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11
March 2005
UNHCR
Issues UK Asylum Report as Numbers Plummet
LONDON
- The UN refugee agency today portrayed the government's asylum
process as a mixed picture and recommended use of better evaluation
and research tools, meanwhile, the number of asylum seekers coming
to the UK has plummeted by 61 percent in the last two years and
is back at the level of the mid-1990s.
After
reviewing 267 cases, or two percent of the first instance asylum
decisions under consideration at the Home Office's Croydon and Liverpool
premises during the second half of 2004, UNHCR said the government
has shown a genuine interest in improving the quality of its decisions.
In
its initial report on the joint Quality Initiative Project, the
refugee agency said the government needs to better evaluate its
caseworkers and provide more information about situations in countries
generating asylum seekers. The refugee agency also recommended that
all officials determining refugee status be accredited in order
to boost the quality and efficiency of the first stage of the asylum
process.
"UNHCR
is very impressed by the government's transparent approach in allowing
us to work with them to find areas where the overall status determination
process can be improved and expedited," said Anne Dawson-Shepherd,
UNHCR representative to the UK. "By ensuring that asylum claims
are decided using sound legal principles and accurate country of
origin information, extensive and costly recourse to the appellate
level may be avoided."
The
UK dropped to third last year among industrialised countries receiving
only 40,200 asylum seekers, well behind France and the USA, falling
from second place in 2003. On a per capita basis, the UK ranked
11th last year among EU states receiving asylum seekers.
"With
the number of asylum claims down dramatically, we're pleased the
government is seeking our advice on further enhancing the quality
of the UK's asylum system," Dawson-Shepherd declared. "The
UN Refugee Convention is a living document providing a framework
for UNHCR to help governments improve their asylum systems, it does
not prevent states from sending home rejected asylum seekers but
rather ensures that people in need are protected."
Under
the Quality Initiative project underway since last year, UN refugee
agency staff have worked alongside government personnel to scrutinise
the UK's handling of first-instance asylum claims with the aim to
improve the accuracy of the status determination process.
"Quality
is the key in getting the status determination process to operate
more fairly and better tackle any abuse," said UNHCR's Dawson-Shepherd.
The
agency noted a number of areas where the government can take action
to ensure that asylum claims can be more properly reviewed and decided
without necessarily having to be reconsidered at the appellate level
-- a time consuming and costly process.
Government
workers examining asylum claims need better background materials
and country of origin information as well as internet-based research
materials, UNHCR said.
"It
is essential for staff involved in the first stage of the decision-making
process to have basic research tools, proper training and support
so the first instance process can move ahead much more effectively,"
Dawson-Shepherd said.
The
refugee agency plans to release twice yearly reports on joint UN/Home
Office Quality Initiative project to help the government address
the quality and efficiency of the asylum claims process.
End
Media
may call UNHCR's Peter Kessler, tel. 020.7932.1020 / 07775.566.127
or Clare Graham tel. 020.7932.1022.
www.unhcr.org.uk
To download a copy of the key observations and recommendations,
please click here.
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