To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum were received from Sri Lankan nationals in (a) May 2003, (b) May 2005, (c) May 2007 and (d) May 2009. (291427)

[holding answer 16 September 2009]: The number of asylum applications received from Sri Lankan principal applicants were (a) 100 in May 2003 (b) 35 in May 2005 (c) 100 in May 2007 and (d) 95 in May 2009. As is usual with the presentation of these statistics, all figures are rounded to the nearest five. 2009 figures are provisional.

Information on asylum applications is published annually and quarterly in the Control of Immigration statistical bulletins. Copies of these publications are available 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.