§ Sir Ivan LawrenceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has reviewed the working of the asylum appeals system; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HowardI have today placed in the Library a report by the consultancy firm KPMG Peat Marwick on the operation of the asylum appeals procedures. The study arose from the commitment which was given at the time of the adoption of the Asylum Appeals (Procedure) Rules 1993 to review the new regulations after a year of operation. The consultants analysed over 200 appeal cases and looked at all aspects of the asylum appeal determination system from an operational perspective. They have produced a helpful report, and have made a number of recommendations of a mainly operational and procedural nature, which the Lord Chancellor and I are considering.