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Asylum seekers' favourite destination is Britain
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BRITAIN'S position as the most attractive destination in Europe for asylum seekers was confirmed by figures published yesterday.
In the 10 months between April last year and February, there were 88,510 applications for refugee status - almost a quarter of the EU total.
Britain was followed by Germany, with 73,560 applications, 45,415 in Belgium, 39,000 in France and 38,000 in the Netherlands.
The Government maintained, however, that as a proportion of its population, Britain was ninth in the league table, with 1.5 applications per 1,000, compared to Belgium, which was at the top with 4.4. Asylum applications rose again last month to 5,815 - an increase of 300 on February - but ministers said the long-term trend was "flattening out" because the March figure was lower than for the same time last year.
Labour will enter the general election with asylum applications almost double the level that they were when they took office in May 1997. However, it has significantly reduced the backlog of initial decisions, which stood at more than 100,000 a year ago.
This is now under 40,000, its lowest level for 10 years. The immigration service is taking on an additional 1,500 enforcement officers to track down and remove 100,000 failed asylum seekers over the next three years.
But Jack Straw, the Home Secretary, making a speech in London, admitted that only 9,000 had been deported this year against a target of 12,000. He also conceded that the Government had no idea how many unsuccessful asylum seekers remained in the country.
Britain allows asylum on the grounds of rape, domestic violence and other acts of non-state "persecution". An EU directive, due to be introduced later this year, will narrow the definition of an asylum seeker to those persecuted by state agencies.
Ann Widdecombe, shadow home secretary, said Britain was a "soft touch" under Labour and a Tory government would detain all asylum seekers until their cases had been assessed. Nick Hardwick, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said it was wrong for any party to seek capital out of "slight monthly variations in asylum applications".
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