Asylum applications hit two-year low

Asylum applications in April dipped to their lowest level for two years, the Home Office has confirmed.

The 5,000 applications lodged in April represented a 15% drop from the corresponding month in 2000 and the lowest the UK has seen since April 1999 when they stood at 4,095.

The large backlog of applications also dropped to 31,795, from over 90,000 in the previous year - reaching the lowest level for 10 years.

Home Secretary Jack Straw said: "These are encouraging figures... but there is still a lot more to do to ensure asylum for those who qualify and fast action for all those who do not."

The number of applications from within the UK also fell by 15% between March and April this year, from 2,905 to 3,425.

The total number of asylum seekers will actually be higher than 5,000 because the figures do not include children, spouses or other dependants.

Tackling abuse

The government has introduced a range of measures to tackle abuse of the asylum system.

Mr Straw said: "Today's figures show the increasing effect of measures we have put in place to deal with the abuse of the system."

Applicants by nationality - April 2001

Afghanistan - 700

Sri Lanka - 445

Somalia - 420

Fed Rep of Yugoslavia - 375

Iraq - 295

Source: Home Office

He said these measures included £2,000 penalties for hauliers who bring in illegal immigrants.

The number of clandestine immigrants at Dover has fallen by 42%.

There had also been investment in 4,000 new immigration officers, X-ray machines and electronic fingerprint equipment to tackle the issue, Mr Straw added.

But the Refugee Council said the asylum policies of both Labour and the Conservatives were "deeply flawed and not credible".

Group chief executive Nick Hardwick said the parties were "trying to out-do each other in devising ever more draconian and costly measures against this vulnerable group of people".

He added: "Whether the asylum figures go slightly up or down each month is not the real issue.

"The real solution would be to focus efforts on achieving a good quality and effective decision-making process.

"Those who are found to be in need of protection or with compelling humanitarian issues should be allowed to stay and those beyond these categories returned to their country of origin."