Asylum: Gender

Ms Abbott
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of New Asylum Model case owners in each region are (a) male and (b) female; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Byrne
The requested information is shown in the table.

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|Regional asylum teams                                                                                                    |Male1|Female2|
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|North East                                                                                                               |45   |55     |
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|Wales and the South West                                                                                                 |52   |48     |
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|West Midlands, East Midlands and East of England                                                                         |26   |74     |
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|North West                                                                                                               |40   |60     |
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|London and the South East                                                                                                |41   |59     |
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|Scotland and Northern Ireland                                                                                            |38   |62     |
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|1 Percentages are based on management information. 2 Includes Detained Fast Track teams at Harmondsworth and Yarl's Wood.|     |       |
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Ms Abbott
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Border and Immigration Agency is expected to have the capacity to allow asylum seekers at screening stage to express a preference as to the sex of the New Asylum Model case owner to be allocated to them and for that request to be met; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Byrne
Applicants can request a gender specific case owner at any time, including during the screening interview. All requests will be met where it is operationally possible to do so.