A report said that a number of individuals whose claim for asylum had been unsuccessful were subjected to both verbal and physical abuse, as state or private detention custody officers attempted to remove them from the country.
Source: Charlotte Granville-Chapman, Ellie Smith and Neil Moloney, Harm on Removal: Excessive force against failed asylum seekers, Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture (020 7697 7777)
Links: Report (pdf) | MFCVT press release | IRR press release
Date: 2004-Dec
The 21st report of British Social Attitudes was published. It looked at: what people felt about being British, and their attitudes to immigration; what young people thought about working mothers, cohabiting, premarital sex and lone parents; how young people engaged with politics and politicians; people s attitudes to government social policies, and proposals on devolution and regional assemblies; people's feelings about genetic modification in food and in medical technology; and how people used the internet, and its impact or otherwise on their political activity.
Source: Alison Park, John Curtice, Katarina Thomson, Catherine Bromley and Miranda Phillips (eds.), British Social Attitudes: The 21st Report, SAGE Publications Ltd (020 7324 8500)
Links: Natcen press release (Word file) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Dec
The Home Secretary (David Blunkett MP) resigned following suggestions that, on his instructions, the Home Office had 'fast tracked' an application by the nanny of his lover for indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom.
Source: The Guardian, 16 December 2004
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2004-Dec
An annual statistical report was published on immigration. Excluding dependants, the number of asylum applications received in 2003 was 49,405, 41 per cent fewer than in 2002 (84,130).
Source: Control of Immigration: Statistics - United Kingdom 2003, Cm 6363, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Nov
The government announced that it would become a criminal offence, punishable by up to two years in prison for anyone - including employers - to hold on to passports or other forms of identity not belonging to them, without good reason.
Source: Press release 10 November 2004, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
Overall, 151,000 more people migrated to the United Kingdom in 2003 than left, according to new international migration estimates. This was slightly lower than the estimate of 153,000 in 2002 and estimates of 162,000-172,000 per year in the preceding three years.
Source: Press release 4 November 2004, Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Nov
A trade union report said that the pattern of migration was changing, with workers from the new eastern European member countries of the European Union mostly going to rural areas rather than London and the big cities, as in previous waves.
Source: Propping up Rural and Small Town Britain: Migrant workers from the new Europe, Trades Union Congress (020 7467 1294)
Links: Report (pdf) | TUC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
The number of people who applied for asylum in the third quarter of 2004 was 8,605 (8.6 per cent higher than the previous quarter, but 28.6 per cent lower than a year earlier).
Source: Asylum Statistics: Third Quarter 2004 - United Kingdom, Home Office (020 7273 2084) Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Nov
A study reviewed methodologies used in different countries, within and beyond Europe, to estimate the stock of illegally resident persons; and assessed their applicability to the United Kingdom.
Source: Charles Pinkerton, Gail McLaughlan and John Salt, Sizing the Illegally Resident Population in the UK: 2nd edition, Online Report 58/04, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Nov
A report said that up to 10 million migrant workers might need to enter the United Kingdom by 2025 in order to ensure that pensioners could continue to receive 80 a week from the basic state pension.
Source: David Blake and Les Mayhew, Immigration or Bust: Securing the future viability of the basic state pension, Pensions Institute/City University (020 7040 8600)
Links: Report (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
Just under 91,000 nationals from the eight European Union accession states registered for work between May and September 2004. The government said that the 'success' of the registration scheme enabled it to monitor the impact of workers coming from the EU on the labour market; had alleviated recruitment difficulties in sectors such as hospitality and agriculture; and had legalized those workers who had previously not been paying taxes.
Source: Accession Monitoring Report: May-September 2004, Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions, Inland Revenue, and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (web publication only) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 10 November 2004, columns 26-29WS, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 10 November 2004, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Report (pdf) | Hansard | Home Office press release | CIPD press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Nov
A survey found that companies were increasingly turning to immigrants to fill permanent vacancies for professional and technical staff. More than 3 out of 4 jobs offered to migrant workers was on a permanent basis.
Source: Quarterly HR Trends and Indicators: Survey report - autumn 2004, Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (020 8971 9000)
Links: Report (pdf) | CIPD press release
Date: 2004-Oct
A study explored the factors influencing the decisions of refugees and asylum seekers to return voluntarily to their countries of origin. Peace and security in home countries were cited as the key factors, followed by family factors. In contrast, economic conditions or policy incentives were less frequently mentioned or actively discussed.
Source: Richard Black et al., Understanding Voluntary Return, Online Report 50/04, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Oct
The government began consultation on proposals for a new immigration and asylum appeals system, to come into force from April 2005. Draft procedure rules were published for the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal, together with proposals for new judicial titles.
Source: Asylum and Immigration Tribunal: Procedure rules, and judicial titles order, Department for Constitutional Affairs (020 7210 8500)
Links: Consultation document (pdf links) | DCA press release
Date: 2004-Oct
A report drew together four pieces of research, all carried out during 2003, into the English language needs of refugees - aimed at improving the service provided by Jobcentre Plus.
Source: Jenny Steels and Jude England, Emerging Findings for the Refugee Employment Strategy, W201, Department for Work and Pensions (0114 209 8274)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Sep
The opposition Conservative party proposed an overall cap on annual immigration, including asylum seekers. It said that it would withdraw the United Kingdom from from the United Nations convention on refugees. An internal party commission had earlier made a series of recommendations on immigration policy, including a minimum salary requirement for work permits; abolishing in-work benefits for immigrant workers; a zero-tolerance approach to overstaying; a compulsory medical examination before embarkation to the United Kingdom; and a language requirement for permanent residency.
Source: Speech by Michael Howard MP, 22 September 2004 | Building a Fair Immigration System, Kirkhope Commission, c/o Conservative Party (020 7222 9000)
Links: Text of speech | Conservative Party press release | Kirkhope report (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Sep
Research into the experiences of women in immigration detention found cases of violent treatment during removal attempts, lengthy periods of detention, and a failure to meet women?s needs.
Source: Sophia Ceneda and Sarah Cutler, ?They Took me Away?: Women?s experiences of immigration detention in the UK, Asylum Aid (020 7377 5123) and Bail for Immigration Detainees
Links: Summary (Word file) | BILD press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Sep
A study examined the experiences of people who needed interpreters in order to use health, legal, social welfare, and education services.
Source: Claire Alexander, Rosalind Edwards and Bogusia Temple, Access to Services with Interpreters: user views, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf) | JRF Findings 934
Date: 2004-Sep
A report provided information on the experiences and needs of the refugee population, and examined the impact on refugees of two official support schemes. Beneficiaries of the schemes were an extremely disadvantaged group more disadvantaged than residents in even the most deprived areas in Britain. Housing was the main area that service clients felt needed improving in their lives. The circumstances of refugees appeared to improve a little after two or three years of residence in Britain.
Source: David Peckham, Emma Wallace, Colin Wilby and James Noble, The Impact of Home Office Funded Services for Refugees: Findings from an exploratory survey of clients, Online Report 45/04, Home Office (web publication only)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Aug
The number of people who applied for asylum in the second quarter of 2004 was 7,920 (11 per cent lower than the previous quarter, and 26 per cent lower than a year earlier). In 2003 applications for asylum, excluding dependants, fell by 41 per cent to 49,405.
Source: Asylum Statistics: 2nd Quarter 2004 - United Kingdom, Home Office (020 7273 2084) | Tina Heath, Richard Jeffries and James Purcell, Asylum Statistics United Kingdom 2003, Statistical Bulletin 11/04, Home Office | Jill Dudley, Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom, 2003, Statistical Bulletin 12/04 Links: Report (pdf) | Bulletin 11 (pdf) | Bulletin 12 (pdf) | Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Aug
The government began consultation on a national strategy for refugee integration. The document highlighted eight indicators of progress, relating to: employment; English-language attainment; volunteering; contact with community organisations; take-up of British citizenship; the proportion of refugees reporting racial, cultural or religious harassment; housing standards; and educational success.
Source: Integration Matters: A national strategy for refugee integration, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Consultation document (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jul
New regulations come into force on 28 July 2004, requiring all applicants for naturalisation, including those married to British citizens, to have sufficient knowledge of the English language and to show that they met this language requirement. The government also outlined a new pre-entry English language requirement for ministers of religion.
Source: Press release 22 July 2004, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
The Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Act 2004 received Royal assent. Key provisions in the Act were aimed at improving the speed and finality of the appeals and removals system; tackling organised crime and immigration offences; and ensuring that asylum seekers and immigration applicants did not benefit from dishonesty.
Source: Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Act 2004, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Act | Home Office press release
Date: 2004-Jul
Eleven leading refugee, human rights and legal organisations set out fundamental principles for a new asylum system. The system centred on protecting those whose safety would be at risk if they were returned to their country of origin. It would include a fast-track recognition scheme for asylum-seekers who were clearly refugees. It would also involve a more independent decision-making process - one that was less adversarial, and more objective and investigative, than the 'highly flawed' current process.
Source: Richard Williams, Refugees: Renewing the Vision - An NGO working paper on improving the asylum system, Refugee Council (020 7820 3042) and other organisations
Links: Report (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
A working paper explored the local impacts of international migration to the United Kingdom. It identified gaps in information, and the need to collect local as well as national data. It also called for an examination of the impacts on migrants themselves.
Source: Gary Craig, Andrew Dawson, Sandra Hutton, Nerys Roberts and Mick Wilkinson, The Local Impacts of International Migrants to the United Kingdom, Social Policy Department/University of Hull (01482 346311)
Links: No link
Date: 2004-Jun
An audit report said that there had been an increase in the speed of the asylum decision-making process: but further improvements could be made, with consequent savings in support and accommodation costs. There also needed to be further improvements to the quality of decision-making.
Source: Improving the Speed and Quality of Asylum Decisions, National Audit Office (020 7798 7000) HC 535 (Session 2003-04)
Links: Report (pdf) | NAO press release | Home Office press release | IAS press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
A report said that 3 out of 4 applications for asylum in Britain were made by people from countries in conflict.
Source: Fleeing the Fighting: How conflict drives the search for asylum, Refugee Council (020 7820 3042)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
An analysis of how migration trends contributed to the age structure and ageing of the overseas-born population found that almost half of overseas-born migrants to the United Kingdom in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s emigrated within five years.
Source: Michael Rendall and Deborah Ball, 'Immigration, emigration and the ageing of the overseas-born population in the United Kingdom', Population Trends 116, Summer 2004, Office for National Statistics, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Article (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jun
An official report found evidence that the European Community Association Agreement (ECAA) had been exploited in Bulgaria and Romania. It described a 'serious failure' in the operation of the scheme. (ECAA agreements are designed to allow people from countries applying for European Union membership to establish themselves in business or self-employment within the EU. Under the agreements, nationals of the relevant countries must be treated no less favourably than nationals of the host state.)
Source: Ken Sutton, Inquiry into Handling of ECAA applications from Bulgaria and Romania: Final report, Home Office (0870 000 1585) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 17 June 2004, columns 54-60WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | Hansard | Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on asylum and immigration appeals (published prior to the government's decision to abandon plans for a single-tier system).
Source: Government Response to the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee s Report on Asylum and Immigration Appeals, Cm 6236, Department for Constitutional Affairs, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response (pdf) | MPs report
Date: 2004-Jun
The government reportedly abandoned its policy (following legal challenges) of denying basic food and shelter to asylum seekers who failed to lodge their claim for refugee status as soon as they arrived in Britain, under Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
Source: The Guardian, 26 June 2004
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
The House of Lords ruled that it would be potentially unlawful for the Secretary of State to remove an asylum seeker where they faced a real risk of a 'flagrant violation' of their human rights in the country to which they were being removed - including, for example, religious persecution.
Source: Regina v. Special Adjudicator (Respondent) ex parte Ullah (FC) (Appellant), UKHL 26 (Session 2003-04), House of Lords Judicial Office (020 7219 3111)
Links: Text of judgement | JUSTICE submission (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
Under late amendments by the government to its own legislative proposals, rejected asylum seekers unable to return home would have to undertake compulsory unpaid community work in return for benefits, and refugees who were dispersed around the country would be banned from moving to live in London or south-east England if they won their case to stay.
Source: The Guardian, 9 June 2004
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jun
The Court of Appeal decided that a refusal by the National Asylum Support Service to offer accommodation to three asylum seekers had violated their human rights. The government said that it would appeal to the House of Lords.
Source: The Secretary of State for the Home Department v Limbuela, Tesema and Adam, Court of Appeal 21 May 2004 | Press release 21 May 2004, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Text of judgement | Home Office press release | IAS press release | Shelter press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-May
A new book examined the challenges faced by social workers working with migrants and asylum seekers within a framework of racism and exclusion.
Source: Debra Hayes and Beth Humphries (eds.), Social Work, Immigration and Asylum: Debates, dilemmas and ethical issues for social work and social care practice, Jessica Kingsley Publishers (020 7833 2307)
Links: Summary | IRR comment
Date: 2004-May
The number of people who applied for asylum in the first quarter of 2004 was 8,940 (17.5 per cent lower than the previous quarter, and 44.1 per cent lower than a year earlier).
Source: Asylum Statistics: First Quarter 2004 - United Kingdom, Home Office (020 7273 2084) Links: Report (pdf) | Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-May
The government began consultation on proposals to exclude overseas visitors (including failed asylum seekers) from eligibility for free National Health Service primary medical services in England. Overseas visitors would continue to be entitled to receive emergency or immediately necessary treatment, free of charge.
Source: Proposals to Exclude Overseas Visitors from Eligibility to Free NHS Primary Medical Services: Consultation, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-May
A National Audit Office report said that official asylum statistics were 'in most respects' reliable. There was no clear statistical evidence that the reduction in the number of asylum applications had had any significant impact on other forms of migration.
Source: Asylum and Migration: A review of Home Office statistics, National Audit Office (020 7798 7000) HC 625 (Session 2003-04)
Links: Report (pdf) | NAO press release | Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-May
The Prime Minister said in a speech that government policy on immigration and asylum would remain firm but fair: 'We will neither be Fortress Britain, nor will we be an open house'. A think-tank briefing argued that the case for allowing increased immigration on economic grounds was seriously flawed.
Source: Speech by Tony Blair MP (Prime Minister), 27 April 2004 | Anthony Browne, Response to Tony Blair's First Speech on Immigration, Civitas (020 7401 5470)
Links: Text of PM speech | Guardian report | Briefing (pdf) | Civitas press release
Date: 2004-Apr
A report detailed the 'devastating impact' which the policy of refusing welfare support to asylum seekers who did not claim asylum immediately upon arrival (under Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002) was having on refugees and their communities.
Source: Bharti Patel and Saoirse Kerrigan, Hungry and Homeless: The impact of the withdrawal of state support on asylum seekers, refugee communities and the voluntary sector, Refugee Council (020 7820 3042)
Links: Report (pdf) | Catholic Church press release
Date: 2004-Apr
The Office for National Statistics published the annual reference volume for international migration to and from the United Kingdom in 2002. There was a record outflow of migrants to European countries and to Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, the United States of America. There was also a record level of inward migration from African Commonwealth countries (excluding South Africa), from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka and from the Middle East.
Source: International Migration: Migrants entering or leaving the United Kingdom and England and Wales, 2002, Series MN 29,Office for National Statistics (0845 601 3034)
Links: Report (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf) | Home Office press release
Date: 2004-Apr
A House of Lords committee said that sending asylum seekers to another country for consideration of their asylum claims raised substantial difficulties; that the government's proposals for transit processing centres were 'misconceived'; and that their proposals for regional protection areas were 'very unclear'.
Source: Handling EU Asylum Claims: New approaches examined, Eleventh Report (Session 2003-04), HL 74, House of Lords European Union Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2004-Apr
The government amended the rules on access to council housing and homelessness assistance in England for nationals from countries within the European Economic Area (the European Union, plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein), coinciding with the accession of 10 new EU countries on 1 May 2004. Nationals of EEA countries would be ineligible for local authority housing and homelessness assistance where their right to reside was conditional on them being self-sufficient and not being an 'unreasonable burden' on the state.
Source: Allocation of Housing and Homelessness (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2004, Statutory Instrument 2004/1235, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Statutory Instrument
Date: 2004-Apr
The immigration minister (Beverley Hughes MP) resigned after admitting she had known of an alleged visa 'scam' involving migrants from eastern Europe - contrary to statements she had given to the media and MPs. The government responded by asking the National Audit Office to verify the integrity of the asylum and immigration system.
Source: The Guardian, 1 April 2004
Links: Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | CBI press release | JCWI press release (pdf)
Date: 2004-Apr
The government tabled regulations stipulating that nationals from the ten new European Union countries (joining on 1 May 2004) would not be able to claim income-related benefits without meeting new residential rules and registering as a worker.
Source: The Social Security (Habitual Residence) Amendment Regulations 2004, Statutory Instrument 2004/1232, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Statutory Instrument | DWP press release
Date: 2004-Apr
A report described the main themes of a conference (held in November 2003), including improving access by refugees to basic services and employment.
Source: Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Delivering race equality and good race relations, Commission for Racial Equality (020 7939 0000)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Mar
A report by a committee of MPs said that proposals in the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Bill would do too little to address the failings at the initial decision-making level. It said it was unlikely that the abolition of a tier of appeal could by itself increase the speed, or improve the quality of, judicial decisions; and that it was doubtful whether many of the proposals contained in the Bill were necessary to deal with the current issues relating to asylum and immigration appeals.
Source: Asylum and Immigration Appeals, Second Report (Session 2003-04), HC 211, House of Commons Constitutional Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2004-Mar
The Trades Union Congress published a report describing the experiences of Ukrainians employed in the United Kingdom. It said that the government needed to make it more difficult for unscrupulous employers to mistreat migrant workers coming from beyond the European Union to work.
Source: Stepan Shakhno, Gone West: Ukrainians at work in the UK, Trades Union Congress (020 7467 1294)
Links: TUC press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
A think-tank paper argued that getting refugees into employment was the key to their integration into society, and suggested strategies for achieving this.
Source: Alice Bloch, Making it Work: Refugee employment in the UK, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100)
Links: Report (pdf) | IPPR press release
Date: 2004-Mar
The government published a summary of responses to a consultation paper which had proposed a curb on the amount of time for which lawyers would be paid out of the legal aid budget for immigration and asylum cases. Most respondents felt that the limits originally suggested would be very restrictive.
Source: Proposed Changes to Publicly Funded Immigration and Asylum Work: Summary of responses to the consultation paper, Department for Constitutional Affairs (020 7210 8500)
Links: Report | Consultation document
Date: 2004-Mar
A research report explored the attitudes of a small sample of employers towards employing refugees, and highlighted a number of common issues. There were clear benefits to employing refugees, but also a number of barriers which had to be overcome - chiefly documentation problems and language skills.
Source: Jennifer Hurstfield, Richard Pearson, Hulya Hooker, Helen Ritchie and Alice Sinclair, Employing Refugees: Some organisations experiences, Employability Forum (020 7981 0375)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Mar
The report was published of an internal inquiry into the operation of European Union agreements enabling self-employed people from 10 Eastern European countries to set up businesses in the United Kingdom. It said that instructions for clearing a backlog of these applications were issued by local managers without the guidance being authorised by senior officials or ministers. The government accepted the report's recommendations and ordered an urgent overhaul of management and reporting processes in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office.
Source: Ken Sutton, Investigation into Guidance on the Handling of European Community Association Agreement Applications: Final report, Immigration and Nationality Directorate/Home Office (0870 000 1585) | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 25 March 2004, columns 58-61WS, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | Hansard | Home Office press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
The Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Bill was given a third reading. Following opposition in the House of Lords, the government then said it would amend the Bill to remove the proposed judicial review 'ouster' which would have banned appeals against asylum tribunal rulings.
Source: Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 1 March 2004, columns 617-721, TSO | House of Lords Hansard, Debate 15 March 2004, columns 49-124, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Hansard (Third reading) | Lords Hansard | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Mar
The government published the full text of a review report (completed in May 2003) on the National Asylum Support Service.
Source: Gill Noble, Alan Barnish, Ernie Finch and Digby Griffith, A Review of the Operation of the National Asylum Support Service, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Mar
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on the asylum applications system. It said it welcomed the 'thorough and helpful' report, which had underlined the complexity of the issues surrounding the asylum system.
Source: The Government Reply to the Second Report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 2003-04 HC 218
Asylum Applications, Cm 6166, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Mar
A report provided a detailed study of government asylum policy over the previous five years. It set out positive recommendations for a fair and workable asylum system, and exposed the 'critical flaws' in the government's latest Asylum Bill.
Source: Providing Protection in the 21st Century: Refugee rights at the heart of UK asylum policy, Asylum Rights Campaign c/o Refugee Council (020 7820 3056)
Links: Refugee Council press release
Date: 2004-Feb
The government said that it would support a private member's Bill designed to prevent exploitation of workers by 'gangmasters'. This followed the death by drowning of 19 Chinese immigrant workers at Morecambe Bay, north west England. The Bill was subsequently given an unopposed second reading. Trade unions called for urgent new laws on corporate manslaughter.
Source: The Guardian, 10 February 2004 | Jim Sheridan MP, Gangmasters (Licensing) Bill, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 27 February 2004, columns 515-577, TSO | Press release 20 February 2004, Trades Union Congress (020 7467 1294)
Links: Guardian report (1) | Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | HOC research briefing (pdf) | Guardian report (2) | TUC press release
Date: 2004-Feb
The Law Lords ruled that asylum seekers had the right to seek council housing in the area of their choice, once they had been granted the right to settle.
Source: Al-Ameri v Kensington and Chelsea Royal London Borough Council; Osmani v Harrow London Borough Council; Glasgow City Council intervening [2004] UKHL 4, (Session 2003-04), House of Lords Judicial Office (020 7219 3111)
Links: Text of judgement | Law report | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Feb
A report provided evidence of continuing destitution for asylum seekers, as a result of the government s policy of denying welfare support in certain cases under Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
Source: The Impact of Section 55 on the Inter-Agency Partnership and the Asylum Seekers it Supports, Refugee Council (020 7820 3056) and others
Links: Report (pdf) | Refugee Council press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Feb
A report by a joint committee of MPs and peers said that the abolition of judicial review of immigration tribunal decisions, proposed under the government's Asylum and Immigration Bill, risked violating the rule of law.
Source: Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill, Fifth Report (Session 2003-04), HL 35 and HC 304, Joint Committee on Human Rights (House of Lords and House of Commons), TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Feb
Applications for asylum fell by 41 per cent in 2003 (from 84,130 to 49,370), while the number of removals of unsuccessful applicants increased by 23 per cent. The government claimed credit for its 'tough measures', and said that further action was being taken to reduce applications and increase removals.
Source: Asylum Statistics: 4th Quarter 2003 United Kingdom, Home Office (020 7273 2084) | Press release 24 February 2004, Home Office (0870 000 1585)
Links: Report (pdf) | Home Office press release | Refugee Council press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Feb
A human rights charity said that the Home Office regularly dismissed evidence of torture from asylum seekers, raising the prospect that they could be returned to their countries of origin to face further persecution.
Source: Ellie Smith, Right First Time? Home Office asylum interviewing and reasons for refusal letters, Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture (020 7697 7777)
Links: MFCVT press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Feb
A report said that immigration officials were making potentially life-threatening decisions on asylum applications based on out-of-date information.
Source: Get it Right: How Home Office decision making fails refugees, Amnesty International UK (020 7814 6241)
Links: Report (pdf) | Amnesty press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Feb
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill. It rejected a recommendation that proposed restrictions on the right of appeal against immigration decisions should be contingent on first achieving improved standards of initial decision-making. On proposals to withdraw benefits from failed asylum seekers, it said that a 'clear process' would be in place that would not lead to large numbers of children being taken into care; and that ending support would be a last resort.
Source: The Government Reply to the First Report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 2003-2004 HC109: Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill, Cm 6132, Home Office, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response (pdf) | Report
Date: 2004-Feb
An article argued that compulsory screening of immigrants was not based on adequate evidence, and had practical and ethical problems.
Source: Richard Coker, 'Compulsory screening of immigrants for tuberculosis and HIV', British Medical Journal, 7 February 2004
Links: Article | BMJ press release
Date: 2004-Feb
The government announced that people from the countries due to join the European Union on 1 May 2004 (mostly in eastern Europe) would be permitted to take work in the United Kingdom: but new rules would prevent them accessing state benefits for two years and possibly longer. Regulations would be introduced to set up a workers registration scheme, and registered workers would have a right of residence only if they were considered to be 'self-sufficient'. A think-tank published a 'factfile' countering the 'myths' surrounding the issue of EU expansion.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Debate 23 February 2004, columns 23-36, TSO (0870 600 5522) | EU Enlargement and Labour Migration, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100)
Links: Hansard | Home Office press release | IPPR factfile (pdf) | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2)
Date: 2004-Feb
A committee of MPs said that about half of those claiming asylum in the United Kingdom could justifiably be regarded as economic migrants rather than refugees. It recommended that the government clarify its policy on economic migration, work for greater Europe-wide consistency on the treatment of asylum seekers, pursue efforts to assist refugees closer to their country of origin, and co-operate with other European countries in tackling the 'root causes' of migration.
Source: Asylum Applications, Second Report (Session 2003-04), HC 218, House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Shelter press release | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jan
A report (from a group opposed to large-scale immigration) challenged the view that immigration brought fiscal and economic benefits to the host country.
Source: The Fiscal Impact of Immigration to the UK, MigrationwatchUK (01869 337007)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jan
A campaign group published the preliminary findings from a survey into the impact of the government s policy of refusing welfare support to asylum seekers who did not claim asylum at the port of entry (under section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002). It said there were increasing numbers of asylum seekers facing destitution and homelessness as a result.
Source: Section 55 - One Year On: The real impact of denying support to destitute asylum applicants, Refugee Council (020 7820 3042)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jan