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20 Dec 2005 : Column 2876W—continued
Animal Cruelty
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of cruelty towards animals in London in each year since 1997. [5264]
Paul Goggins: The information requested is in the table. Statistics on court proceedings for 2005 will be available autumn 2006.
(30) Principal offence basis.
Asylum/Immigration
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outstanding applications for leave to remain on grounds of asylum there are from applicants from each member state of the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [37577]
Mr. McNulty: Information on outstanding applications for asylum by nationality is unavailable and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records. There were 6,100 asylum applications outstanding at the end of September 2005.
James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on asylum seekers from Zimbabwe whose asylum applications have been rejected; and whether such asylum seekers are being sent back to their country of origin. [32698]
Mr. McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on 14 December 2005, Official Report, columns 153–54WS.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are being taken to ensure (a) that Iraqi failed asylum seekers are returned to their town of origin, (b) that their safety is guaranteed and (c) that they receive assistance to readjust to life in Iraq. [36308]
Mr. McNulty: All cases are taken forward on a case by case basis and we will return individuals to their home towns in those particular areas assessed as sufficiently stable.
The Home Office will enforce the return of Iraqis only if satisfied that they will not be at risk. These will be individuals whose asylum claim has been turned down on the basis that they are not at risk of persecution and do not need humanitarian protection.
As highlighted in previous announcements, in light of current circumstances in Iraq, there is a package of support in place for the enforced returnees. This includes $100 USD cash payment, access to re-skilling training and provision of transport to their home address in Iraq.
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many asylum seekers accommodated in (a) England, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) Kettering constituency were granted asylum in each of the last 10 years; [37044]
(2) how many illegal immigrants who had been accommodated in (a) England, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) Kettering constituency have been deported in each of the last 10 years; [37045]
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(3) how many asylum seekers accommodated in (a) England, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) Kettering constituency were not granted asylum but were granted indefinite leave to remain in each of the last 10 years; [37046]
(4) how many asylum seekers accommodated in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) Kettering constituency have been granted refugee status in each of the last 10 years. [37047]
Mr. McNulty: Information on the case outcome of asylum seekers who have resided in particular areas of the UK is not available, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by the examination of individual case records.
The case information on illegal immigrants removed from the UK and their residences is unavailable.
Statistics on the location of asylum seekers in the UK are linked to the available information on the support that the asylum seeker receives. The numbers of asylum seekers supported by the National Asylum Support Service (MASS) are published on a quarterly and annual basis, broken down by local authority. The most recent publication covering the third quarter of 2005, and further historical publications are available on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. Data on asylum seekers supported by MASS broken down by parliamentary constituency are also available from the Library of the House.
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2005, Official Report, column 970W, on asylum/immigration, when information on allowed appeals is expected to become available; how many cases in which appeals have been allowed and the appellant has not yet been issued leave to remain are outstanding; and if he will make a statement. [36816]
Mr. McNulty: As previously explained information on how many outstanding cases there are in which appeals have been allowed and the appellant has yet to be issued with leave to remain is not available and can only be produced at disproportionate cost upon examination of individual cases.
Cannabis
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the levels of cannabis arriving in the UK from Afghanistan in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [33188]
Paul Goggins: The available information relates to seizures. In the last four financial years Her Majesty's Customs and Excise (HMCE) made seven seizures of cannabis (with a total weight of 300 kilograms) known to have originated in Afghanistan out of a total of 13,878 seizures (with a total weight of 240,000 kilograms).
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the HomeDepartment when the Government will publish the findings of the review of the reclassification of cannabis. [38140]
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Paul Goggins: At the request of the Home Secretary, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) has undertaken a review of the recent evidence about the effects of cannabis use on mental health and the alleged increase into the potency of cannabis products. The ACMD intends to publish its Report in early 2006.
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