Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to (a) the Asylum Migration and Integration Fund and (b) other sources of funding available to his Department, what recent steps his Department has taken to develop and implement new guidance on the conduct of asylum interviews, and how the effectiveness of that guidance is being monitored and evaluated; and if he will make a statement.

The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it and this Government is committed to delivering a fair and humane asylum system.

We recognise that asylum interviews are a vital part of the asylum process, ensuring that decision makers have available all relevant evidence so that they can make an informed decision. To that end, we have published detailed Home Office policy guidance setting out how caseworkers are expected to conduct asylum interviews, which was developed in collaboration with external partners, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). We are currently reviewing this policy and intend to publish a revised version by the end of the year.

We systematically assess the quality of asylum decisions against a detailed audit framework drawn up in consultation with external partners, including the UNHCR, which includes checks on compliance with existing asylum policies and relevant case law.