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Prosecution (Facilitators)
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases the Immigration and Nationality Directorate prepared for the prosecution of facilitators in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) 1999-2000 to date. [107781]
Mrs. Roche: Since April 1999, the Immigration Service has prepared 180 cases against facilitators and passed them to the Crown Prosecution Service for consideration of prosecution. Information of this type was not recorded centrally prior to that date.
Nationality Decisions
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationality decisions have been taken since 31 March 1999. [107778]
Mrs. Roche: The number of decisions taken in nationality cases in the period April to December 1999 was 44,100.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers have been removed during the financial year 1999-2000 to date by (a) the Immigration Service Ports Directorate and (b) the Immigration Service Enforcement Directorate. [107779]
Mrs. Roche: The information available concerning the number of asylum seekers removed from the United Kingdom during the financial year commencing 1 April 1999 and up to 31 December 1999 is shown in the table.
| Port asylum removals (10)(11)(12)Enforcement asylum removals (10)(11)(12) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 April 1999 to 31 December 1999 | 3,760 | 1,990 |
(10) Including voluntary departures
(11) Excluding dependants
(12) Figures are provisional and rounded to 10
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current unit cost of supporting asylum seekers. [107772]
Mrs. Roche: It is not possible to provide a single answer to this question. Asylum seekers who claim asylum at their port of entry may be eligible for social security benefits. This will include housing benefit which will be set at broadly the average rent for the area concerned. Asylum seekers who do not make their application at their port of entry may, if they would otherwise be destitute, be supported by local authorities. Local authorities are able to reclaim grant from central Government subject to a maximum of £140 per week for single adults and £240 per week for families.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the current average cost to public funds of an asylum seeker resident (a) in a detention centre and (b) in the community. [107836]
31 Jan 2000 : Column: 435W
Mrs. Roche:
The unit cost of accommodating a single asylum seeker in a detention centre is currently £1,300 per week. It is not possible to give an average cost for accommodating an asylum seeker in the community. Currently, asylum seekers may be supported in one of two ways. Those who are port applicants are eligible for income support and housing benefit. Those who are in-country applicants may, if they would otherwise be destitute, be supported by local authorities. The Home Office will make grant available to enable local authorities to reclaim the costs of supporting asylum seekers. For this financial year reimbursement of £140 per week per single adult will be available.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the average cost to public funds of supporting an asylum seeker under the voucher scheme to be introduced on 1 April; and what is the current average cost of supporting an asylum seeker who is (a) in receipt of social security benefits and (b) in receipt of support under the interim scheme. [107835]
Mrs. Roche:
The information is not available in the form requested. Single adult asylum seekers who are eligible for social security benefits currently receive income support set at 90 per cent. of the equivalent income support level. They are also eligible for housing benefit which is broadly set at the average rent for the area in question.
Asylum seekers who are being supported under the interim scheme are supported by local authorities. We do not yet have information from local authorities on the costs they are incurring in this financial year. But local authorities are able to reclaim grant from central government at the rate of £140 per week for single adults and £240 per week for families.
The National Asylum Support Service will be operating to similar unit cost targets.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate now of the number of additional staff which his Department will need to complement and administer the voucher support scheme and the accommodation scheme for asylum seekers, which are due to be introduced on 1 April. [107833]
Mrs. Roche:
It is envisaged that the new National Asylum Support Service (which will be located within the Home Office), will have 512 full-time equivalent staff.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his current estimate of the start-up costs and the annual running costs of administering (a) the voucher support scheme and (b) the accommodation scheme due to be introduced on 1 April. [107834]
Mrs. Roche:
As I announced in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington, South (Ms Southworth), of 19 January 2000, Official Report, column 452W, a contract has been awarded to Sodexho Pass International to administer the voucher scheme. The administrative costs associated with the running of this scheme are commercially confidential. No contracts have yet been awarded to accommodation providers.
31 Jan 2000 : Column: 436W
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish an updated version of the figures provided in the Annex to the White Paper "Fairer, Faster and Firmer" showing in respect of each indicator (a) the actual out-turn for 1998-99 and (b) the projected out-turn for 1999-00. [107780]
| Actual Out-turn 1998-99 | Projected Out-turn 1999-2000 | |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration and Nationality Directorate Budget | £209m | (13)c.£800m |
| Passengers arriving | 85m | 89.1m |
| Asylum decisions | 27,000 | (14)c.38.000 |
| After Entry Decisions | 180,000 | 200,000 |
| Removals of failed Asylum Seekers | 7,070 | 8,400 |
| Nationality Decisions | 58,300 | 60,000 |
| Cost of Immigration Appellate Authority | £14m | £16.7m |
| Appeals disposals | (15)39,700 | (15)22,100 |
| Cost of Entry Clearance Operation | £67.6m | (16)-- |
| Visa/Entry Clearance Applications | 1.5m (1998) | (16)-- |
| Asylum Seekers Support | £470m | (17)-- |
(13) 1999-2000 budget includes estimated asylum support costs and costs of administration of support. Asylum support costs depend on numbers of new asylum claims and other variables.
(14) About 250 new asylum decision makers will complete training by March 2000 and will substantially increase the numbers of decisions made each week, but it is not possible to estimate output precisely.
(15) Adjudicator appeals only
(16) Not available
(17) Included above
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many after-entry, non-asylum decisions have been taken since 31 March 1999. [107776]
Mrs. Roche: The number of after-entry non-asylum decisions, excluding those in respect of European Economic Area cases, taken in the period April to December 1999 was 174,000. This included cases dealt with by the Public Caller Unit which did not involve a decision such as return of passports, and the transfer of conditions from old to a new passport.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions since 31 March 1999 non-EEA passengers have had to wait for more than 30 minutes at Immigration control. [107768]
Mrs. Roche: Between 1 April 1999 and 31 December 1999, there were 2,148 occasions when non-European Economic Area passengers had to wait for more than 30 minutes at the Immigration control.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many non-asylum offenders have been removed since 31 March 1999. [107775]
Mrs. Roche: The number of non-asylum immigration offenders removed from the United Kingdom between 1 April 1999 and 31 December 1999 was 2,800. This figure is provisional.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the unit cost of after-entry asylum, nationality and enforcement casework in
31 Jan 2000 : Column: 437W
(a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) currently; and if he will express these figures in both cash and real terms. [107765]
| After entry | Asylum | Nationality | Enforcement (illegal entry) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) 1997-98 | ||||
| Cash | 51.62 | 368.73 | 61.86 | 670.27 |
| Real terms | 54.24 | 387.40 | 65.00 | 704.20 |
| (b) 1998-99 | ||||
| Cash | 55.49 | 396.36 | 66.50 | 720.49 |
| Real terms | 56.88 | 406.27 | 68.16 | 738.51 |
| (c) 1999-2000 | ||||
| Cash/real terms | 53.70 | 383.58 | 64.36 | 697.26 |
The unit costs of the different types of case have been derived by applying weightings to the basic unit cost of weighted output. As such they are an approximation. The unit costs exclude some overheads and also any productivity-related payments that may be due to Siemens Business Services, Immigration and Nationality Directorate's Private Finance Initiative partner. Unit costs have been stated in cash terms and at 1999-2000 prices.
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the unit cost of immigration port checks in both cash and real terms in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) currently. [107766]
Mrs. Roche:
The information requested for 1998-99 and 1999-2000 is set out in the table. Comparative figures are not available for 1997-98.
| Real terms | Cash terms | |
|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | ||
| Comparative baseline | 5.68 | 5.68 |
| 1999-2000 | ||
| Target (Home Office Business Plan) | 5.43 | 5.55 |
| Latest forecast | 5.27 | 5.39 |
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what percentage of detailed non-asylum immigration examinations have culminated in refusal during the financial year 1997-2000; [107769]
- (2) what percentage of non-asylum immigration referrals have culminated in refusals in the financial year 1999-2000 to date; [107770]
Mrs. Roche:
The available information relates to the percentage of detailed examinations in non-asylum cases carried out at ports which resulted in the passenger being refused leave to enter. This was 63 per cent. over the period April to December 1999.
31 Jan 2000 : Column: 438W
Mr. Lidington:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of appealed immigration and asylum decisions have been upheld by the appeal authorities during the financial year 1999-2000 to date. [107771]
Mrs. Roche:
The available information is given in the table.
| Allowed | Dismissed | Withdrawn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjudicator appeals(19) | 22 | 74 | 4 |
| Tribunal (appeal lodged by the appellant)(20) | 12 | 61 | 27 |
| Tribunal (appeal lodged by the Secretary of State)(20) | 34 | 65 | 1 |
(18) Provisional figures
(19) Covers the period October to December 1999
(20) Covers the period November to December 1999
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