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Immigration (Detention)

Volume 270: debated on Monday 22 January 1996

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many people were detained under Immigration Act powers (a) overnight, (b) between one night and one month, (c) for a period of more than one month up to two months and (d) for more than two months in (i) Harmondsworth detention centre, (ii) the Queen's building, Heathrow, (iii) Terminal 4, Heathrow, (iv) the Beehive, Gatwick, (v) HM prison Haslar, (vi) HM prison Pentonville, (vii) Campsfield house detention centre, (viii) HM prison Rochester, (ix) HM prison Holloway and (x) other establishments during (1) 1994 and (2) 1995 to the latest date for which information is available; and, of these people, how many in each category were (B) women, (B) children under 18 and (C) men; and what were the names of the establishments in (x); [7423](2) how many people were received into

(a) Prison Department establishments, (b) immigration detention centres and (c) police cells under Immigration Act powers during (i) 1994 and (ii) 1995 to the latest convenient date; how many of these were (1) asylum-seekers or (2) applying to remain on non-asylum grounds, by individual prisons establishment or detention centre; what was the average daily population of persons so detained in each of those years; what was the average length of time spent in detention by persons so detained in each of those years; and what was the nationality of persons so detained for each of those years. [7424]

[holding answer 9 January 1996]: Information on the total numbers of persons detained, analysed by nationality; is given in table 1. The number of detainees received into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales under the Immigration Act 1971 is given in table 2 for 1994 and for January to November 1995. The number is shown by the establishment of initial reception. The average population in 1994, including persons originally received for a criminal offence, was 487. The average for January to November 1995 is 481. A breakdown of receptions into Prison Service establishments by nationality is given for 1994 and for January to November 1995 in table 3.

The average period of detention for detainees released in 1994 and in January to November 1995 is provisionally estimated at 21 weeks and 19 weeks respectively. The other information requested is not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Table 1: Passengers at ports1, illegal entrants and deportation cases2 detained under Immigration Act powers

Geographical region and nationality

1994

1995 January–September3

European Economic Area

Austria11
Belgium72
Denmark1
Finland
France2816
Germany71
Greece12
Iceland
Ireland
Italy2715
Luxembourg3
Netherlands418
Norway
Portugal328
Spain3
Sweden72
Total EEA15855

Europe

Bulgaria3367
Cyprus345150
Former Czechoslovakia5947
Hungary1815
Malta12
Poland503429
Romania215224
Russia5362
Other former USSR100119
Switzerland35
Turkey543283
Former Yugoslavia124190
Other Europe5859
Total Europe2,0551,652

Americas

Argentina86
Barbados1516
Brazil10985
Canada2623
Chile136
Colombia212135
Guyana3326
Jamaica411325
Mexico1610
Peru4333
Trinidad and Tobago3017
USA11580
Venezuela1610
Other Americas200199
Total Americas1,247971

frica

Algeria542314
Angola9343
Egypt2515
Ethiopia5724
Ghana865431
Kenya195131
Libya2316
Mauritius4032
Morocco10544

Table 1: Passengers at ports1, illegal entrants and deportation cases2 detained under Immigration Act powers

Geographical region and nationality

1994

1995 January-September3

Nigeria1,633985
Sierra Leone31945
Somalia11164
South Africa10870
Sudan3517
Tanzania8977
Tunisia3010
Uganda6532
Zaire190101
Zambia3735
Zimbabwe5546
Other Africa684386
Total Africa5,3012,918

Asia

Indian sub-continent
Bangladesh311228
India827616
Pakistan566390
Total Indian sub-continent1,7041,234

Middle East

Iran4859
Iraq4338
Israel3421
Jordan111
Kuwait
Lebanon2114
Saudi Arabia1
Syria63
Yemen31
Other Middle East88
Total Middle East174146

Remainder of Asia

China172371
Hong Kong43330
Indonesia64
Japan3011
Malaysia112130
Phillippines5810
Singapore87
South Korea1314
Sri Lanka279147
Taiwan13
Thailand2618
Other Asia5835
Total Remainder of Asia796780

Oceania

Australia2117
New Zealand45
Other Oceania22
Total Oceania2724
British Overseas citizens1610
Stateless5568450
All Nationalities12,0468,240

1 Passengers detained overnight or longer.2 Excluding persons detained pending deportation following completion of a custodial sentence.

3 Data for 1995 are provisional.

4 Includes Hong Kong stateless persons.

5 Excluding Palestine and Hong Kong stateless persons.

Table 2: Receptions of persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 into Prison Service establishments in England and Wales: by establishment 1994 and January-November 1995

Number of Persons

1 2

Establishment

1994

1 January–30 November 1995

Remand Centres

Blakenhurst363
Brinsford1511
Dorchester132
Exeter1211
Feltham1016
Glen Parva11
Haslar462412
Moorland1
Northallerton1
Lancaster Farms2

Local Prisons

Bedford13
Belmarsh2226
Birmingham218226
Bristol2442
Brixton7168
Bullingdon53
Canterbury529
Cardiff64
Chelmesford121
Doncaster13
Dover36
Durham94
Elmley241
Gloucester61
Highdown4026
Hindley712
Holloway3445
Holme House102
Hull142
Leeds2027
Leicester4
Lewes23
Lincoln25
Liverpool2313
Manchester8845
Norwich192
New Hall2
Pentonville6221
Preston11
Reading3
Risley82
Rochester122512
Shrewsbury6
Swansea7
Wandsworth3524
Winchester10
Wolds811
Wood Hill13
Wormwood Scrubs4474

Closed training prisons

Dartmoor1
Establishment not recorded22
Nationality not recorded/other3325
All Establishments1,6411,711

1 The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate: detailed checking of individual cases would involve disproportionate cost.

2 Provisional figures.

Table 3: Receptions into Prison Service establishments by nationality, 1994 and January to November 1995

Number of Persons

1, 2

Nationality

1994

1 January to 30 November 1995

Afghanistan3
Albania79
Algeria15124
Angola2421
Anguilla2
Argentina21
Ascensioni Island1
Austria1
Australia3
Bangladesh3853
Benin2
Barbados31
Belgium1
Bolivia1
Bosnia-Herzogovina1
Brazil17
Bulgaria37
Burkina Faso2
Cameroon, United Republic of65
Canada4
Chad1
Chile21
China1879
Colombia79
Congo2
Cyprus158
Czech Republic44
Denmark1
Dominica11
Djibouti1
Egypt74
Ethiopia75
Equador4
Estonia1
Fiji1
Finland1
France77
French Southern Territories11
Gambia739
Georgia4
Germany35
Ghana12479
Greece4
Guyana22
Haiti1
Hong Kong45
Hungary2
India281294
Indonesia2
Iran1113
Irish Republic42
Indian Ocean Territories1
Israel32
Iraq410
Italy48
Ivory Coast172
Jamaica5883
Japan1
Jordan2
Kazakhstan11
Kenya139
Laos Peoples Democratic1
Republic
Lebanon62
Liberia1921
Libya123
Lithuania12
Malaysia31
Maldives1
Mali2
Moldova1
Morocco1913
Mauritius12

Table 3: Receptions into Prison Service establishments by nationality, 1994 and January to November 1995

Number of persons1 2

Nationality

1994

1 January to 30 November 1995

Malawi1
Mozambique41
Netherlands75
Netherland Antillies1
Nepal41
Nicaragua1
Niger41
Nigeria237235
Pakistan100106
Peru9
Philippines1
Poland1414
Portugal71
Romania2671
Russia915
Rwanda28
Senegal2
Serbia1
Singapore11
Sierre Leone2114
Slovakia1
Somalia811
South Africa1414
Spain25
Sri Lanka2528
St. Lucia11
St. Vincent and the Grenadines1
Sudan84
Taiwan1
Tajikistan1
Tanzania65
Toga12
Tonga1
Thailand11
Trinidad and Tobago13
Tunisia51
Turkey10453
Uganda111
United Arab Emirates1
United States of America311
Venezuela1
Vietnam11
Yugoslavia1333
Zambia54
Zaire3822
Zimbabwe53
Nationality not recorded/other3527
All1,6411,711

1 The figures are those recorded centrally and are approximate: detailed checking of individual cases would involve disproportionate cost.

2 Provisional figures.