§ Mr. Boris JohnsonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers from Chechnya have been removed. [123478]
§ Beverley HughesInformation on the number of people of Chechen origin removed from the UK is not available except by examination of individual case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been housed in each of the London local authorities in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [123484]
§ Beverley HughesThe information is not available in the form requested.
The availability of information on the location of asylum seekers in the UK is currently linked to the support the asylum seeker receives. Asylum seekers in the UK either receive support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), local authorities or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or are supporting themselves.
The following table contains the numbers of asylum seekers (including dependants) supported by NASS as at the end December 2000 and December 2001. It is not possible to split data for these periods into each of the London boroughs.
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December 2000 2001 Asylum seekers (including dependants) supported in NASS accommodation 250 1,470 Asylum seekers (including dependants) in receipt of subsistence only support from NASS 6,210 17,910 The data for December 2002 can be split into the London boroughs:
Asylum seekers (including dependants) supported in NASS accommodation Asylum seekers (including dependants) in receipt of subsistence only support from NASS Barking and Dagenham 45 475 Barnet 90 805 Bexley 10 105 Brent 50 2,245 Bromley 20 155 Camden 35 605 Croydon 50 1,120 Ealing 90 1,900 Enfield 365 1,430 Greenwich 45 685 Hackney 135 1,570 Hammersmith and Fulham 95 475 Haringey 520 2,575 Harrow 65 790 Havering — 60 Hillingdon 20 625 Hounslow 35 750 Islington 145 810 Kensington and Chelsea 15 260 Kingston upon Thames 25 170 Lambeth 100 1,240 Lewisham 80 1,060 Merton 20 715 Newham 180 2,660 Redbridge 25 755 Richmond upon Thames 15 60 Southwark 55 1,170 Sutton — 150 Tower Hamlets 20 380 Waltham Forest 175 1,395 Wandsworth 35 855 Westminster 40 515 Other — 5 Total 2,605 28,555 The following numbers are taken from the grant claims sent to the Home Office by local authorities, as at the end of the financial year. Asylum seekers are not necessarily resident in the local authority that supports them due to the voluntary dispersal programme which operated prior to NASS.
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2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Barking and Dagenham 1,195 940 825 Barnet 630 540 343 Bexley 175 165 103 Brent 935 755 469 Bromley 250 175 95 Camden 780 555 290 Corporation of London 165 160 91 Croydon 305 250 221 Ealing 580 355 202 Enfield 1,005 890 717 Greenwich 890 725 454 Hackney 1,295 1,100 890 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,080 865 534 Haringey 2,485 2,420 1,740 Harrow 375 245 155 Havering 330 265 138 Hillingdon 1,055 730 386 Hounslow 365 330 280 Islington 2,245 1,815 1,422 Kensington and Chelsea 1,015 670 365 Kingston upon Thames 155 135 76 Lambeth 1,690 1,550 1,073 Lewisham 1,200 910 558
2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 Merton 420 360 194 Newham 2,580 2,040 1,651 Redbridge 1,395 950 508 Richmond upon Thames 925 695 313 Southwark 2,005 1,620 963 Sutton 275 195 166 Tower Hamlets 30 600 319 Waltham Forest 425 840 612 Wandsworth 5 310 230 Westminster 30 865 498 Total 28,275 25,035 16,881 No information is held centrally on the location or residence of asylum seekers supported by DWP or who support themselves.
§ Mr. MudieTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers are referred to(a) Leeds, (b) Bradford and (c) Wakefield; and what the intended maximum numbers are for each of those areas. [123558]
§ Beverley HughesThe information is not available in the form requested.
The availability of information on the location of asylum seekers in the UK is currently linked to the support the asylum seeker receives. Asylum seekers in the UK either receive support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), local authorities or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or are supporting themselves.
The following table contains the numbers of asylum seekers (including dependants) supported by NASS as at the end March 2003 in each of the three areasl.
Number of asylum seekers (including depandants) supported in NASS accommodation Number of asylum seekers (including dependants) rerceiving subsistence only support Leeds 1,785 280 Bradford 1,570 140 Wakefield 565 25 The following numbers are taken from the grant claims sent to the Home Office by local authorities, as at the end of March 2003. (Asylum seekers are not necessarily resident in the local authority that supports them due to the voluntary dispersal programme which operated prior to NASS)1.
1Figures have been rounded to the nearest five. These figures exclude cases where support has been ceased.
Number of singles supported as at end March 2003 Number of families supported as at end of March 2003 Leeds 30 10 Bradford 10 15 Wakefield 35 15 No information is held centrally on the location or residence of asylum seekers supported by DWP or who support themselves.
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§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reception centres there are in England and Wales to which asylum seekers are sent. [123566]
§ Beverley HughesThere is one establishment designated as a reception centre—the Oakington Reception Centre in Cambridgeshire, which accommodates up to 400 asylum seekers.
However, asylum seekers can also be received, on arrival, at an induction centre. Currently there are two induction centres, one in Dover and another in Leeds. Generally speaking, asylum seekers requiring accommodation will spend approximately one week in the induction centre before being dispersed. Other asylum seekers requesting either subsistence only support or who do not require support will spend between one and two days at the centre.
We are proposing to establish a national network of induction centres over the coming months.
§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information is given by British officials operating in France under juxtaposed controls to(a) undocumented and (b) inadequately documented persons who wish to claim asylum in the UK; what access they are given to independent legal advice; what monitoring is undertaken as to how many who are refused entry by British officials then claim asylum in France; and in what circumstances British officials will admit such persons to the asylum process in the UK. [124115]
§ Beverley HughesPersons refused entry to the UK at the juxtaposed controls in France who claim asylum are served with a written Notice of Refusal of Leave to Enter, which tells them that the United Kingdom is under no obligation to consider their asylum claim and that they are to be handed over to the competent French authorities.
These procedures apply both to persons with no travel documents and to those holding invalid/improper travel documents.
Given that asylum applicants are handed to the appropriate French authorities we do not routinely provide access to independent legal advisors in the UK. But public telephones are available for use in waiting areas and may be used at any time.
The UK Immigration Service does not collate figures on the numbers of persons refused leave to enter the UK at the juxtaposed controls who apply for asylum in France.
Given the clear access to the French asylum process for those who claim asylum at the juxtaposed controls, there are no circumstances where admittance to the UK asylum process will be given. It is possible, however, for the French authorities to make a request to transfer an asylum applicant to the UK if they believe the applicant is the responsibility of the UK under the criteria set out in the Dublin Convention.
§ Mr. DoddsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applicants have been removed from Northern Ireland in each year since 2002. [124147]
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§ Beverley HughesInformation on the number of removals of persons from particular areas of the UK is not available except by examination of individual case-files; this would incur disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. FlookTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if the departmental press office will answer inquiries about the Taunton/Bridgwater contract run by Clearsprings Ltd. on behalf of the National Asylum Support Service. [124222]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 7 July 2003]: The Home Office press office does answer media queries on behalf of the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) and recently provided an answer to a question from a local newspaper about Clearsprings. The newspaper was informed that Clearsprings has not yet offered NASS any specific properties and so no decisions have been made about their suitability.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what talks he has had with his Afghan counterparts about the return of Afghan asylum seekers and making conditions safer for returning Afghan citizens. [123886]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 8 July 2003]: The Government opened negotiations with the Afghan Authorities on return issues following the change of regime in Afghanistan. These negotiations resulted in the signing of a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding by the UK Government, the Afghan Authorities and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) on 12 October 2000. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishes a framework for returns from the UK to Afghanistan. We continue to have talks with the Afghan Authorities on the subject. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary met President Karzai in London on 4 June 2003, and restated the Government's commitment to ensuring that returnees have access to reintegration assistance in Afghanistan. We will continue to work with the Afghan authorities to ensure that returns to Afghanistan are sustainable.