Asylum applications fall by a third

Home Office asylum figures released today have indicated that applications for the first quarter of the year fell by a third to 16,000.

The monthly application rate was also down 49% to 4,565 in March compared with 8,900 in October, the Home Secretary said. According to the figures 7,175 applications were made in January, to 4,255 in February and 4,565 in March.

The government has said that the downward trend in asylum applications was the result of measures to "secure the Channel Tunnel, moving UK border controls to France coupled with radical reforms in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act".

The Home Office says that there has been "improvement across the system", with a record number of removals – 14,400 (including dependants) in 2002/03 – increasing numbers of appeals decided and a fall in the number of claims waiting for an initial decision.

The Home Secretary indicated today that he was considering further measures, including legislation to cover areas such as legal aid and of asylum seekers allegedly destroying or disposing of their documents in order to "make fraudulent claims and prevent removal".

Mr Blunkett said: "We are seeing real signs of improvement right across the asylum system. We are also removing more of those whose claims do not succeed, deciding more appeals and reducing the number waiting for an initial decision.

"Nevertheless despite this encouraging progress, I am in no way complacent. I am the first to recognise that we have a mountain to climb. Every step demonstrates that we were right to take the action we have but also reveals the need for further measures to build on the improvements we have set in place."

(GMcG)