Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Prime Minister on Illegal Immigration on 13 December (HC Deb cols 885–8), what assessment they have made of the gender impacts of the aspiration that claims for asylum will be processed “in days or weeks, not months or years”, given the difficulties many victims of sexual violence may have in immediately disclosing the full extent of their experiences.

We are committed to ensuring that all asylum claimants, including those who have suffered sexual violence, feel able to disclose their experiences early in the asylum process, so that decision-makers can consider that evidence and grant protection status where it is needed without undue delay.

We appreciate that it may be difficult for claimants to disclose sensitive information and we have gender sensitive processes in place, for example providing gender specific interviewers and interpreters where appropriate. If there is a discrepancy between the information someone provides at different stages in the asylum process, we will clarify this during the asylum interview. We will take account of the explanation the claimant provides alongside any other underlying factors such as gender, feelings of shame and social standing when assessing credibility and deciding whether the claimant qualifies for protection status.