§ Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal entrants have been detected at(a) Heathrow, (b) Gatwick, (c) Stansted, (d) Luton and (e) City airport in each of the last six years. [148439]
§ Beverley Hughes[holding answer 19 January 2004]The number of people against whom illegal entry action was initiated in each of the last six years for which information is available is shown in the table. Information on the ports at which these persons were detected is unavailable and would be available by examination of individual case-files only at disproportionate cost.
Persons against whom illegal entry action was initiated 1997 to 2002 Number of persons 1997 14,390 1998 16,500 1999 21,165 2000 47,325 2001 69,875 20021 48,050 1Provisional figures. Illegal entry action is initiated against those people who are detected entering the country clandestinely or by means of deception, either verbal or documentary.
This information and other statistics on the immigration and asylum system are published annually in the Command publication "Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom" a copy of which is in the House Library and can be found on the Home Office website: http: //www.homeoffice.gov.u1c/rds/immigrationl.html