Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what training and advice is available to immigration officers carrying out asylum interviews where a claimant has been a victim of sexual violence.

Asylum interview and decisions are undertaken by civil servants and not by Immigration Officers.

All Asylum decision-making staff receive training that involves a dedicated five week course (or ‘Foundation Training programme’) which covers Asylum legislation, the Refugee Convention, Human Rights law, UK Immigration Rules and legislation, gender issues, modern slavery, Female Genital Mutilation, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual claims and domestic violence as well as training on conducting asylum interviews and decisions.