Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the correct information is obtained from asylum interview to ensure that the process of making a decision on an application is expedited.

he Home Office takes the wellbeing of asylum seekers extremely seriously and has already put in place a range of measures to support asylum seekers affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. In line with the Home Office’s commitment to protect the health and wellbeing of its staff and customers as a top priority, Asylum Operations made the decision to cease face to face substantive asylum interviews with effect from Thursday 19th March 2020.

Asylum Operations have secured a mobile digital and video interviewing solution to support remote interviewing and are working with delivery partners, to enable the use of this technology. We remain committed to restarting substantive asylum interviews as soon we can establish a process that allows the participants - applicants, representatives, interpreters and interviewers - to do so safely.

Asylum Operations continue to make and serve decisions on cases where there is enough information to do so. We continue to review these on a case by case basis, ensuring those with significant safeguarding concerns or vulnerabilities are only served if appropriate to do so.

These are unprecedented times and we are adjusting processes and procedures where necessary and appropriately to adapt to these changes.