House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 16 Nov 2004 (pt 50)

16 Nov 2004 : Column 1401W—continued

Asylum Seekers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding was provided to local authorities to deal with the costs associated with asylum

16 Nov 2004 : Column 1402W

seekers and their dependants in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) funding stream. [190934]

Mr. Browne: Information for the financial years 1997–98 and 1998–99 is not available and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Payments made to local authorities on the basis of normal funding grants and special circumstances grants in 1999–2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02 are presented in the following table by authority and funding stream and a copy will be placed in the Library. These payments are made from within the overall National Asylum Support Service budget.

Payments for 2002–03 and 2003–04 are subject to audit.

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) asylum seekers and (b) asylum seeker dependants reside in the UK, broken down by local authority area. [190938]

Mr. Browne: Figures for asylum seekers (including dependants) supported in National Asylum Support Service (NASS) accommodation and those in receipt of subsistence only support from NASS in each local authority area as at the end of June 2004 are presented in the following tables. Corresponding figures for those not in receipt of NASS support are not available.

Numbers of asylum seekers placed in NASS accommodation and numbers who are in receipt of subsistence only support from NASS, are published on a quarterly and annual basis. Information covering the third quarter of 2004 (July to September) was published on 16 November on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
Asylum seekers in receipt of subsistence only support from NASS, by local authority and UK Government OfficeRegion as at the end of June 2004

England Number of applicants (including dependants Percentage

North East Gateshead 30 —

Middlesbrough 40 —

Newcastle upon Tyne 50 —

Stockton-on-Tees 20 —

Other 35 —

Total 175 1

North West Bolton 40 —

Liverpool 105 —

Manchester 395 —

Oldham 25 —

Pendle 20 —

Preston 25 —

Salford 60 —

Sefton 20 —

Stockport 25 —

Trafford 25 —

Other 130 —

Total 865 3

Yorkshire and the Humber Bradford 140 —

Doncaster 30 —

Kingston upon Hull 60 —

Kirklees 40 —

Leeds 245 —

Rotherham 25 —

Sheffield 120 —

Wakefield 25 —

Other 70 —

Total 760 3

East Midlands Corby 20 —

Derby 70 —

Leicester 400 —

Northampton 140 —

Nottingham 140 —

Other 105 —

Total 870 3

West Midlands Birmingham 650 —

Coventry 215 —

Dudley 30 —

Sandwell 120 —

Stoke-on-Trent 30 —

Walsall 30 —

Wolverhampton 95 —

Other 80 —

Total 1,255 5

East of England Bedford 70 —

Ipswich 35 —

King's Lynn and West Norfolk 25 —

Luton 230 —

Norwich 20 —

Peterborough 165 —

South Cambridgeshire 35 —

Southend-on-Sea 80 —

Thurrock 40 —

Watford 45 —

Other 205 —

Total 955 4

Greater London Barking and Dagenham 370 —

Barnet 575 —

Bexley 70 —

Brent 1,275 —

Bromley 70 —

Camden 385 —

Croydon 605 —

Ealing 1,205 —

Enfield 1,120 —

Greenwich 430 —

Hackney 945 —

Hammersmith and Fulham 270 —

Haringey 1,675 —

Harrow 490 —

Havering 35 —

Hillingdon 430 —

Hounslow 570 —

Islington 555 —

Kingston upon Thames 105 —

Lambeth 815 —

Lewisham 585 —

Merton 380 —

Newham 1,650 —

Redbridge 560 —

Richmond upon Thames 60 —

Southward 760 —

Button 100 —

Tower Hamlets 270 —

Waltham Forest 900 —

Wandsworth 565 —

Westminster 305 —

Other * —

Total 18,295 72

South East Ashford 30 —

Brighton and Hove 80 —

Crawley 70 —

Dartford 20 —

Eastbourne 20 —

Gravesham 30 —

Hastings 65 —

Maidstone 25 —

Medway 50 —

Milton Keynes 125 —

Oxford 105 —

Portsmouth 30 —

Reading 115 —

Rushmoor 40 —

Slough 285 —

Southampton 105 —

Thanet 35 —

Other 315 —

Total 1,550 6

South West Bournemouth 35 —

Bristol 175 —

Gloucester 25 —

Plymouth 20 —

Swindon 40 —

Other 65 —

Total 355 1

Total (England) 25,085 99

Wales Cardiff 50 —

Newport 30 —

Swansea 30 —

Other 40 —

Total 155 1

Scotland Edinburgh 65 —

Glasgow City 80 —

Other 55

Total 200 1

Northern Ireland Other 20 —

Total 20 0

Total (United Kingdom) 25,465 —

* = 1 or 2. Figures (other than percentages) are rounded to the nearest 5 and may not sum due to rounding.
Note:
Local authorities with fewer than 20 cases are grouped by region as "Other".

16 Nov 2004 : Column 1405W

Asylum seekers supported in NASS accommodation, by local authority and UK Government Office Region, as at the end of June 2004

Number of applicants (including dependants)

Region Local authority Dispersed Disbenefited Total

England

North East Darlington 30 — 30

Gateshead 450 5 455

Hartlepool 30 — 30

Middlesbrough 610 5 615

Newcastle upon Tyne 1,565 10 1,575

North Tyneside 340 — 340

Redcar and Cleveland 335 — 335

South Tyneside 145 — 145

Stock-on-Tees 525 — 525

Sunderland 565 — 565

Total 4,600 25 4,620

North West Blackburn with Darwen 335 15 350

Bolton 765 — 765

Burnley 30 — 30

Bury 490 — 490

Crewe and Nantwich 5 — 5

Hyndburn * — *

Liverpool 1,055 — 1.055

Manchester 1,325 15 1,340

Oldham 565 — 565

Pendle 25 — 25

Preston — * *

Rochdale 435 — 435

Salford 920 5 920

Sefton 50 — 50

Stockport 235 — 235

Tameside 265 — 265

Trafford 100 10 105

Wigan 685 — 685

Wirral — 5 5

Total 7,280 45 7,325

Yorkshire and the Humber Barnsley 510 — 510

Bradford 1,235 10 1,245

Calderdale 265 — 265

Doncaster 985 — 985

Kingston upon Hull, City of 785 — 785

Kirklees 1,070 — 1,070

Leeds 1,995 5 2,000

North East Lincolnshire 175 — 175

Rotherham 695 — 695

Sheffield 1,330 5 1,340

Wakefield 485 — 485

York — 5 5

Total 9,530 25 9,555

East Midlands Charnwood 15 — 15

Derby 805 — 805

Gedling 15 — 15

Leicester 935 5 940

Lincoln 35 — 35

Northampton — 5 5

Nottingham 1,030 — 1,030

Rushcliffe 5 — 5

Total 2,840 10 2,850

West Midlands Birmingham 2,845 30 2,875

Coventry 955 — 955

Dudley 655 — 655

Herefordshire — 5 5

Newcastle-under-Lyme 35 — 35

Nuneaton and Bedworth — 5 5

Sandwell 845 15 860

Solihull 100 — 100

Stoke-on-Trent 885 5 895

Walsall 555 — 555

Wolverhampton 875 — 875

Wychavon — 5 5

Total 7,760 65 7,820

East of England Bedford — 10 10

Broadland 5 — 5

Epping Forest 20 — 20

Ipswich 55 5 60

Luton — 10 10

Norwich 130 * 130

Peterborough 415 * 415

Southend-on-Sea — 15 15

Stevenage — * *

Watford — 5 5

Total 620 55 670

Greater London Camden 15 20 35

Croydon — 80 80

Ealing — 75 75

Enfield 140 115 255

Greenwich — 25 25

Hackney 45 65 115

Hammersmith and Fulham — 75 75

Haringey 310 160 470

Harrow — 50 50

Havering — 5 5

Hillingdon — 15 15

Hounslow — 15 15

Islington 40 80 120

Kensington and Chelsea — 5 5

Kingston upon Thames — 10 10

Lambeth — 45 45

Lewisham — 55 55

Merton — 15 15

Newham 30 115 145

Redbridge 10 45 55

Richmond upon Thames — 5 5

Southwark — 50 50

Sutton — 5 5

Tower Hamlets — 15 15

Waltham Forest 45 75 120

Wandsworth — 10 10

Westminster — 20 20

Total 660 1,375 2,035

South East Brighton and Hove 40 15 55

Dartford — 5 5

Hastings 145 — 145

Medway — 10 10

Milton Keynes — * *

Oxford — 15 15

Portsmouth 440 — 440

Slough — 10 10

Southampton 250 5 255

Total 880 60 940

South West Bristol 420 — 420

Exeter 45 — 45

Gloucester 80 30 110

Plymouth 445 — 445

South Gloucestershire 85 — 85

Swindon 130 10 145

Weymouth and Portland — * *

Total 1,210 45 1,255

Total (England) 35,375 1,695 37,070

Wales Cardiff 1,060 — 1,060

Neath Port Talbot * — *

Newport 355 5 360

Swansea 900 — 900

Wrexham 55 55

Total 2,370 5 2,375

Scotland Glasgow City 5,580 — 5,580

Total 5,580 — 5,580

Northern Ireland Belfast 100 — 100

Coleraine * — *

Newry and Mourne * — *

Newtownabbey 5 — 5

Total 110 — 110

Total (United Kingdom) 43,435 1,700 45,135

* = 1 or 2. Figures (other than percentages) are rounded to the nearest 5 and may not sum due to rounding.
Notes:
Disbenefited cases are cases which were previously supported under the main UK benefits system and have been moved onto NASS support. Some of these cases have remained in the original social services accommodation.

16 Nov 2004 : Column 1409W

16 Nov 2004 : Column 1411W

England		Number of applicants (including dependants	Percentage
North East	Gateshead	30	—
	Middlesbrough	40	—
	Newcastle upon Tyne	50	—
	Stockton-on-Tees	20	—
	Other	35	—
	Total	175	1

North West	Bolton	40	—
	Liverpool	105	—
	Manchester	395	—
	Oldham	25	—
	Pendle	20	—
	Preston	25	—
	Salford	60	—
	Sefton	20	—
	Stockport	25	—
	Trafford	25	—
	Other	130	—
	Total	865	3

Yorkshire and the Humber	Bradford	140	—
	Doncaster	30	—
	Kingston upon Hull	60	—
	Kirklees	40	—
	Leeds	245	—
	Rotherham	25	—
	Sheffield	120	—
	Wakefield	25	—
	Other	70	—
	Total	760	3

East Midlands	Corby	20	—
	Derby	70	—
	Leicester	400	—
	Northampton	140	—
	Nottingham	140	—
	Other	105	—
	Total	870	3

West Midlands	Birmingham	650	—
	Coventry	215	—
	Dudley	30	—
	Sandwell	120	—
	Stoke-on-Trent	30	—
	Walsall	30	—
	Wolverhampton	95	—
	Other	80	—
	Total	1,255	5

East of England	Bedford	70	—
	Ipswich	35	—
	King's Lynn and West Norfolk	25	—
	Luton	230	—
	Norwich	20	—
	Peterborough	165	—
	South Cambridgeshire	35	—
	Southend-on-Sea	80	—
	Thurrock	40	—
	Watford	45	—
	Other	205	—
	Total	955	4

Greater London	Barking and Dagenham	370	—
	Barnet	575	—
	Bexley	70	—
	Brent	1,275	—
	Bromley	70	—
	Camden	385	—
	Croydon	605	—
	Ealing	1,205	—
	Enfield	1,120	—
	Greenwich	430	—
	Hackney	945	—
	Hammersmith and Fulham	270	—
	Haringey	1,675	—
	Harrow	490	—
	Havering	35	—
	Hillingdon	430	—
	Hounslow	570	—
	Islington	555	—
	Kingston upon Thames	105	—
	Lambeth	815	—
	Lewisham	585	—
	Merton	380	—
	Newham	1,650	—
	Redbridge	560	—
	Richmond upon Thames	60	—
	Southward	760	—
	Button	100	—
	Tower Hamlets	270	—
	Waltham Forest	900	—
	Wandsworth	565	—
	Westminster	305	—
	Other	*	—
	Total	18,295	72

South East	Ashford	30	—
	Brighton and Hove	80	—
	Crawley	70	—
	Dartford	20	—
	Eastbourne	20	—
	Gravesham	30	—
	Hastings	65	—
	Maidstone	25	—
	Medway	50	—
	Milton Keynes	125	—
	Oxford	105	—
	Portsmouth	30	—
	Reading	115	—
	Rushmoor	40	—
	Slough	285	—
	Southampton	105	—
	Thanet	35	—
	Other	315	—
	Total	1,550	6

South West	Bournemouth	35	—
	Bristol	175	—
	Gloucester	25	—
	Plymouth	20	—
	Swindon	40	—
	Other	65	—
	Total	355	1

	Total (England)	25,085	99

Wales	Cardiff	50	—
	Newport	30	—
	Swansea	30	—
	Other	40	—
	Total	155	1

Scotland	Edinburgh	65	—
	Glasgow City	80	—
	Other	55
	Total	200	1

Northern Ireland	Other	20	—
	Total	20	0

	Total (United Kingdom)	25,465	—

		Number of applicants (including dependants)
Region	Local authority	Dispersed	Disbenefited	Total
England
North East	Darlington	30	—	30
	Gateshead	450	5	455
	Hartlepool	30	—	30
	Middlesbrough	610	5	615
	Newcastle upon Tyne	1,565	10	1,575
	North Tyneside	340	—	340
	Redcar and Cleveland	335	—	335
	South Tyneside	145	—	145
	Stock-on-Tees	525	—	525
	Sunderland	565	—	565
	Total	4,600	25	4,620

North West	Blackburn with Darwen	335	15	350
	Bolton	765	—	765
	Burnley	30	—	30
	Bury	490	—	490
	Crewe and Nantwich	5	—	5
	Hyndburn	*	—	*
	Liverpool	1,055	—	1.055
	Manchester	1,325	15	1,340
	Oldham	565	—	565
	Pendle	25	—	25
	Preston	—	*	*
	Rochdale	435	—	435
	Salford	920	5	920
	Sefton	50	—	50
	Stockport	235	—	235
	Tameside	265	—	265
	Trafford	100	10	105
	Wigan	685	—	685
	Wirral	—	5	5
	Total	7,280	45	7,325

Yorkshire and the Humber	Barnsley	510	—	510
	Bradford	1,235	10	1,245
	Calderdale	265	—	265
	Doncaster	985	—	985
	Kingston upon Hull, City of	785	—	785
	Kirklees	1,070	—	1,070
	Leeds	1,995	5	2,000
	North East Lincolnshire	175	—	175
	Rotherham	695	—	695
	Sheffield	1,330	5	1,340
	Wakefield	485	—	485
	York	—	5	5
	Total	9,530	25	9,555

East Midlands	Charnwood	15	—	15
	Derby	805	—	805
	Gedling	15	—	15
	Leicester	935	5	940
	Lincoln	35	—	35
	Northampton	—	5	5
	Nottingham	1,030	—	1,030
	Rushcliffe	5	—	5
	Total	2,840	10	2,850

West Midlands	Birmingham	2,845	30	2,875
	Coventry	955	—	955
	Dudley	655	—	655
	Herefordshire	—	5	5
	Newcastle-under-Lyme	35	—	35
	Nuneaton and Bedworth	—	5	5
	Sandwell	845	15	860
	Solihull	100	—	100
	Stoke-on-Trent	885	5	895
	Walsall	555	—	555
	Wolverhampton	875	—	875
	Wychavon	—	5	5
	Total	7,760	65	7,820

East of England	Bedford	—	10	10
	Broadland	5	—	5
	Epping Forest	20	—	20
	Ipswich	55	5	60
	Luton	—	10	10
	Norwich	130	*	130
	Peterborough	415	*	415
	Southend-on-Sea	—	15	15
	Stevenage	—	*	*
	Watford	—	5	5
	Total	620	55	670

Greater London	Camden	15	20	35
	Croydon	—	80	80
	Ealing	—	75	75
	Enfield	140	115	255
	Greenwich	—	25	25
	Hackney	45	65	115
	Hammersmith and Fulham	—	75	75
	Haringey	310	160	470
	Harrow	—	50	50
	Havering	—	5	5
	Hillingdon	—	15	15
	Hounslow	—	15	15
	Islington	40	80	120
	Kensington and Chelsea	—	5	5
	Kingston upon Thames	—	10	10
	Lambeth	—	45	45
	Lewisham	—	55	55
	Merton	—	15	15
	Newham	30	115	145
	Redbridge	10	45	55
	Richmond upon Thames	—	5	5
	Southwark	—	50	50
	Sutton	—	5	5
	Tower Hamlets	—	15	15
	Waltham Forest	45	75	120
	Wandsworth	—	10	10
	Westminster	—	20	20
	Total	660	1,375	2,035

South East	Brighton and Hove	40	15	55
	Dartford	—	5	5
	Hastings	145	—	145
	Medway	—	10	10
	Milton Keynes	—	*	*
	Oxford	—	15	15
	Portsmouth	440	—	440
	Slough	—	10	10
	Southampton	250	5	255
	Total	880	60	940


South West	Bristol	420	—	420
	Exeter	45	—	45
	Gloucester	80	30	110
	Plymouth	445	—	445
	South Gloucestershire	85	—	85
	Swindon	130	10	145
	Weymouth and Portland	—	*	*
	Total	1,210	45	1,255

	Total (England)	35,375	1,695	37,070

Wales	Cardiff	1,060	—	1,060
	Neath Port Talbot	*	—	*
	Newport	355	5	360
	Swansea	900	—	900
	Wrexham	55		55
	Total	2,370	5	2,375

Scotland	Glasgow City	5,580	—	5,580
	Total	5,580	—	5,580

Northern Ireland	Belfast	100	—	100
	Coleraine	*	—	*
	Newry and Mourne	*	—	*
	Newtownabbey	5	—	5
	Total	110	—	110

	Total (United Kingdom)	43,435	1,700	45,135

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent in each year since 1996 from all public funded sources in support of asylum seekers and their families. [190971]

Mr. Browne: The Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office assumed responsibility for the direct costs of supporting asylum seekers from April 1999. The costs include payments made to local authorities for accommodation, as well as those made to the private sector. Prior to this, costs fell to the Departments of Health and Social Security. The following amounts have been spent directly on asylum seeker support.

£million

1996–97 413

1997–98 375

1998–99 475

1999–00 590

2000–01 747

2001–02 1,046

2002–03 1,070

2003–04 ⁽⁴³⁾—

⁽⁴³⁾ The actual Asylum Support costs for 2003–04 are yet to be audited and published.

	£million
1996–97	413
1997–98	375
1998–99	475
1999–00	590
2000–01	747
2001–02	1,046
2002–03	1,070
2003–04	⁽⁴³⁾—

Further information on any other costs to local or central Government, specifically related to the support of asylum seekers is not currently available.

Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed Palestinian asylum seekers have been removed in the last 12 months. [192885]

Mr. Browne: It is not possible to say how many asylum seekers of Palestinian origin have been removed from the United Kingdom in the last 12 months. Information is collated only on the nationality of asylum seekers; Palestine is an occupied territory rather than an independent country.

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time is between initial decision in asylum cases and the hearing of an appeal before an adjudicator. [193252]

Mr. Browne: Information on the average time between an initial decision in asylum cases and the hearing of an appeal before an Adjudicator is unavailable and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

However, the Home Office and the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) set a jointly owned Public Service Agreement target for 2003–04 that 60 per cent. of substantive asylum applications received from 1 April 2003 should have a decision, up to and including appeal at the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, within six months. The latest published data shows that the Home Office and DCA are exceeding this target. 63 per cent. of substantive applications1,2, received in the period April to December 2003, were decided within six months ³ . This compares to an average of 20 months for a decision in 1997.

Information on the timeliness of case processing, up to and including appeals, is published quarterly on the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

16 Nov 2004 : Column 1412W

¹ A-CID as at 12 July 2004.

² Excludes withdrawals and 3rd country cases, which may be the responsibility of other EU member states under the Dublin Convention. Home Office's Public Service Agreement target for 2003–04 is 60 per cent. Details of the targets are given in the 2000 Spending Review Public Service Agreements White Paper at http://www.treasury.gov.uk/. Excludes asylum applications lodged by Iraqis between 1 February and 31 May 2003.

³ "Six months" is defined as 182 days.

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate how many failed asylum seekers remain in the UK. [193253]

Mr. Browne: Information on the total number of asylum seekers currently in the UK, including failed asylum seekers, is not available. Some applicants may leave the United Kingdom without informing the Immigration Service.

The number of cases (principal applicants) awaiting initial decision or awaiting appeal determinations continues to fall as the level of applications falls, initial decisions continue to outstrip the number of applications, and record numbers of appeals are determined by the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA). The latest published figures show that as at the end of June 2004 there were:

13,300 cases awaiting an initial decision (of this total, 4,900 cases were work in progress, ie the application had been outstanding for six months or less), the lowest level for a decade

an estimated 9,000 appeals lodged with the Home Office which had not been sent to the IAA (a proportion of appeals lodged do not result in appeal bundles being sent to the IAA); and

22,600 asylum cases work in progress in the IAA (9,900 at the adjudicator tier, 7,300 applications for permission to appeal to the tribunal, and 5,400 tribunal appeals).

Information on asylum applications are published on a quarterly and annual basis. The next publication covering the third quarter of 2004 (July to September) will be available on 16 November 2004 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what access to (a) the benefit system, (b) local authority housing and (c) medical care failed asylum seekers have. [193254]

Mr. Browne: Failed asylum seekers are not able to access mainstream benefits or social housing. The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) provides support to eligible asylum seekers until a final decision is made on their claim. With the exception of families including dependants under 18, support must end no later than 21 days after the receipt of a final negative decision. Failed asylum seekers unable to leave immediately due to circumstances entirely beyond their control may be eligible for accommodation under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The criteria are published on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk.

No one requiring immediately necessary medical treatment will ever be denied it, irrespective of their immigration status. However, under the provisions of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, failed asylum seekers will be expected to pay for NHS hospital

16 Nov 2004 : Column 1413W

treatment in certain circumstances, just like anyone else without a legal basis of stay in this country. Failed asylum seekers are not normally eligible for NHS primary medical services.

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers were removed from the UK during the last 12 months. [193472]

Mr. Browne: Between July 2003 and June 2004 (the latest date for which data are available) 13,495 principal asylum applicants were removed from the UK; 17,020 including dependants. This includes people who departed 'voluntarily' after enforcement action has been initiated against them and those who departed under the Assisted Voluntary Returns scheme organised by the International Organisation for Migration.

Information on asylum seekers who were removed from the UK between July and September 2004 will be published on 16 November on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) services and (b) assistance are available to asylum seekers who have been refused asylum but are unable to return home, with particular reference to those who have no means of income or independent support; and what plans his Department has to improve services and assistance for such people. [194044]

Mr. Browne: There is nothing to prevent the majority of failed asylum seekers from leaving the UK voluntarily. Failed asylum seekers are provided with details on assistance for those wishing to depart voluntarily. Those failed asylum seekers who are destitute and unable to leave immediately for reasons entirely beyond their control can seek the provision of accommodation under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The criteria for accessing section 4 support are tight since the provision of accommodation is restricted to those who cannot rather than will not leave.

In addition, the National Asylum Support Service grant funds voluntary sector organisations to provide one stop services for asylum seekers in each region of the UK. The grant agreements with the voluntary sector have recently been expanded to require the one stop services to give impartial advice about and assistance with the options open to failed asylum seekers including the Voluntary Assisted Returns and Reintegration Programme (VARRP), support under section 4 and other voluntary sector support.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make it his policy to permit failed asylum seekers who cannot be returned home the right to work in this country. [194045]

Mr. Browne: It would be wrong to allow failed asylum seekers to work because it would undermine their incentive to comply with the removal process. It also runs counter to the Government's policy of protecting the asylum system from being exploited by people who are in fact illegal economic migrants. Failed asylum seekers who are genuinely unable to return home due to circumstances beyond their control can, providing they

16 Nov 2004 : Column 1414W

are complying with efforts to return them, seek accommodation under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. There is no need for them to become homeless or destitute.

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