That this House recognises the hard work of Home Office and UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff set out in the Chief Inspector's report into asylum within UKBA; is deeply concerned that the targets for dealing with new asylum claims within six months and clearing the backlog of 450,000 legacy cases are deemed unachievable with the current staffing levels; considers that plans to reduce the staffing complement across UKBA, including caseworkers dealing with the legacy backlog will be a massive blow to the proper running of UKBA; and therefore calls for a halt to the job cuts at UKBA and for investment in staff resources and training as the best way to achieve the targets set.

That this House recognises the hard work of Home Office and UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff set out in the Chief Inspector's report into asylum within UKBA; is deeply concerned that the targets for dealing with new asylum claims within six months and clearing the backlog of 450,000 legacy cases...

That this House is concerned at the low level of support provided for asylum seekers; notes that the current level is below subsistence; further notes that a single 25-year-old adult seeking asylum receives ??35.13 a week which is 55 per cent. of income support and which equates to just ??5 per day; is further concerned at the level of destitution faced by asylum seekers as a result of this low level of support; believes that this policy drives asylum seekers into social exclusion rather than alleviates them from it; recognises that this is a punitive measure and not a form of welfare designed to allow asylum seekers adequately to subsist during an application; and urges the Government to consider raising the asylum support subsistence payment to a minimum of ??45 a week, representing 70 per cent. of income support, for single adults.

That this House is concerned at the low level of support provided for asylum seekers; notes that the current level is below subsistence; further notes that a single 25-year-old adult seeking asylum receives ??35.13 a week which is 55 per cent. of income support and which equates to just ??5...

That this House is concerned at recent action by the Greek authorities against the migrant camp in Patras; notes reports that the camp was entered by bulldozers accompanied by 100 riot police officers who flattened the camp leaving only a mosque and a doctors' tent; further notes that reports suggest that up to 1,800 people were living in the camp; recognises that the majority of these migrants had escaped from Afghanistan; believes that whether they were legally in Greece or not these migrants must have their basic rights protected; recognises that Greece and other Mediterranean states are under pressure from the number of migrants arriving at their borders; and calls on the Government to work with the European Union to support Greece in setting up proper facilities for incoming asylum seekers.

That this House is concerned at recent action by the Greek authorities against the migrant camp in Patras; notes reports that the camp was entered by bulldozers accompanied by 100 riot police officers who flattened the camp leaving only a mosque and a doctors' tent; further notes that reports suggest...

That this House notes that people seeking asylum whose claims have been refused and who are unable to return home receive section 4 support in the form of supermarket vouchers; welcomes the Refugee Council's recent report, More Token Gestures, which reveals that this voucher system fails to meet the needs of this vulnerable group of people, exacerbates the hardships they face and leaves them open to hostility and abuse; further notes that vouchers are costly to administer and damaging to community relations; and therefore calls on the Government to abandon the inhumane voucher system without delay and to allow people on section 4 support to receive support in cash rather than vouchers and to have the entitlement to work to support themselves.

That this House notes that people seeking asylum whose claims have been refused and who are unable to return home receive section 4 support in the form of supermarket vouchers; welcomes the Refugee Council's recent report, More Token Gestures, which reveals that this voucher system fails to meet the needs...

That this House welcomes the Let Them Work campaign to allow asylum seekers permission to work while they are waiting for a decision about their claim; notes with concern that asylum seekers who fled persecution in their own countries are among the most vulnerable people in the UK and are being denied the opportunity to work to support themselves and their families, to pay taxes, and to contribute to the economy; is additionally concerned about the situation of those asylum seekers without status who are unable to return home, many of whom spend years in limbo and are reliant on charity hand-outs or forced into illegal work just to survive; is alarmed that this leaves already vulnerable people open to destitution and exploitation; and therefore calls on the Government to allow asylum seekers to work if they have been waiting longer than six months for a full resolution on their asylum claim and to ensure that permission to work remains for people whose claim for asylum is refused, but who are unable to return home immediately through no fault of their own.

That this House welcomes the Let Them Work campaign to allow asylum seekers permission to work while they are waiting for a decision about their claim; notes with concern that asylum seekers who fled persecution in their own countries are among the most vulnerable people in the UK and are...

That this House believes that in spite of the decision made by immigration judges to refuse to accept the compelling evidence of ill-treatment of asylum seekers who are forcibly returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the recent Country Guidance case, there is information from reliable sources demonstrating that there is very real persecution by the security services at the behest of President Kabila himself of anyone perceived to be in opposition to his regime, including arrest, torture and extrajudicial execution, particularly in the Kinshasa, Bas-Congo and Equateur areas; further believes that asylum seekers sent back from the UK will be viewed as political dissidents and that their physical integrity will be at risk if deported; and further believes that given the gravely unstable conditions in the country as a whole, the appalling human rights record and the fact that average life expectancy is below 40 years old, there should be an immediate moratorium on forced returns to that country.

That this House believes that in spite of the decision made by immigration judges to refuse to accept the compelling evidence of ill-treatment of asylum seekers who are forcibly returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the recent Country Guidance case, there is information from reliable sources demonstrating that...

That this House is appalled that Thailand's navy has left around 1,000 Rohingya refugees adrift in the ocean in boats without engines or food or water; is deeply concerned that hundreds may have died as a result; notes that the Rohingya people face severe persecution in Burma, including denial of citizenship, a ban on marriage without government permission, severe restrictions of movement, religious persecution, extortion, land confiscation and restrictions on access to education; and calls on Thailand to grant UNHCR access to Rohingya refugees in Thailand, to end forced repatriations and to allow Rohingya and other refugees in Thailand to claim asylum and be given sanctuary.

That this House is appalled that Thailand's navy has left around 1,000 Rohingya refugees adrift in the ocean in boats without engines or food or water; is deeply concerned that hundreds may have died as a result; notes that the Rohingya people face severe persecution in Burma, including denial of...

That this House believes recent events in Sudan, including the Justice for Equality Movement attack of 10th May 2008 on Khartoum, have led to a drastic change in circumstances and have reinforced the need for Darfuris to be protected from persecution; notes the September 2008 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Sudan, Sima Samar, in which she warns that at least 500 civilians are still in National Intelligence and Security Services detention and that most are thought to have been arrested on grounds of their Darfurian ethnicity; further notes concerns raised by human rights group Waging Peace regarding severe breaches of law and procedure which occurred during re-documentation interviews of Darfuri asylum seekers by a Sudanese official in Home Office facilities in March and April 2007; expresses concern at the one-year delay for a Home Office response to the report; expresses concern at reports that Home Office officials have recently encouraged Darfuri asylum seekers to sign voluntary return forms without the presence of interpreters; welcomes the upcoming guidance case in November in which returns to Khartoum of individuals of Darfurian origin will be reassessed; urges the Home Office to acknowledge the growing evidence of targeting and persecution of Darfuris in Khartoum; and requests that the Home Office engage as a matter of urgency with the Home Affairs Select Committee and Waging Peace in order to address remaining questions regarding the re-documentation interviews of Darfuri asylum seekers.

That this House believes recent events in Sudan, including the Justice for Equality Movement attack of 10th May 2008 on Khartoum, have led to a drastic change in circumstances and have reinforced the need for Darfuris to be protected from persecution; notes the September 2008 report by the UN Special...

That this House is greatly concerned at the Home Office's recent decision to resume the removal of Darfuri asylum seekers from the UK and return them to Khartoum; recalls that in 2007 the Home Office suspended the deportations in order to investigate further accusations of torture in the region by Sudanese authorities, but concluded that the accusations were not confirmed; notes that this conclusion failed to take into consideration the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' position against the return of Darfuris to Khartoum, which stated that they would be subjected to torture and even death; further notes that upon lifting the ban on deporting Darfuri asylum-seekers the Home Office failed publicly to disclose its change in policy; and therefore urges the Home Office immediately to reverse its decision in order to honour the Government's international human rights obligations.

That this House is greatly concerned at the Home Office's recent decision to resume the removal of Darfuri asylum seekers from the UK and return them to Khartoum; recalls that in 2007 the Home Office suspended the deportations in order to investigate further accusations of torture in the region by...

That this House calls for the immediate release of all asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who are still being held in immigration detention centres around the UK, including one in Belmarsh Prison, as their deportation is not imminent while the DRC country guidance is being appealed against; and considers that their continued detention, in some cases far in excess of 12 months, is becoming unlawful, as it is blatantly punitive rather than administrative.

That this House calls for the immediate release of all asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who are still being held in immigration detention centres around the UK, including one in Belmarsh Prison, as their deportation is not imminent while the DRC country guidance is being appealed...

That this House recognises on the occasion of Refugee Week, that more than 67 million people worldwide are in a situation of forced displacement as a result of conflict and persecution; notes with concern that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is the sole body with a global mandate to co-ordinate protection, shelter and assistance for the world's displaced, but remains almost entirely funded by voluntary contributions; expresses dismay that over five million of the world's refugees have been living in exile for more than five years; and calls on the Government and the wider international community to find durable solutions for all long-term refugees.

That this House recognises on the occasion of Refugee Week, that more than 67 million people worldwide are in a situation of forced displacement as a result of conflict and persecution; notes with concern that the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is the sole body with a global mandate to co-ordinate...

That this House is most concerned that Mr Gafar Ali Hassan and Mrs Ali Hassan who fled from Iraq to the UK in 2006 in fear of their lives have been told to prepare to return: considers that this decision fails to comprehend that Mr Hassan's Baa'th connections and rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in the Iraqi armed forces until 2000 make him a militia target; believes that if he were returned to Iraq there is a high risk of Mr Hassan being murdered; and calls on the Minister for Immigration and Asylum to intervene and give him and his wife the right to sanctuary until their well-being can be guaranteed.

That this House is most concerned that Mr Gafar Ali Hassan and Mrs Ali Hassan who fled from Iraq to the UK in 2006 in fear of their lives have been told to prepare to return: considers that this decision fails to comprehend that Mr Hassan's Baa'th connections and rank...

That this House notes with deep concern and regret that many of those who come to this country seeking asylum are currently facing deportation to countries where they are at risk of persecution, torture and worse as a result of their religious beliefs; believes that this is the case with deporting practising Christians to Iran with evidence that shows that they face persecution; notes the case of Mr Ali Pourakaberian who faces deportation back to Iran despite the fact that the Iranian authorities are aware that he is a practising Christian; and believes that there should be a moratorium for all those facing deportation when there is a serious and credible risk that they will face persecution in their country of origin as a result of their religious beliefs and that this should include Iranian Christians.

That this House notes with deep concern and regret that many of those who come to this country seeking asylum are currently facing deportation to countries where they are at risk of persecution, torture and worse as a result of their religious beliefs; believes that this is the case with...

That this House is concerned by the case of Iranian teenager Mehdi Kazemi who is currently living in Holland; notes reports that Mr Kazemi's boyfriend was forced by Iranian authorities to denounce other gay men, including Mr Kazemi himself; is appalled at reports that Mr Kazemi's boyfriend was then hanged for the offence of homosexuality; believes that Mr Kazemi's life is in serious danger if he were returned to Iran; further notes that the Dutch authorities have rejected Mr Kazemi's appeal for asylum in Holland and are likely to deport him to the UK; believes that the Home Office view that Iran is safe for homosexuals as long as they hide their sexuality is contrary to human rights standards on sexual freedom; and calls on the Government to uphold its asserted position as a supporter of human rights by refraining from sending Mr Kazemi back to Iran and near-certain human rights abuses.

That this House is concerned by the case of Iranian teenager Mehdi Kazemi who is currently living in Holland; notes reports that Mr Kazemi's boyfriend was forced by Iranian authorities to denounce other gay men, including Mr Kazemi himself; is appalled at reports that Mr Kazemi's boyfriend was then hanged...