Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Asylum Backlog

Monday 19 December 2022 · 8 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Last week the Home Office set plans to clear the initial decision backlog of asylum legacy cases by the end of next year.
  • The number of older asylum cases was reduced by 11,000 over the summer and autumn, and the number of asylum caseworkers has doubled.
  • The Minister stated that excessive wait times can have a detrimental impact on mental health and offered to look at specific cases brought to his attention.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Vicky Foxcroft Lab Lewisham North
Asylum & Refugees
Context

The question stems from concerns over the long-standing issue of a significant backlog in asylum applications.

Question

What recent progress has been made on reducing the backlog of asylum applications?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

Last week we set out plans to clear the initial decision backlog of asylum legacy cases by the end of next year. Over the summer and autumn, the Home Office reduced the number of older asylum cases by 11,000, and the number of asylum caseworkers has doubled.

Answered
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Q2 Kate Osamor Labour (Co-op) Edmonton and Winchmore Hill
Asylum & Refugees
Context

The question arises from the International Development Committee's hearing with Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, who noted the lack of consultation.

Question

Why have the Government neglected to widely consult experts, and would the Minister be willing to consider their recommendations if I was to write to him?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

I would be interested in the views of any of our stakeholders, but the Prime Minister set out a very compelling case last week to radically re-engineer the end-to-end process, with fewer interviews, shorter guidance, less paperwork, specialist caseworkers by nationality, including tackling Albanian cases, and reforming modern slavery by reducing the cooling-off period from 45 to 30 days—all steps to clear the backlog as quickly as possible.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly address why consultations were neglected or confirm willingness to consider recommendations through written communication.

How: Interested In Stakeholders' Views

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Q3 Vicky Foxcroft Lab Lewisham North
Asylum & Refugees Mental Health
Context

A constituent from Afghanistan has faced a long wait for an asylum decision since September 2021, causing significant distress.

Question

Does the Minister agree that excessive wait times can have a hugely detrimental impact on mental health, and will he agree to look at this case in further detail?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

I would be happy to look at that case and any others that are brought to my attention. The backlog, however, is a symptom of the problem, which is that far too many people are crossing the channel illegally, and that is what this Government are determined to tackle.

Not addressed: The Minister did not address the mental health impact or confirm willingness to review specific cases beyond general statements about tackling illegal immigration.

How: Tackling Illegal Immigration

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Q4 John Redwood Con
Migrants & Borders Parliamentary Procedure Standards & Ethics
Context

Concerns regarding the need for urgent legislation to strengthen border controls, including potential use of a notwithstanding clause.

Question

Will the Government introduce urgent legislation to strengthen control of our borders, and could that include a notwithstanding clause to guide the courts against using other laws that undermine the fundamental principle of the Prime Minister's policy?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out last week our intention to bring forward legislation early next year, and at the heart of that legislation will be a simple point of principle that we on this side of the House believe: no one should gain a right to live in this country if they entered illegally.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to introducing a notwithstanding clause or outline specific legislative measures beyond general principles.

How: Principle Of Illegal Entry

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Q5 James Gray Con
Asylum & Refugees
Context

Concerns raised about the appropriateness and location of housing for a group of Albanian migrants moved to a golf club.

Question

Does the Minister agree that this is an inappropriate location for people of this kind, who are very probably economic migrants, and will he seek to advance them elsewhere as soon as he possibly can?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. We do not want to use hotels in any part of the country; we want to tackle the issue at its source. I understand his constituents' concerns with respect to the hotel in Wiltshire.

Not addressed: The Minister did not confirm agreement on appropriateness or willingness to relocate individuals, instead focusing on avoiding use of hotels.

How: Not Using Hotels

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Q6 Stephen Kinnock Lab Aberafan Maesteg
Immigration Standards & Ethics
Context

Criticism over the effectiveness and costs associated with the Nationality and Borders Act, leading to an increase in dangerous crossings.

Question

Does the Minister recognise the inadequacy of the legislation? Will he explain why the Government's utterly self-defeating approach has led directly to the British taxpayer footing an extra bill of £500 million?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

First, whatever the inadequacies of the current system, they would be far worse if the Opposition were in power—in fact, the backlog of cases was 450,000 when the last Labour Government handed over to us. They have opposed every tough measure that we have taken, including the Nationality and Borders Act.

Not addressed: The Minister did not acknowledge inadequacies or explain cost implications, instead criticizing the opposition for opposing measures.

How: Criticizing Labour

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Q7 Alison Thewliss SNP
Asylum & Refugees
Context

The asylum system in Glasgow Central is facing delays and backlogs, with only 16,400 decisions made in the year to September. Barrister Colin Yeo suggests that 8,000 decisions per month are needed to reduce the backlog.

Question

My casework highlights a broken asylum system with regular delays and years-long waits for various applications. Given that only 16,400 decisions were made last year but 8,000 are needed monthly to clear the backlog of 20,000 cases, how will the Minister meet this target?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

Last week, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out our plan to re-engineer the process and hire more decision makers. We aim to simplify guidance and make the process faster by hiring more decision-makers. The Scottish Government's inaction is concerning as only Glasgow is taking its fair share of asylum seekers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific recruitment plan for decision makers was not detailed, nor were timelines or concrete actions provided.

How: Redirecting Blame To The Scottish Government

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Q8 Alison Thewliss SNP
Asylum & Refugees Local Government
Context

Local authorities in Scotland are hesitant to take more asylum seekers due to insufficient funding and budget constraints. The MP raises concerns about the Home Office recruiting decision-makers from customer service roles with no experience in the asylum system.

Question

Local authorities hesitate to accept more asylum seekers due to inadequate UK Government funding and impending austerity measures. Is it true that the Home Office is hiring decision makers from customer service jobs, consulting Lonely Planet guides for knowledge of applicant countries, and leaving them to conduct complex interviews with minimal training?

Answer from Robert Jenrick

I do not recognise anything that the hon. Lady just said. The problem is a complicated and bureaucratic system, which we want to simplify and speed up. We need to address the Scottish Government's refusal to take small boat arrivals, creating a gap between their rhetoric and actions.

Not addressed: The specific claims about recruitment practices were denied without evidence or specifics.

How: Denial, Redirecting Blame

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