§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) men and (b) women were detained in prisons in England and Wales for immigration offences on 1 February; and if he will make a statement. [98094]
§ Beverley HughesData on the number of people held in prisons for offences under the Immigration Act are not available.
The latest available data show that at 28 September 2002 there were 220 people held solely under Immigration Act powers in Prison Service establishments in the United Kingdom, information on the reasons for detention would only be available by examination of individual casefiles at disproportionate cost.
Data for the period October to December 2002 are due to be published on 28 February 2002 on the Home Office website: www.homeofiice.gov.uk/rds/Whatsnewl.html