To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of failed asylum seekers deported in the last 12 months were families with children. (119094)

The information requested is not available; it would be available only by examination of individual case files at disproportionate cost.

Information on asylum removals, including and excluding dependants, is published quarterly and annually. Copies of these publications are available from the Library and from the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of asylum claims (a) made and (b) granted in the last 12 months involved families with children. (119095)

This information is not available.

Information on asylum initial decisions, including and excluding dependants, is published quarterly and annually. Copies of these publications are available from the Library and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what percentage of cases where he ordered deportation in the last 12 months he later reversed his decision; and how many cases involved families with children. (119099)

These data are not routinely collected and can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of failed asylum seekers who were (a) accompanied children, (b) unaccompanied children, (c) spouses of failed asylum seekers, (d) single applicants and (e) failed asylum seekers with criminal records were deported in the last 12 months. (118284)

The information requested is not available; it would be available only by examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.

Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his comment made on the Today programme of 26 January 2007, that failed asylum seekers are being expelled at a rate of one every 26 minutes, over what period this rate was calculated; what the comparative rate was in (a) 2005 and (b) 2001; whether the figure takes account of spouses and children of failed asylum seekers; and whether (i) targets and (ii) incentives are set for Immigration and Nationality Directorate staff regarding expulsion of failed asylum seekers. (118288)

Failed asylum seekers were expelled at a rate of one every 26 minutes for Q2 2006. There were 5,070 removals, including dependents, during this period.

The comparative rate in 2005 was a rate of one every 34 minutes based on 15,685 removals, including dependents, and one every 49 minutes for 2001 based on 10,780 removals, including dependents.

From April 2007, all new asylum applications will be dealt with by Regional Asylum Teams under the new asylum processes. The target is for 90 per cent. of new asylum applications to be concluded—granted or removed—within six months by 2011.

The new asylum process neither has nor intends any incentive for staff in relation to the expulsion of asylum seekers.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he authorises individual early morning immigration enforcement visits to detain failed asylum seekers. (118292)

The factors to be taken into account when deciding the timing of a family detention visit are whether it is the best time of day to pick up the whole family as an entire unit, the sensitivity of the immigration visit, whether there may be community or other local difficulties, and whether the purpose of the visit would be frustrated if carried out at a different time. Chapters 46 and 47 of the Operational Enforcement Manual (OEM), available on the IND website, set out the levels of authority of enforcement visits, including when Ministers are advised of forthcoming operations.