Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration entitled An inspection of asylum casework June-October 2023, published on 29 February 2024, whether she has taken steps to (a) identify vulnerable claimants in the asylum work in progress queue and (b) prioritise their claims.

This report deals wholly with the Asylum Casework system under the previous administration.

The Home Office partially accepted the recommendation made in the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration 2024 “ICIBI annual report for 2023-24” to introduce a published service standard for deciding asylum claims.

We are reviewing that recommendation but this is a complex area that needs to balance operational efficiency, the needs of asylum seekers and the integrity of our asylum system, so we cannot provide an immediate answer on the proposed implementation timetable.

The Home Office accepted the recommendation made in the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration 2024 “ICIBI annual report for 2023-24” to (a) identify vulnerable claimants in the asylum work in progress queue and (b) prioritise their claims and we can confirm this work has been completed.