Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has (a) identified and (b) made an assessment of asylum claimants from certain nationalities or groups who could be offered protection without the need for a lengthy interview process; and if she will make a statement.

The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on a case by case basis, irrespective of their nationality or group, based on their individual merits, against a background of relevant case law and up to date country information.

In most asylum cases we will ask the claimant to complete a Preliminary Information Questionnaire (PIQ). Children who claim asylum are asked to complete a Statement of Evidence Form (SEF). The information contained in the PIQ (or SEF) will be used alongside all of the other evidence already held about the claim to help determine whether or not it is appropriate to omit an asylum interview.

The criteria for when a substantive asylum interview can be omitted are contained in Paragraph 339NA of the Immigration Rules and include cases where we are able to take a positive decision on the basis of evidence available, or if the claimant is unfit or unable to be interviewed owing to enduring circumstances beyond their control. It would be inappropriate to adopt a blanket approach to certain nationalities or groups because of the differing circumstances of each claim.