In comment on the UK Government’s proposal to increase the removal of unsuccessful asylum seekers from the UK, Fazil Kawani, Refugee Council Communications Director, said:

“In situations where the Home Office believe there is no case for protection and return asylum seekers to their country of origin, there is still no organisation which monitors what might happen to individuals once they are returned.

“It is difficult to have much faith in a system which fails to ensure that each case is fairly considered on its own merits. Some months last year, as many as 38% of initial decisions were made without even opening the files, including those about people from Afghanistan, Iraq and Sri Lanka.

A key element to making the asylum system truly fair is to ensure that every asylum seeker, no matter where they might be dispersed, has access to good legal advice and representation. In many cases, this simply is not happening.

“Specialist lawyers tell us that Home Office asylum decisions often display inconsistencies and contradictions. There is an urgent need for the Home Office to improve the quality of their asylum decisions before any increase in deportations should be allowed to take place.”

ENDS