Asylum

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many nationals of (a) Afghanistan, (b) Belarus, (c) Burma, (d) the People's Republic of China, (e) Colombia, (f) Cuba, (g) Democratic Republic of Congo, (h) the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, (i) Iran, (j) Iraq, (k) Israel, (l) the Palestinian Territories, (m) Pakistan, (n) the Russian Federation, (o) Saudi Arabia, (p) Somalia, (q) Sudan, (r) Syria, (s) Turkmenistan, (t) Uzbekistan, (u) Vietnam and (v) Zimbabwe were refused asylum in the UK in each month of (i) 2007, (ii) 2008 and (iii) 2009 to date; and how many in each category (A) are awaiting a decision on an asylum application and (B) have been forcibly deported. (300732)

Table 1 placed in the House Library shows the number of principal applicants refused asylum, humanitarian protection and discretionary leave at initial decision in the UK in each month of 2007, 2008 and from January to June for 2009 for the requested nationalities. Information on asylum applications of those refused and awaiting a decision or who have been forcibly deported, by nationality, is unavailable and could be obtained only by examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost. Table 2 placed in the House Library shows the number of removals and voluntary departures of principal asylum cases, January 2007 to June 2009.

Information on immigration and asylum is published annually and quarterly. The latest statistics for Q3 2009 will be available on 26 November 2009. Annual statistics for 2008 and the latest statistics for Q2 2009 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