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One of the most concerning figures in the latest migration data is the increase in the number of people awaiting a decision on their asylum claim. The backlog has now passed 175,000, setting a new record high. The inability of the Home Office to process cases in a timely fashion has moved beyond simple incompetence and is now undermining this country’s ability to protect its borders.
Some 80 per cent of those on the list have been waiting more than six months for a decision. This is not only difficult for those caught in the system, but poses future headaches for the Government. The longer migrants remain in limbo, the more likely they are to acquire new rights that make their eventual removal difficult.
In the interim, the cost of feeding, housing and caring for their swelling numbers is imposing an intolerable cost on the public purse. The Government is now spending nearly £4 billion annually on housing and support for asylum seekers, including £6 million each day on putting up 51,000 migrants in hotels.
The cost of the system is rising year on year, and so is the backlog. The Home Office may point to data showing that the rate of growth has now slowed, but we appear to be no closer to seeing meaningful reductions in the total.
It is notable that the number of decisions made by each caseworker within the department has dropped over recent years. Astonishingly, despite considerable increases in staff numbers, the total number of decisions has fallen.
This is clearly unacceptable and must be urgently dealt with, whether the cause is policy changes, the Home Office’s work from home culture or some other issue within the workforce.
It must be recognised that solving the asylum crisis is not merely a matter of dealing with the processing of claims in a more timely manner. It is imperative that the Government actually puts into action efforts to remove those found to have no right to remain in this country, including via the Rwanda scheme.
Suella Braverman admitted in November that “we have failed to control our borders”. Nine months on, it cannot honestly be said that a great deal has changed for the better. Rishi Sunak has said that the small boats problem cannot be solved overnight. That may be, but voters are entitled to expect progress towards ending this crisis, rather than the reverse.
The high cost of the asylum backlog
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has admitted that ‘we have failed to control our borders’. This needs to change