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Iraq Refugees

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals from Iraq have been refused refugee status and other forms of protection in each month this year; and what their current status is. [173217]

Mr. Browne: Information of numbers of initial decisions and refusals of Iraqi principal applicants, and on numbers of appeals determined at the IAA and dismissed, for each month of 2003, are given in the tables. Appeals figures do not necessarily relate to initial decisions made in the same period.
Initial decisions on asylum applications1,2 received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, 2003 by month, nationals of Iraq Principal applicants

	Total decisions	Grants of asylum	Grants of ELR	Grants of HP	Grants of DL	Total refusals(41)
January	1,370	30	1,030	n/a	n/a	305
February	990	30	685	n/a	n/a	280
March	585	5	390	n/a	n/a	185
April	30	*	n/a	—	—	30
May	55	*	n/a	*	—	50
June	250	—	n/a	—	*	250
July	650	—	n/a	—	*	650
August	515	*	n/a	—	10	505
September	625	—	n/a	—	5	620
October	675	—	n/a	—	10	670
November	530	—	n/a	—	10	520
December	475	*	n/a	*	10	465
Total	6,755	75	2,105	*	45	4,530

⁽³⁹⁾ Provisional figures rounded to nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2.
⁽⁴⁰⁾ Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.
⁽⁴¹⁾ May include some refusals under non compliance grounds.
Note:
N/a=not applicable.




Outcome of appeals1,2 determined by adjudicators of the Immigration Appellate Authority, excluding dependants, nationals of Iraq, 2003, by month Number of principal appellants

		Appeals determined by adjudicators(43)
		Allowed		Dismissed		Withdrawn
	Total	Total	As % of determined	Total	As % of determined	Total	As % of determined
January	445	110	25%	295	66%	40	9%
February	440	90	20%	300	68%	50	12%
March	465	85	18%	315	67%	70	15%
April	150	30	21%	110	72%	10	7%
May	40	10	21%	25	67%	5	13%
June	15	*	17%	5	42%	5	42%
July	220	10	3%	165	75%	50	22%
August	485	20	4%	415	86%	45	9%
September	515	25	5%	460	89%	35	7%
October	810	35	5%	705	87%	65	8%
November	1,000	55	5%	900	90%	45	4%
December	810	25	3%	760	94%	25	3%
Total	5,400	495	9%	4,465	83%	445	8%

⁽⁴²⁾ Provisional figures rounded to nearest 5 (except percentages), with *=1 or 2. Figures may not add up due to independent rounding. Data on appeal outcomes by nationality in this table are derived from Immigration and Nationality Directorate electronic sources.
⁽⁴³⁾ igures include cases withdrawn by the Home Office, as well as the appellant.

The current status of Iraqi asylum seekers, who were refused refugee status and other forms of protection in the UK in 2003, will depend on whether they have appealed against this decision, and if so what the outcome of the appeal was. If all appeal rights have been exhausted and no leave of any kind has been granted,
 
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these individuals will have no basis on which to remain in the United Kingdom and will be expected to return to Iraq.

Information on asylum applications, initial decisions and appeals, by nationality, is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom. The next quarter will be published at the end of August 2004. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Ministerial Visits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many journeys were made by helicopter by each Minister in his Department in each of the last 10 years; and what the journey length was in each case. [175741]

Mr. Blunkett: In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. These reports contain information reaching back to 1995–96. Information for earlier years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and in some cases will no longer be held. Information for 2003–04 will be published in due course.

Detailed information for all Ministers in respect of UK travel is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

National Neighbourhood Watch Association

Bob Russell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what future funding he plans to provide to the National Neighbourhood Watch Association; and if he will make a statement. [178172]

Fiona Mactaggart: The National Neighbourhood Watch Association is an independent organisation funded by commercial sponsorship since its inception.

Nevertheless, in 2002–03 the Government gave a total of £350,000 to support it through financial difficulties. Following a recent audit my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary decided that no further public funding should be provided.

The Government will continue to support local Neighbourhood Watch. This support includes free publications and training materials, and staff time.

National Asylum Support Service

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement regarding the operation of the National Asylum Support Service scheme in Scotland. [178164]

Mr. Browne: The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) scheme works very well in Scotland. As at the end of March 2004 there were over 5,000 asylum seekers
 
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and dependants in NASS dispersal accommodation in Glasgow. The NASS regional office in Glasgow has 35 staff performing outreach, investigations and housing management functions, and playing a key role in working with Scottish stakeholders.

National Identity Register

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data sharing arrangements there will be between the proposed National Identity Register and the UK Population Register. [170335]

Mr. Browne: "Legislation on Identity Cards—A Consultation" (Cm 6178), makes clear that there will be no general power to share data held on the National Identity Register. Applications for one of the family of identity cards will require checks to be made against other databases only to establish that an application for a card, or related purpose such as reissue, is genuine. Such checks might include a Population Register developed under the Citizen's Information Project, were that to go ahead and subject to enabling legislation. We will also consider whether any changes to an individual's name and address details within the National Identity Register might be supplied through the Population Register.

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many consultants have been seconded to his Department to work on identity cards; and at what expense. [176239]

Mr. Browne [holding answer 27 May 2004]: During 2003–04 two consultants were seconded to the Identity Cards Programme for part of the year. Total spending on seconded consultants that year was £75,569.

New Hall Prison

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many suicides there were in New Hall women's prison in each of the past three years; [172655]

(2) how many incidents of self harm occurred in New Hall women's prison in each of the last three months. [172656]

Paul Goggins: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 8 June 2004, Official Report, column 327W.

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