Source · Select Committees · Women and Equalities Committee
Recommendation 13
13
Not Addressed
Establish comprehensive training for asylum decision-makers and improve appeal action timeliness.
Conclusion
The Home Office must establish a new programme of training for Home Office decision- makers and presenting officers particularly on matters concerning gender, sexual orientation and gender identity-based asylum claims. Training should be delivered by independent expert stakeholders, drawing on lived experiences of refugees. The Home Office must also improve the timeliness of its actions once notice of an appeal has been served and when an outcome is known. It is simply unacceptable, as well as unnecessarily costly for the taxpayer, for successful appellants to then have to wait months for their leave to be granted. (Paragraph 94) Asylum support
Government Response Summary
The government states that initial training for asylum decision-makers already includes specialised modules and that it has collaborated with experts previously. However, it does not commit to establishing a *new* training programme delivered by *independent expert stakeholders* or to improving the *timeliness* of post-appeal actions.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
In relation to the recommendations at paragraphs 93 and 94, the initial training provided to asylum decision makers already includes specialised modules on sexuality and gender identity, gender issues and modern slavery. We have previously collaborated with external experts including academics when designing our training materials on, for example, medical evidence, religion or belief and sexuality, and will seek to do so in any future review of our current training materials.