Oral Answers to Questions Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Helen Grant
Main Page: Helen Grant (Conservative - Maidstone and Malling)Department Debates - View all Helen Grant's debates with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(3 weeks, 2 days ago)
Commons ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Watch Debate Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Helen Grant (Maidstone and Malling) (Con)
I completely disagree with what the Solicitor General has said about the previous Government’s record in this area, and it is a bit rich in view of her Government’s record over the past 12 months. Reports reveal that Ministers will soon replace immigration judges with professionally trained adjudicators. We are told that is to tackle the 51,000 case appeal backlog, which will of course involve cases of people smugglers. Can she please confirm how long it will take to put that in place and whether it will require primary legislation?
The Solicitor General
The Conservatives left us with a borders crisis, and we are fixing it. The shadow Solicitor General said that we are setting up a new independent body to clear appeals more quickly, and that is exactly what we are doing. We have doubled the number of asylum decisions already: we are sorting out their mess.
Helen Grant
Figures are going up and up and up, and the Solicitor General knows that. Can she confirm who these adjudicators will be—it would be lovely if she would answer the question—and will existing first-tier tribunal judges of the immigration and asylum chamber be eligible to apply?
The Solicitor General
As I said, we are setting up a new independent body to clear appeals more quickly. We are clearing up the Conservatives’ mess, and the Home Secretary will bring forward plans in the areas that the hon. Lady mentions.