The government plans to overhaul the asylum appeals system to reduce the number of migrants housed in hotels while awaiting rulings. A new independent body staffed by adjudicators will be created to hear appeals more quickly. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said practical steps are being taken to end unacceptable delays. Initial asylum decisions have been sped up but appeals take on average just over a year, with 51,000 cases pending and 32,000 asylum seekers currently housed in hotels. Ministers aim to end hotel use during this parliament and will publish further details in the autumn.
The government is planning an overhaul of the asylum appeals system, as it tries to cut the number of migrants staying in hotels while they await a ruling. A new, independent body will be established, staffed by independent adjudicators, with the aim of hearing cases more quickly. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, said she was taking practical steps to end unacceptable delays. The government has been under increasing pressure to reduce its reliance on asylum hotels. It now wants to regain the initiative. Ministers have pledged to end hotel use in this parliament - but 32,000 asylum seekers are still housed in them.
Cooper said that while initial decisions on asylum applications had been speeded up, there had been "unacceptable delays" when people who were turned down decided to appeal. It currently takes on average just over a year for an appeal to be heard and 51,000 cases are awaiting a decision. During this time failed asylum seekers are accommodated at the taxpayers' expense. So a new panel of independent adjudicators is to be appointed to deal with appeals - ministers believe it will act more swiftly than the courts. The government has promised to give more details about how it will speed up cases in the autumn.
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