Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 September 2022 to Question 45768 on Asylum: Applications and with reference to the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration entitled An inspection of asylum casework, published in November 2021, when she plans to reintroduce a service standard; and what recent steps Asylum Operations has taken to achieve this.

The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it, in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

We have already made progress in prioritising older claims, high harm cases, those cases with extreme vulnerability, children and new flow cases, following the introduction of the Nationality & Borders Act, whilst those in receipt of support are a priority for legacy cases.

Whilst we are unable to offer specific timescales to individuals at this time, we are working hard to improve the level of service we provide to those who claim asylum. We are continually reviewing the recommendation from the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration’s (ICIBI) published report; however, changes being brought about by the New Plan for Immigration will impact on the way asylum claims are handled and these will be addressed as part of the process to develop a service standard.