Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are plans to provide financial assistance to asylum seekers who have to travel to Liverpool to appeal asylum decisions.

Asylum appeal hearings are not held in Liverpool. Asylum seekers are not required to travel to Liverpool to appeal against their asylum decisions or attend their asylum appeal hearing.

The Home Office implemented a new policy on 30 March 2015 which requiring all failed asylum seekers (FAS) who have exhausted their appeal rights, but who wish to make an asylum further submission, to do so in person. Those who wish to submit further submissions on asylum or human rights grounds are required to telephone the further submissions unit and book an appointment to submit their further submissions in person in Liverpool.

There are no plans to provide financial assistance to those individuals wishing to submit their further submissions in person in Liverpool. However, in exceptional circumstances, for example due to a disability or severe illness, further submissions from failed asylum seekers may be accepted either through local arrangements or by post, providing that supporting evidence is submitted, as specified within the published further submissions policy which can be accessed at the following:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/502334/Further_Submissions_API_v9_0_EXT.pdf