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Home Office

Answer

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to remove from the UK a higher proportion of failed asylum seekers; and whether asylum seekers are required to attend in person to receive their appeal decision. [216838] Mr. Browne: The Immigration Service is undertaking a number of initiatives to remove a greater proportion of failed asylum seekers from the United Kingdom. These include among other things: securing re- admission agreements with other countries so that those without passports can be re-documented and removed more quickly, increasing the number of removals under the assisted voluntary returns scheme; increasing the number of returns to safe third countries through the increased use of ring fenced detention; increasing the number of removals in London by using flexible and mobile teams able better to support other agencies; re- evaluating the way in which we deal with family removals; maximising removals from our network of reporting centres and working to reduce disruptive behaviour designed to frustrate removal at the point of departure. At present, first determinations in asylum appeal cases are served by post by the Immigration Appellate Authority, as the applicable procedure rules do not permit service by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND). However the rules do permit the service in person by IND of the outcome of applications for Statutory Review, and these are, wherever possible, served in person. From 4 April 2005 a new appeal system will come into force. The procedure rules governing this will allow us to serve a much higher number of determinations, at all stages of the appeal, in person, and work is in hand to ensure that where asylum seekers are reporting regularly to the Immigration Service, they receive their determinations, and are advised of their further options, when they report.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

216838; 431 c520W;431 c516W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Asylum Deportation Airports Migrants

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk