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Sandy Buchan, Chief Executive of Refugee Action, responds to Immigration Minister Phil Woolas’s Guardian interview, 18 Nov 2008

“Immigration Minister Phil Woolas stated in a recent Guardian interview ('You can't come in', 18 November) 'that non-governmental organisations and lawyers working in the asylum sector form ‘an industry with a vested interest’, and that it is undermining the system and the law through appeals.

“The Law Society, the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA), the Refugee Legal Centre and Immigration Advisory Service have all pointed out they are applying the law properly and that many appeals are caused by poor decision-making or delays on the Home Office side.

“The Home Office has always funded parts of the voluntary sector and continues to do so. This funding is to fulfil shared objectives to improve the workings of the asylum system. It is unprecedented for a minister to appear to criticise the very charities they have previously supported.

“What ministers say about the asylum system is crucially important. It is important that they give a balanced view and it is important they don’t imply that asylum applicants who are not awarded refugee status are ‘bogus’ or ‘criminal’ or are in any way abusing the system.

“Abuse of asylum seekers by ministers can all too easily lead to attacks on asylum seekers on the streets and in their homes. Ministers above anyone have a duty to try to dispel prejudice and promote integration.”

Phil Woolas interview can be seen at http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/nov/18/immigration-policy-phil-woolas-racism

Also see ‘Phil Woolas should blame his own department, not asylum lawyers', article by Caroline Slocock, chief executive of the Refugee Legal Centre in The Guardian, Thursday November 20 2008

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/nov/20/response-immigration-woolas-refugees

Notes to Editors

Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK. We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and long-term commitment to their settlement through community development work, and received 30,000 visits from asylum seekers last year. As one of the country’s leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 27 years’ experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees.