Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she will take to ensure asylum interviews of persons applying for refugee status on grounds of sexual orientation are not affected by the potential views and prejudices of interpreters present at the interview.

All interpreters are subject to qualification checks when joining the Home Office interpreter panel and performance is regularly monitored and assessed. Interpreters are also governed by a Code of Conduct that clearly sets out requirements and expectations. Any breaches of standards are rigorously investigated, assessed and appropriate action taken.

A revised version of the Code of Conduct was published in November 2020. We are also in the process of revising our sexual orientation guidance for caseworkers, which will highlight and enhance these requirements.