§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied asylum seekers under 18 received a custodial sentence broken down by(a) age, (b) sex and (c) establishment in 2002. [126968]
§ Beverley HughesI regret that the information requested is not available from existing data collection systems and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Details of the immigration status of unaccompanied asylum seekers under 18 who have received a custodial sentence are not collated centrally and will not necessarily be recorded by the courts or the Prison Service.
Information on asylum applications is published quarterly on the Home Office website at: http:/www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. The next publication will be available from the end of August and will cover the second quarter of 2003.