Written question asked by Neil Gerrard (Labour) on Monday, 24 April 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 26 April 2006. It was answered by Tony McNulty (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 May 2006 on behalf of the Home Office.

Asylum/Immigration

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many flights have been made to Erbil airport from the UK for the purpose of returning failed asylum seekers to Iraq in each of the last two years; how many such people have been on these flights; and how many of these were voluntary returns.

Answer: Between 16 August 2005 and 27 April 2006 there have been 21 charter flights which have returned 1,019 Iraqis under the VARRP (Voluntary Assisted Return and Integration Programme). Prior to 16 August all returns were made by way of flights from the UK to Jordan, with the returnees continuing their journey overland from Amman to Baghdad.In the last two years there has been one flight from the UK to Erbil for the purpose of enforcing the removal of failed asylum seekers. This flight was on 20 November 2005 and returned 15 Iraqis.

Secondary information