Improving the Speed and Quality of Asylum Decisions,Fourth Report of Session 2004-05,Report,Together with Formal Minutes,Oral and Written Evidence House of Commons Papers 2004-05,238: 2004-05

The numbers of people seeking asylum in the UK peaked between 1999 and 2002, before almost halving in 2003. The high levels in applications led to a large backlog of cases awaiting an initial decision and subsequently an increased volume of appeals. The Immigration and Nationality Directorate spent [pound]1.86 billion on its operations in 2002-03, including [pound]1.07 billion in supporting asylum applicants. In the same year, the Immigration Appellate Authority spent [pound]101 million on dealing with appeals from immigration and asylum cases. Following on from a NAO report on this topic (HCP 535, session 2003-04; ISBN 0102928495) published in June 2004, the Committee's report examines the progress made in tackling the influx of asylum applications and in improving the timeliness and quality of decision-making. Findings include that the Home Office should balance additional administrative costs involved in increasing staff and infrastructure resourcing to meet surges in demand, against the extra costs arising if backlogs are allowed to accumulate; and fast-tracking procedures should be expanded, with a more demanding joint target set for the Directorate and Appellate Authority for time taken to process cases and reach a decision at appeal stage.