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Response to the National Audit Office report on management of asylum applications
23 January 2009
The Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency, Lin Homer, has responded to the National Audit Office report entitled 'Management of asylum applications by the UK Border Agency'.
Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency, Lin Homer, said:
"This report recognises the considerable success we have had in improving the asylum system. It acknowledges that we have an improved grip on asylum applications and that since our previous examination the Agency has become better organised.
"However we will not rest on our laurels. We are strengthening our checks on decision making, recruiting more staff and are committed to conclude 90 per cent of new asylum cases within six months by 2011.
"In the latter half of 2008 we concluded an average of 10,000 legacy cases per month, and have already cleared 155,000 cases to date. I am confident that we will clear all of these cases by 2011.
"Many of the recommendations within the report have already been addressed with improvements already in place - we have acted on previous reports and we will do so again."
Lin Homer has also sent a letter to the media on the subject (PDF 45K, opens in a new window).