UK Border Agency: Standards

Jenny Willott
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to ensure the consistency of immigration application decisions taken by different UK Border Agency offices; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Woolas
The Department has in place a number of measures designed to ensure the consistency of asylum decisions. All applications are considered against centrally produced guidance and new caseowners receive uniform national training before they begin to deal with cases. Audit and quality control processes are in place and issues arising from the audits are promulgated nationally every month. Consistency is promoted through regular meetings of both regional asylum managers and senior asylum caseworkers who use a variety of networks to help ensure that best practice is shared and promoted nationwide.