Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his oral contribution of 7 January 2019, Official Report, column 85, how many asylum seekers arriving on the Kent coast since 1 October 2018 had their applications deemed as inadmissible; and what the basis was for deeming those applications as inadmissible.

Over 500 migrants, the majority of whom are Iranian nationals, attempted to travel to the UK on small vessels in 2018. The vast majority of those attempts were made in the last three months of the year. We are unable to state how many applications from this route have been considered inadmissible, as these cases are still being processed.

We are working to utilise all legislative powers available to ensure we protect our borders and deter illegal migration. To do so, we are working closely with safe third countries to explore the return of asylum claimants to them, where evidence supports this assertion.

Those who need international protection should claim in the first safe country they reach, as that is the fastest route to safety, rather than risk their lives trying to enter other countries unlawfully.

For those we are unable to deem inadmissible, Section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Treatment of Claimants Act 2004 will be considered when assessing their case. This legislation states that failure to take advantage of a reasonable opportunity to claim asylum in a safe country shall be taken in to account in assessing the individual’s credibility.