Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the patient consent process for people seeking asylum when sharing medical information with the her Department at registration.

There is not a specific patient consent process at registration which seeks to access a claimant’s medical records at this stage in the asylum process.

Individuals seeking asylum can be asked to complete a medical consent form at any stage in the asylum process where a specific issue or a concern is raised. This can be for a number of reasons which are usually related to safeguarding a vulnerable individual.

In terms of sharing information, all asylum claimants are made aware we may share information with other UK government departments or agencies, including the National Health Service, local authorities, asylum authorities of other countries, international organisations or other bodies. This is to enable us and other organisations to carry out their functions, including the prevention and detection of crime.

Claimants are also informed we do not disclose, to their own country, the fact they have claimed asylum in the UK, but we may share some information, for example, to help obtain travel documentation if their claim is refused.

We have recently updated our guidance on disclosure of information in asylum claims and it is available on gov.uk at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/disclosure-of-information-relating-to-asylum-applications