We have a proud British tradition of offering refuge to those fleeing persecution. In the 1930s, those escaping Nazism were able to find safety here, just as more recently we have given refuge to those persecuted by Slobodan Milosevic.
We will always uphold this moral obligation. But, as our manifesto said, the asylum system should not be used as an alternative route to migration. We have to distinguish between those in genuine fear of their lives and those seeking work. Sensible, effective and controlled systems can enable us to meet the needs of asylum seekers and provide work permits to those who have skills to offer. But we must be clear that this is what our policies are designed to achieve. We need a system that is trusted by our own citizens and recognised for its integrity abroad.
Mass migration is a challenge to all countries. At the beginning of this year, there were an estimated twelve million refugees worldwide. Such massive migration often falls hardest on the poorest countries – just look at the number of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, for example. Until we can tackle the poverty, war and conflict which scars so much of the world, we will never stop mass refugee movements. That is why reconstruction aid to Afghanistan will be so important once the present conflict is over.
But we also need to take tough action at home to improve the effectiveness of our asylum system. The current system remains flawed, despite the enormous efforts of my predecessor, Jack Straw, who inherited a mess from the Tories and made huge improvements. There is too much fraud of vouchers and accommodation; too many opportunities for people traffickers to ply their barbaric trade; and too many people taking advantage of the cumbersome legal system to spin out their claims. The system is felt to be unfair by asylum seekers and the local communities in which they live.
That is why I have announced a radical overhaul of asylum, immigration and nationality policy. When people first make a claim, we will issue them with smart cards that hold their fingerprints and photographs. That will stop fraudsters making multiple claims under different identities, and it will stop criminals forging the letters which asylum applicants are currently given to prove they have made a claim. These will not be ‘stop-and-search’ cards, but a means of preventing abuses and ensuring that people get the support to which they are entitled.
Applicants will then be taken to induction centres, where they will get a screening, health check and briefing process. This will last up to ten days and will mean that we gradually stop reliance on emergency B&B accommodation in ports such as Dover. After that, asylum seekers will either go into accommodation or be subject to a tracking and monitoring regime, under which they will have to report regularly.
In a radical policy change, we will trial the use of new accommodation centres for housing asylum seekers. These will provide services such as education and health on-site. We intend to start work immediately on four centres, each with 750 beds. Asylum seekers will get full board and lodging, with a small personal allowance to replace the need for vouchers or cash benefits. And once the smartcard is introduced, we will phase out vouchers. By the early autumn of next year, we will have established a robust, but less socially divisive, scheme.
We will also speed up the appeals process, with a 50 percent increase in throughput. Once people have had their claim determined, we will ensure that they are integrated into society, or placed in removals centres prior to leaving the country. The number of places in removals centres will be increased from a planned 2,800 up to 4,000.
In addition, we are developing a sensible policy of controlled legal migration. It will allow people with the skills we need to enter our country legitimately to work, helping to force out unscrupulous gangmasters and employers who undermine the minimum wage, and defraud our tax and National Insurance system. Finally, I am committed to exploring, with the EU and UNHCR, a scheme to allow nominated refugees to enter this country from overseas – to stop the scenes at Eurotunnel and our ports.
My package of reforms is radical but necessary. I believe that it will send a message to the rest of the world that this country is not open to abuse, but nor is it a fortress Britain. We are not rejecting economic migrants, refugees from persecution, or those seeking to visit our shores. Implementation of my policies will take time; but in time they will work in the interests of us all.