Declares that the petitioners are gravely concerned about the manner in which asylum seekers are currently treated in the UK; further that the 2015/16 Immigration Bill threatens to make those seeking sanctuary even more vulnerable; further that the Bill will leave more families homeless and further isolate an already marginalised group; further that recommendations made by the All-Party Parliamentary inquiry into the use of immigration detention have been excluded from the Bill; further that the petitioners have a moral responsibility as Christians to be a voice for those who have no voice; further that Pope Francis has said that refugees and asylum seekers are our brothers and sisters; and further that a local petition on this matter was signed by 3,000 people.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to reconsider the findings of the All-Party Parliamentary inquiry into the use of immigration detention to adopt the inquiry’s recommendations in order to improve the treatment of asylum seekers in the UK.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Robert Flello, Official Report, 9 December 2015; Vol. 603, c. 1108.]
[P001659]
Observations from The Minister for Immigration (James Brokenshire):
The Immigration Bill does not affect the support provided to asylum seekers and their families, who will continue to be provided with free furnished accommodation and a weekly cash allowance to cover their other essential living needs.
The Bill restricts the support available to those whose applications for asylum have been rejected, and who are therefore illegal economic migrants. Support will still be available where there is a genuine obstacle that prevents the person from leaving the United Kingdom at the point their asylum claim or any appeal is finally determined.
Detention plays a vital role in maintaining effective immigration control and the protection of our borders. Recommendations made in the all-party parliamentary group report of their inquiry into the use of immigration detention were brought to the attention of Stephen Shaw CBE, the former Prisons and Probation Ombudsman for England and Wales, who was commissioned by the Home Secretary in February 2015 to undertake an independent review of policies and operating procedures that have an impact on detainee welfare. Mr Shaw’s report was published on 14 January by means of a written statement, which also set out the Government’s initial response to his report.