The chief inspector of borders and immigration has called on the Government to “give some certainty” to asylum seekers by speeding up approvals instead of housing them in motels – arguing that “irrespective of the number of stars it may have”, temporary accommodation is “grim”.
David Neal, a retired Royal Military Police officer, called the current backlog of cases “inexcusably high” and said it was “in the interests of everyone in this country” to get people out of the contingency asylum accommodation.
Writing in The Times, the independent inspector, who was appointed by Priti Patel when she was home secretary, acknowledged the Home Office was showing initiative in tackling the crisis, but decision making was struggling to “strike a balance between more speed and quality”.
Low morale and unstable management within teams tasked with asylum seeker case work was further undermining performance, he added.
“The reality of being housed in temporary accommodation, irrespective of the number of stars it may have, is grim,” Mr Neal said.
“The negative impact on mental health as well as the waste of human capital is upsetting. As numbers and costs increase by the day, speeding up decisions on asylum claims must be the medium-term objective of any government, providing hope to applicants with legitimate claims, and some level of certainty to the tens of thousands stuck in limbo.”
The chief inspector implored the Government to increase productivity of approving asylum seekers’ claims, adding that decision makers were currently averaging 1.3 approvals per week.
“It is in the interests of everyone in this country to give some certainty to asylum seekers, reduce the inexcusably high backlog of cases,
get people out of contingency asylum accommodation and let them start to rebuild their lives.”
It comes after Mr Neal told MPs the conditions he encountered at the Manston processing centre had left him “speechless”.
There were thought to be around 4,000 migrants at facility at the time – more than double its capacity.
As of 8am on Wednesday, the Government said the number of people at the facility was down to 1,147.
Suella Braverman has been under increased pressure to fix the UK’s “broken” asylum system, with the Government currently spending £6.8 million a day putting up migrants in hotels – at an average cost of £150 per person per night.
Home Office figures published in August show that spending on asylum rose to £2.1 billion in 2021-22 – the highest on record.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said addressing the migrant crisis with his French counterpart was his key priority at Cop27.
Rishi Sunak said he and the Home Secretary were working “day and night” to end “the unacceptable rise in Channel crossings” as he continued to face questions over her appointment.
Ms Braverman has faced criticism from some opposition MPs for inflaming the situation after she said the Government is committed to “stopping the invasion on our southern coast”.
