Asylum/Immigration

Mr. McGovern
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to inform (a) schools and (b) housing providers promptly after the removal of failed asylum seekers.

Mr. Byrne
Once a family has been removed, immigration officers inform the school or the local education authority that the children will no longer be attending. The immigration service also updates internal computer systems with this information and informs housing providers by letter.

Mr. Mullin
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2006, Official Report, column 2113W, on asylum/immigration, how many enforced removals to Iran have taken place since 2004.

Mr. Byrne
The latest published information on removal of asylum seekers covers the first quarter of 2006. The following table shows the number of principal asylum applicants removed to Iran since 2004, broken down into voluntary and enforced removals.

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|                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |2004|20053|Q1 20063|Total|
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|Total principal asylum applicants4                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |220 |350  |95      |665  |
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|Of whom:                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |    |     |        |     |
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|were enforced removals5,6                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |65  |145  |30      |240  |
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|left under Assisted Voluntary Return programmes7                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |155 |205  |65      |425  |
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|1 Figures rounded to the nearest five, and may not sum due to rounding.2 Provisional figures.3 Removals since 2005 include those who it is established have left the UK without informing the immigration authorities.4 Persons who had sought asylum at some stage, excluding dependants.5 Includes persons departing ‘voluntarily’ after enforcement action had been initiated against them, and voluntary departures.6 Excludes assisted voluntary returns.7 Persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return programmes run by the International Organization for Migration. May include some on-entry cases and some cases where enforcement action has been initiated.|    |     |        |     |
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Damian Green
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up an independent investigation into conditions in immigration detention centres; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Byrne
All removal centres are subject to regular inspection, both announced and unannounced, and HMCIP publishes her reports of individual inspections.

Mr. Brazier
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children are being held in immigration detention centres; how many of these have been held for more than three months; and how many are unaccompanied.

Mr. Byrne
As at 25 March 2006, and rounded to the nearest five, there were 50 persons recorded as being under 18, detained solely under Immigration Act powers, of whom five had been in detention for more than three months. Information on the number of unaccompanied minors detained is not held centrally and therefore unavailable.