Written question asked by John Austin (Labour) on Wednesday, 24 October 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 October 2007. It was answered by Kim Howells (Labour) on Tuesday, 30 October 2007 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Sri Lanka: Immigration

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Rule 39 applications were lodged with the European Court of Human Rights by Tamils facing removal from the UK to Sri Lanka in each month since October 2006.

Answer: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold statistics for the number of Rule 39 applications lodged with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). This is a matter for the Court. However, from October 2006 to 25 October 2007, the ECHR has notified the FCO of 38 Rule 39 indications, one each in April, and June 2007, followed by 12 in September, and 24 in October concerning Tamils facing removal from the United Kingdom to Sri Lanka.

Secondary information