Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Refugee Action report, Waiting in the dark, published on 16 May 2018, what steps he plans to take to improve the (a) quality and (b) speed of the asylum decision making process; and if he will provide independent support and information to asylum seekers about the asylum system when they apply for asylum.

The UK has a proud history of granting asylum to those who need our protection. All claims for asylum are considered on their individual merits in line with Home Office guidance, and where people establish a genuine need for protection, or a well founded fear of persecution, refugee status will be granted.

The Home Office has plans to improve the speed at which outstanding asylum claims are decided. These include rolling recruitment campaigns to maintain decision maker levels, a staff retention strategy to ensure it retains its highly skilled asylum decision makers, and the further expansion of digital processes to increase caseworking flexibility.

Furthermore, the Home Office issues an information leaflet to asylum claimants at the point of claim that outlines the process and their responsibilities.