Immigration (Hansard, 21 January 2003)

§ Mr. Andrew Turner
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many additional copies of correspondence he has asked hon. Members to provide in the last 12 months relating to(a) immigration and nationality issues and (b) other issues. [90993]

§ Beverley Hughes
Information on the amount of additional copies of correspondence sought is not kept. Thorough and effective procedures are in place to ensure that correspondence is tracked to avoid the necessity of requesting duplicate copies. The volume of correspondence received by the Home Office is large and, regrettably, on occasions individual letters may become detached from the files. However, this is not a common occurrence, and when it happens we recognise that it causes inconvenience and delay and reflects 297W poorly on the high standard of service that we normally provide. We will shortly be introducing an electronic correspondence tracking system that will prevent the need for correspondence to be handled physically, and which will mean that access to all letters is immediate and complete.

§ Mr. Andrew Turner
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he takes to trace failed asylum seekers who have disappeared. [91248]

§ Beverley Hughes
Where a person has left a control area without permission, escaped from detention or failed to comply with the terms of their reporting conditions, their details will be noted and posted internally within the Immigration Service and with the police. If there is reason to believe that a person is at their last known address, or if fresh intelligence comes to light, immigration officers will undertake a visit. In cases where he person concerned is considered a threat to UK national security, then the appropriate agencies will be involved.
In addition, as part of the improvements in contact management as detailed in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, entitlement to the National Asylum Support Service support will be conditional on asylum seekers reporting as required. The Immigration Service will seek to identify and locate those who have lost contact with the Home Office.