Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference evidence in the report, Waiting in the Dark: How the asylum system dehumanises, disempowers and damages, published by Refugee Action in May 2019, what assessment has he made of the reasons for the high number of decisions overturned on appeal.

UK Visas and Immigration has an internal audit process, consisting of reviews by senior case workers and independent auditors, which assesses the application of Home Office policy. We continue to work to improve the quality of decision-making to ensure that we properly consider all the evidence provided and get decisions right the first time.

Appeals are allowed for a variety of reasons including the presentation of fresh evidence, not available at the time of the initial decision. We have a very active feedback system between our presenting officers and those who make decisions on asylum claims. Where our reviews show that there are lessons for the Home Office, these are fed back to decision making units who use them to improve operational practices.