8 July 2008 : Column 1429W

Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 8 July 2008

Home Department

Asylum

Mr. Mudie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets have been set within her Department for the time for processing applications for leave to remain at each stage; and what the anticipated month and year is in which the application made by Mr Last Manzini (M1175940) in February 2005 will be decided. [217248]

Mr. Byrne: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 7 July 2008.

Asylum: Children

Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive on procedures in place for dealing with unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in the UK who are resident in Scotland. [215674]

Mr. Byrne: A number of discussions between the UK Border Agency and the Scottish Executive at official level have taken place over the past 12 months about
8 July 2008 : Column 1430W
reforms of the support and management of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. These will continue as the reform progresses.

Asylum: Zimbabwe

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals from Zimbabwe have claimed asylum in the UK in each of the last 24 months; how many of these claims have been rejected; and how many rejections were made in whole or in part on the basis of a connection with Zanu-PF. [216970]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 7 July 2008]: The table gives the most recently published figures available and shows the total number of Zimbabwean principal asylum applications made between April 2006 and March 2008; and the total number of refusals, following initial decisions. The table includes people who have been refused asylum but have been granted humanitarian protection or discretionary leave. Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period. The requested information on those refused asylum on the basis of connection with Zanu-PF is unavailable as it is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

Information on asylum is published annually and quarterly. Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2007 and the Q2 2008 Asylum Bulletin will be available on 21 August 2008 from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:


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8 July 2008 : Column 1432W
Asylum applications( 1) received in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, land initial decisions( 2) on applications, April 2006 to March 2008 by month, nationals of Zimbabwe
Principal applicants
Decisions
Applications O f which: Grants of :

Total Total decisions Grants of asylum H umanitarian protection D iscretionary leave Refusals

2006

April

140

210

10

0

5

190

May

110

215

20

0

0

190

June

115

120

10

0

0

110

July

140

100

10

0

*

85

August

70

80

10

*

70

September

75

125

5

0

5

120

October

75

80

5

0

0

75

November

85

80

10

0

*

75

December

75

75

5

0

*

70

2006 Q2 to Q4 total

885

1,085

85

*

20

980

2007

January

105

85

15

0

*

65

February

100

110

15

0

5

95

March

120

115

10

0

0

105

April

130

120

25

*

*

95

May

105

155

15

0

*

140

June

140

135

20

0

0

115

July

150

160

25

0

0

135

August

130

105

20

0

0

85

September

165

100

25

0

5

70

October

255

125

45

0

*

80

November

210

135

30

0

5

105

December

145

80

10

0

*

70

2007 total

1,755

1,425

250

*

20

1,155

2008

January

180

110

25

*

*

80

February

185

145

30

0

15

100

March

280

120

30

0

*

90

2008 Q1 total

640

375

90

*

15

270

* = One or two.
(1) Provisional figures rounded to nearest five.
(2) Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.
Source:
Immigration Research and Statistics

Borders: Personal Records

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she will next meet her EU counterparts to discuss the use of passenger name record data held by airlines. [216860]

Mr. Byrne: The use of passenger name record data is expected to be discussed at the next Justice and Home Affairs Formal Council meeting on 24 and 25 July.

Ministers have already met their European Union counterparts on this issue several times in the past few months, including at the EU Justice and Home Affairs Formal Council in June. They have also discussed this topic with Members of the European Parliament, several of whom have visited the UK’s central unit for the processing of passenger name record data.


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