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| New Asylum system is failing, says MP |
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Mr Bacon said: “The UK Border Agency’s New Asylum Model has not increased the number of failed asylum seekers removed from the UK at all and its backlog of asylum applications has doubled in the last 12 months.” “The Agency has also failed to use 10,000 emergency travel documents supplied by foreign governments for asylum cases, despite the fact that 70 per cent are for cases where there is no reason why the failed applicant should not be removed.” “What’s more, nearly 10 per cent of these documents have expired and 13 per cent are for applicants who have since absconded.” “The UK Border Agency has failed to improve the management of asylum applications. The New Asylum Model has not improved the lot of genuine asylum seekers and nor has it ensured the speedy removal of failed ones.” “Frankly, it is a failure and the UK Border Agency needs to get its act together.” Mr Bacon was speaking as the National Audit Office published its report into the UK Border Agency’s management of asylum applications. The report finds that the New Asylum Model has not yet resulted in an increase in the removal of failed asylum applicants and that the backlog of asylum decisions to be made has more than doubled in over a year to 8,700 in the second quarter of 2008. The report also finds that the UK Border Agency had applied for and been offered up to 13,000 Emergency Travel Documents by overseas governments which it has not used, 10,000 of them for Asylum cases. Of the 10,000 potentially available documents, over 7,000 are related to cases for which there are no remaining barriers that should prevent the applicant from being removed. Of the 10,000, however, 987 (10 per cent) have expired and cannot be used without revalidation and 1,465 (15 per cent) are in the process of being used and removal action is being taken, 1,263 (13 per cent) have been granted Asylum and 1,338 (13 per cent) have absconded. 23 January 2009 |
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| © Richard Bacon 2010 | |||||||
NAO REPORT: