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assistance is afforded to asylum seekers to prepare their cases when they are unfamiliar with the English language; and if he will make a statement. [75483]
§ Beverley HughesAsylum applicants are provided with help in a language that they understand at all stages of the asylum process. Interpreters are available free of charge for all dealings with the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND).
When an asylum application is made at a port or in country at a Screening Unit, an interpreter will be provided to help the applicant through the screening process. Where an applicant is given a Statement of Evidence Form (SEF) to complete they are provided with explanatory notes both in English and one of 33 languages. The explanatory notes set out what is expected of the applicant and the possible consequences should they fail to comply with our requests. An interpreter will be provided for any substantive interview conducted with the applicant. The applicant will previously have been asked on the SEF or during the screening process to give details of the language and dialect in which they would prefer to be interviewed.
If an applicant is to be sent to the Oakington Reception Centre they will be given a leaflet, translated into 29 languages, which explains how their application will be considered. Interpreters are provided on site.
Applicants who are referred to an Induction Centre receive various briefings in a language that they understand about the asylum process and how to claim support and accommodation.
All the information supplied to the applicants includes details of how to find a representative to help with the application and details of organisations that provide assistance free of charge.
If an asylum applicant receives a negative decision and chooses to appeal against that decision, they will be provided with an interpreter at any appeal hearing.
§ Keith VazTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been forceably removed from the UK in(a) August, (b) September and (c) October. [75595]
§ Beverley HughesThe latest available statistics on removals relate to 2001. These show that 48,155 persons (rounded to five) were removed from the United Kingdom under Immigration Act powers. This includes persons departing "voluntary" after being refused entry or after enforcement action had been initiated against them but excludes persons departing under the Assisted Voluntary Returns Programme run by the International Organisation for Migration.
236WI regret that data for the months requested are not currently available.
§ Mr. GerrardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum seekers making in-country applications have applied having been in the country(a) less than one month, (b) from one to three months, (c) from three to six months, (d) from six months to one year and (e) more than one year in the last three years. [76539]
§ Beverley HughesI regret that the information is not available.
Of the 20,400 applications lodged by principal applicants in the second quarter of 2002, 13,850 (68 per cent.) were lodged in-country. However, it is not possible to determine in what year these applicants first entered the United Kingdom, or whether they are currently living in the United Kingdom.
Information on asylum applications is published regularly on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.