Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (29th June 2011)
Oliver Heald (North East Hertfordshire, Conservative)
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Dublin 2 process for the handling of asylum seekers' cases; and if he will make a statement.
Damian Green (Minister of State (Immigration), Home Office; Ashford, Conservative)
I have been asked to reply.
The Government strongly supports the Dublin Regulation (“Dublin II”). The Regulation ensures that just one member state-generally the first one in which the individual claimed asylum or entered unlawfully-is responsible for considering an asylum claim made in the EU.
This makes it more difficult to abuse asylum processes in the EU by making multiple claims in different member states, or by delaying an asylum claim until the individual has reached his or her preferred destination. It also provides certainty for the asylum seeker by ensuring that a specific member state is obliged to consider his or her claim.
Between 2006 and 2010, the UK removed 6,034 people to other member states under the Dublin Regulation and accepted 1,849 transfers from other member states. These figures are based on management information that is not quality assured under National Statistics protocols. The figures do not constitute part of the National Statistics and should be treated as provisional.