Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Home Office staff in the UK are directly involved in interviewing applicants for refugee status.

Decisions on asylum (refugee) claims are made by Decision Makers within the Asylum Intake and Casework Unit and the Home Office has rolling recruitment campaigns to ensure the number of Decision Makers are maintained at a level that allows the Home Office to progress cases in line with service standards.

We are committed to delivering an asylum process that is sensitive to the needs of the claimants so that sufficient information can be obtained to facilitate fair and sustainable decisions on asylum claims.

All interviewing personnel receive extensive training on interviewing and considering asylum claims, and must follow published Home Office policy guidance when conducting screening and substantive asylum interviews and considering asylum claims.

We do not hold information on the time staff spend in the role of Decision Maker however we have a staff retention plan to identify the factors leading to staff attrition. We are aware that the role of asylum decision maker results in staff hearing, often distressing accounts and managers are aware of the need to support staff.