HC Deb 24 September 2002 vol 390 cc453-4W
Keith Vaz

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to open additional IATs. [73048]

Ms Rosie Winterton

Currently there are no plans to open new Immigration Appeal Tribunal (IAT) premises. At present all IAT hearings are conducted from Field House in London. However, there are extensive plans to open new Adjudicator hearing centres as part of the Immigration Appellate Authorities' (IAA) expansion programme. The IAA has been tasked with increasing its capacity from the current 4,500 asylum appeals per month to 6,000 cases per month from November 2002.

Centres are planned for Newport, Stoke-on-Trent, North Shields, Bradford and Manchester, opening between November 2002 and June 2003. In addition to the new locations, the hearing capacities of existing centres in Birmingham and Hatton Cross are being increased. The precise timescales for the expansion programme remain subject to lease and planning considerations.

The capacity of the IAT will also need to increase, but this will not require accommodation outside its London base.

Keith Vaz

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he proposes to open the new IAT in Leicester. [73047]

Ms Rosie Winterton

Currently there are no plans to open new Immigration Appeal Tribunal (IAT) premises. At present all IAT hearings are conducted from Field House in London.

However, as part of the Immigration Appellate Authorities' (IAA) programme of expansion, a new administrative support centre is to open in Arnhem House in Leicester during November 2002. The IAA has been tasked with increasing its capacity from the current 4,500 asylum appeals per month to 6,000 cases per month from November 2002.

The centre will operate in tandem with the existing Loughborough centre, providing back office functions in support of the expanded network of IAA hearing centres.