§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve the removal system for failed asylum seekers. [159533]
§ Beverley HughesThe Government are committed to tackling abuse of our asylum system by detecting and enforcing the removal of those who fail to comply with our immigration laws. Future plans include increasing detention facilities, working with overseas countries to resolve documentation issues, streamlining our appeals process and developing alternative sources of information and intelligence with other Government agencies. We will continue to review our strategy and pursue new initiative in order to improve the removal process, our aim being to remove a greater proportion of failed asylum seekers in 2003–04 than in 2002–03.
§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of how many children will go into care each year under the provisions of Clause 7 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Bill. [159534]
§ Beverley HughesThere is nothing in the Bill which changes in any way the grounds on which children may be taken into care. The Bill simply provides that families, illegally resident in the UK once their claims have failed, would no longer be entitled to support at the expense of the taxpayer if they refuse to co-operate with efforts to return them home. If, by putting themselves in this position, parents put their children at risk, it would be for the local authority to decide how the interests of their children should be protected under existing child protection legislation We do not believe, that many, if any, parents would pin their children in this position.