Asylum: Palestinians

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications her Department has received from (a) individuals and (b) families from (i) the Palestinian Territories and (ii) the Gaza Strip in each of the last (A) 12 months and (B) five years; and if she will make a statement. (264168)

The requested information is unavailable and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by examination of individual case records.

However, information on the number of nationals from the Palestinian Territories that have applied for asylum in the United Kingdom between 2004 and 2008, broken down by main applicant and dependants have been provided in the table.

Information on asylum is published annually and quarterly. Statistics for the first quarter of 2009 will be available in May 2009 from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html

*Asylum applications*¹ *received in the United Kingdom, 2004 to 2008, nationals from the Palestinian Territories*
		Of whom:
Year/month	Total	Principal applicant	Dependant
2004
Total	540	460	80

2005
Total	445	370	75

2006
Total	340	260	80

2007^p
Total	480	425	55

2008^p
January	30	30	—
February	35	35	—
March	35	25	10
April	20	20	*
May	20	20	—
June	10	10	—
July	30	25	5
August	30	25	5
September	25	20	5
October	30	30	—
November	25	25	—
December	30	25	*
Total 2008^p	320	295	25
¹ Provisional figures rounded to nearest 5, (— = 0, * = 1 or 2). Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding.

Volume 490: debated on Monday 23 March 2009