HC Deb 20 May 2002 vol 386 cc75-6W
Lynne Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what performance indicators were set for the National Asylum Support Service in(a) 2000–01 and (b) 2001–02; and how NASS performed against such performance indicators in each year. [54102]

Angela Eagle

In 2000–01 the published performance indicator for the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) was to "process asylum support claims within agreed time scales (from date of receipt)—70 per cent. within two days and 100 per cent. within seven days". In 2001–02 the published performance indicator was to "reduce by 20 per cent. the average time taken to decide applications for support from destitute asylum seekers".

In 2000–01, 15 per cent. of applications were decided in two days and 30 per cent. in seven days. Figures for actual performance in 2001–02 are not yet available.

The performance of NASS in 2000–01 was unacceptable. In 2001 NASS reviewed and refined its procedures with the intention of speeding up response times and improving the quality of decision making.

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