Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Maggie Throup and Dominic Raab

Tuesday 10th January 2023 Commons Chamber

[Dean Russell (Watford) (Con)]

22. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on reducing waiting times for immigration cases.

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Dominic Raab)]

We are committed to ensuring faster throughput in immigration and asylum tribunals to support the Government’s priority to combat dangerous small boats crossing the channel.

[Maggie Throup]

Does my right hon. Friend agree that the quickest way to end the use of hotels such as those in my constituency as temporary accommodation centres is to speed up the processing of immigration cases and, when cases are rejected by the courts, for the Government to act swiftly to remove failed claimants from the UK?

[Dominic Raab]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. That is part of the solution, and I am working closely with the Home Secretary on that. Our aim, working together, is to eliminate the backlog of people who claimed asylum before June 2022 by the end of this year. We will support the Home Office in delivering that so that we can end the use of hotels by 2024. Part of that is about the throughput, so we are doubling the number of decision makers in tribunals from 1,270 to 2,500. Digital can also play a role. Overall, we are driving forward that process to the ends that she describes.