Number of asylum seekers waiting more than six months for decision rises more than 70% in a year

Delays in asylum decisions up by 178% since the beginning of 2015, figures show

The Home Office has previously said that it aims to decide straightforward asylum applications within six months (Getty Images)

The number of asylum seekers waiting more than six months to receive a decision from the Home Office has risen by 72 per cent in the past year, Government statistics have revealed.

Figures published by the Home Office show that at the end of March 2017, there were 8,879 asylum applications that had not received an initial decision within six months, compared with 5,059 the year before.

There has been a steady increase since the beginning of 2015, when 3,127 people had been waiting for more than six months — marking a 178 per cent rise in two years.

The Home Office has previously said that it aims to decide straightforward asylum applications within six months.

The statistics also show that there has been a drop in the number of asylum applications made in Britain, while just over 7,300 Syrian refugees have now been resettled to the UK.

Responding to the statistics, Dr Lisa Doyle, Refugee Council's director of advocacy, said: “It's deeply concerning that more people seeking refuge in the UK are having to wait for prolonged periods of time before getting a decision.

"While people are waiting for a decision on their application they are made to live in poverty, banned from working, and are simply unable to begin the process of rebuilding their lives.

“The next government needs to take urgent steps to ensure that the Home Office not only makes decisions in a timely manner, but that they are also right first time. People who come to the UK fleeing war and persecution must have access to a fair and effective asylum process.”

A report published last month by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Refugees showed severe Home Office delays even after people are granted asylum, with “worrying” delays in the issuing of National Insurance numbers and other important documents, consigning many to hunger and homelessness.

There were 28,891 asylum applications in the UK in the year ending March 2017, according to the new immigration figures.

Of the 24,293 initial decisions on asylum applications from main applicants, 33 per cent were grants of asylum or an alternative form of protection, compared to 40 per cent in the previous year.

A separate Home Office analysis shows that for the years 2012 to 2014, on average 36 per cent of decisions were granted initially, but this proportion rose to 49 per cent after appeal.