Thank you for contacting me in relation to the concerns you have raised about asylum support in the UK.

I absolutely share your concerns about the current asylum support system and that many people who are waiting for a decision on their asylum claims, or have had a decision made on their claim, still have to wait lengthy periods of time before they have access to any support or benefits.

Only this week I took part in a debate in Parliament about the utterly unacceptable state of accommodation that is provided to asylum seekers by private providers such as Serco and G4S.  the Home Office doesn’t even ensure that such providers to ensure that victims of torture and rape as a weapon of war aren’t sharing rooms with other people.  The accommodation is often dirty, sometimes vermin-infested and it is almost impossible for them to complain.  I’m working to ensure that the new contracts embed their basic rights as tenants in such accommodation.

As requested I have written to the Home Secretary to raise the issue of timescales for dealing with asylum claims and to request that asylum support applications are dealt with in line with the guidelines set by the Government. The decision-making period should be clear and transparent.

As soon as I receive a response from the Home Secretary I will contact you again.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this issue.