Asylum: Independent Documentation Centre (Hansard, 30 October 2003)

Lord Bassatn of Brighton
My Lords, there are no plans to establish an independent documentation centre. We recently established the independent advisory panel on country information under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 to make recommendations on the country information material produced by the Home Office and help to ensure that it is as accurate, objective and up to date as possible. The panel is chaired by Professor Stephen Castles of Oxford University and held its first meeting on 2nd September this year.

§ Lord Hylton
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for his reply. Does he accept that an advisory panel is no substitute for what I am asking for? Is he aware that a report in September of the semi-official Immigration Advisory Service showed that the Home Office is relying on flawed and out-of-date information about countries of origin, resulting in poor quality of first decisions? Will the Government therefore study the independent system that has been functioning in Canada for several years in order to produce something similar here on which we can rely with confidence?

§ Lord Bassam of Brighton
My Lords, I cannot agree with the noble Lord's assertion. The IAS report was 429 published on the day that the advisory panel held its first meeting. The Country Information and Policy Unit is closely considering the issues raised in that report and, where appropriate, amendments have been incorporated into the country reports to be published at the end of October. Not all the comments in the report were unfavourable, and some, I suggest, were a matter of subjective opinion.
As to the Canadian model, which I know the noble Lord is very interested in, it is interesting that the Canadians are exploring the options for establishing an in-house operation very much along the lines of the CIPU because of its greater ability to access what one might describe as "focused information" from government sources. But we are well aware of its operation and obviously we pay close attention to it and the way in which it works.

§ Lord Dholakia
My Lords, may I ask the Minister whether information collected by UNHCR, Amnesty International and other non-governmental organisations form part of the information that is being used by the independent advisory panel? Is it possible to put that information in the Library of the House so that Members are aware how decisions on asylum applications are reached?

§ Lord Bassam of Brighton
My Lords, we of course take great cognisance of the UNHCR's report. It no doubt provides important intelligence on which the Country Information and Policy Unit bases and compiles its reports. It is worth reminding the noble Lord that the reports are not there to determine the outcome of individual cases but to provide background and independent advice and support so that general decisions can be made. That is the function and purpose of the work that the Country Information and Policy Unit undertakes. It is now held accountable, in a sense, through the advisory committee, which I am sure will play a very important and independent role.

§ Lord Roberts of Conwy
My Lords, are the Government contemplating any further steps to ensure that those processing asylum claims have ready access to reliable, impartial and objective information about applicants' countries of origin, as recommended in the Home Office report published in September?

§ Lord Bassam of Brighton
My Lords, we do not have any immediate plans, but of course this is constantly kept under review. No doubt the advisory panel will have views to express on the quality and origin of the information. It has a vital role in holding the policy unit and its work to account.

§ Lord Avebury
My Lords, does the Minister agree that one of the problems with the Country Information Policy Unit is that it only updates its reports once every six months and is often late with the revisions? Where a country such as Zimbabwe is rapidly deteriorating, the CIPU reports are miles out 430 of date. Therefore, the independent adjudicators do not have access to information which may be material to particular applications.

§ Lord Bassam of Brighton
My Lords, it is the case that information is posted every six months. However, the unit updates that with bulletins in the intervening period, which are made available on the website. I was flicking through my papers in order to give the noble Lord the website's reference, but I have failed to find it. It is there, however—those bulletins are regularly produced and the information is updated. In addition to the background updates, information regarding any changes that reflect what is happening in a particular country is readily available.

§ The Earl of Sandwich
My Lords, does the Minister agree that in some countries, such as Afghanistan, some regions are safe and other regions are not safe? Can he confirm that the information obtained through the unit he referred to takes account of those regional variations?

§ Lord Bassam of Brighton
My Lords, I am sure that the unit pays very close attention to changes that take place in each country. It will no doubt want to ensure that the quality of that information is of the highest order. I am confident, too, that it will constantly update it and take account of new developments.