§ 3. Sir Teddy Taylor (Rochford and Southend, East)What the impact is of the international conventions which the UK has signed on the length of time taken to determine asylum applications; and if he will make a statement.[104108]
§ The Minister for Citizenship and Immigration (Beverley Hughes)The international conventions to which the UK is a signatory have no direct effect on the length of time taken to determine asylum applications. They simply provide the framework in which we consider those applications.
§ Sir Teddy TaylorAs international conventions and even European Union association agreements are used as a means to extend asylum and nationality applications for many years—as the Minister can see from a case that I have reported to her, which commenced nine and a half years ago—will the 6 Government examine carefully the possibility of withdrawing from such conventions, thereby speeding up decision making? Does she agree that, if we are to maintain the good race and community relations that we have always enjoyed in the UK, that issue should be looked at very carefully?
§ Beverley HughesI certainly agree that it is imperative for the sake of community relations and cohesion in this country that we reform the asylum system. The case to which the hon. Gentleman refers, and I thank him for identifying it for me, has been protracted not as a result of either of the main conventions, but because the person concerned and his representatives have used the successive appeals that were possible under the Conservative Government—a practice that we have now stopped. In fact, the way to speed up the process is to tackle abuse exactly as we are doing—by bearing down on unfounded cases, removing in-country right of appeal, deterring unfounded claims by taking away support, strengthening our borders with France, Belgium and Holland, and detecting more clandestine entrants. It is that package of measures, and others that we will introduce if necessary, that will reduce delays, and not the latest version of the constantly changing policy from those on the hon. Gentleman's own Front Bench.
§ Mr. Jim Marshall (Leicester, South)Will my hon. Friend tell the House what advice she is giving to people interviewing new asylum seekers in the United Kingdom, in view of the Court of Appeal's decision last week?
§ Beverley HughesWe gave further instructions on the procedures following the High Court's decision some weeks ago. In fact, I he Court of Appeal overturned the High Court on all the key legal principles and found in the Government's favour. Some really important principles were involved—for example, that the burden of proof of whether the claim was made as soon as reasonably practicable rests with the applicant, not the Home Office; that the measure does not contravene the European convention on human rights; and that destitution of itself does not engage article 3. The measures can operate as Parliament intended, and we have adjusted procedures to take account of the court's findings on procedural measures.
§ Mr. George Osborne (Tatton)The Minister will remember that the Prime Minister told David Frost that the Government were re-examining their international treaty obligations on asylum. To reassure those of us who suspected that that was just a throwaway remark to get good headlines, will the Minister tell us how the reassessment is coming along and when she plans to publish the results?
§ Beverley HughesI think that the hon. Gentleman knows precisely where we are with that commitment. We have every confidence that the measures that we have introduced, which are already showing results in reducing the intake of asylum claims, will continue and that we will reach the target that we want to achieve by 7 September as a result of those measures. We will not have to consider coming out of those conventions, and we have no plans at the moment to do so.
§ Fiona Mactaggart (Slough)Are the instructions to immigration officers about how to interpret whether someone has applied for asylum as soon as possible available on the internet or in other ways, in the same way as are other instructions to immigration officers?
§ Beverley HughesCertainly, I have seen that guidance. I cannot give an answer as to whether it is available on the internet, but I will make inquiries and write to my hon. Friend about that.
§ Mr. Julian Brazier (Canterbury)In east Kent, with its proximity to Dover, we are particularly affected by this problem. In the light of the Minister's earlier answers to two of my hon. Friends, if the Government plan to stay inside the convention, is there any truth to the rumours leaked in the Sunday papers 10 days ago that the Government are considering processing asylum claimants offshore? My constituents' real concern is that race relations, overcrowding and other connected issues are getting progressively worse as the Government talk about the matter.
§ Beverley HughesAs the hon. Gentleman will understand, the key issue is to reduce the intake of claims so that we can have stability, order and rationality in the asylum system. That is why the measures that the Home Secretary and I have been talking about were introduced, both in legislation and in our negotiations with France—that is imperative. Equally, we want to deal better with refugees generally. The hon. Gentleman will know that the vast majority have no hope of entering this country, whether clandestinely or in any other way. That is why we have been developing proposals for zones of protection outside this country and means of processing people in transit places between source countries and Europe. The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary will discuss those issues further in the Council later this week.