Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of industrial action by Northern Ireland immigration practitioners; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that asylum claims are not impacted.

All asylum claims will continue to be assessed on an individual basis, in line with published policies.

The Home Office continues to invest in a programme of transformation and business improvement initiatives to focus on speeding up decision making, reduce the time people spend in the asylum system and decrease the number of people who are awaiting an interview or decision.

This will enable us to maximise our capacity and progress cases in a more efficient and cost-effective way.