St Albans MP Anne Main has been questioning the government over its handling of asylum claims.

 

Since the beginning of February, Anne has been gathering information on the quality of accommodation, information, and support the Home Office provides to asylum seekers.

 

Anne asked the Home Office how it plans to reduce the length of stay in initial accommodation and what steps the Home Secretary is taking to ensure that premises used by asylum accommodation providers as temporary accommodation are fit to house vulnerable people. 

 

In their response, the Minister said: ‘All accommodation needs to be safe, habitable and fit for purpose and monitoring mechanisms are in place to ensure property standards are met and maintained’.

 

Anne also asked the Home Office how many people granted asylum in the UK are provided access to mainstream benefits, the labour market, and secure accommodation within 28 days.

 

The Minister replied: ‘I am sorry but the Home Office does not record this data.’

 

‘I do not understand why the Home Office sets these targets but then does not record data on whether they actually meet these targets’, Anne said: ‘I will pursue this further.’

 

Among other questions, Anne asked what proportion of claims were correctly decided upon their first time and how the government is ensuring claimants are properly supported for the duration of their stay. 

 

‘It is important that the government gets its decisions on asylum-seekers right first time to provide people with the certainty and stability that they deserve’, Anne said. ‘Above all, it’s vital that asylum seekers are provided with all the information and are able to understand the situation, and are treated swiftly and fairly, with consideration to their situation.’