How the figures stack up

The number of new asylum claims in the first quarter of this year fell by 32% compared with the previous three months, the Home Office said today.

There were 16,000 new arrivals compared with 23,385 between October and December 2002.

February and March saw major falls to 4,255 and 4,565 new applications, or reductions of 52% and 49% on last October's peak.

February saw the lowest monthly number of applications for four years.

The figures refer only to "principal applicants" and do not include dependants such as spouses or children - when they are counted the number of new arrivals in the period was 20,600.

The fall of 32% in the UK was three and a half times the 9% fall seen across the EU, excluding Italy, during the same period.

Removals of failed asylum seekers were marginally down to 2,620 in the period, but this was still up 7% year-on-year.

Including dependants the number of removals rose 7% compared with the previous three months to 3,990.

The number of people applying for housing and benefits from the National Asylum Support Service fell 10%.

The data also revealed that 2,850 applicants were refused support because of controversial measures in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act which bar them if they do not lodge claims immediately.

In total, 54,295 asylum seekers were receiving cash and housing at the end of March, up from 45,640 a year earlier.

A further 38,390 were getting benefits but no accommodation, up from 30,740 a year earlier.

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