Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure asylum seekers are given accurate information on the (a) expected processing times for and (b) progress of their applications.

The Prime Minister made an announcement on the 13 December 2022 committing to clear the backlog of legacy asylum claims, those made before 28 June 2022, by the end of 2023.

Separate work is underway to process all other asylum claims awaiting consideration, as laid out in the ministerial written statement of 8 June 2023.

We are developing a portal which will enable asylum seekers to access real time updates on their case. An early version of this has been in test with representatives and we are looking to develop its usage and build the asylum seeker aspects during the latter part of this year.