Facts and myths in the refugee debate

Alarm over the number of people coming to Britain as refugees has risen in recent weeks with old smears about benefit scroungers being replaced by new headlines about asylum terrorists. As the Conservative Party unveils its policies for immigration system reform today, The Independent looks at some of the facts behind the asylum scare stories.

'The asylum system is a shambles'

Although Conservative MPs are making political capital out of the inefficiencies of the current process, the Government inherited a paper-based system already in chaos. A hugely problematic move to computer technology compounded by a move to new premises made the problems even worse. But Labour has invested vast sums in improving the way claims are handled and there are signs that the system is improving. The backlog in cases has fallen from 84,000 in January 2001 to 37,000. The number of appeals fell from 24,000 in the first quarter of 2001 to 11,000 in the last quarter.

'No one else takes them but Britain is a soft touch'

The UK takes proportionately fewer asylum-seekers than most other European Union states. The UK's total of 92,000 applicants (including dependants) was higher than any other state, we ranked 10th out of 17 per head of population, behind the likes of Austria, Norway, Ireland and the Netherlands. Labour has also presided over a radical upgrade of Britain's immigration security, with fines imposed on hauliers and ferry companies for carrying clandestine passengers and extra staff armed with heart-beat detectors and breath detectors.

'They're all bogus'

The key source countries (Iraq, Zimbabwe, Somalia and Afghanistan) are all sites of war or chronic human rights abuses. Latest figures show that 32 per cent of applicants were given the right to remain on initial decision. Most of those turned down, appeal against the decision, and in 22 per cent of recent cases the Immigration Appellate Authority has overturned the Home Office's initial refusal.

'Asylum-seekers abuse the NHS'

The Government has an international obligation to provide medical treatment for genuine refugees. Under new plans for asylum accommodation centres health care will be provided on site. Many refugee nurses and doctors are now working in the National Health Service, many with skills and qualifications well beyond the jobs that they are performing.

'Asylum-seekers live in luxury'

Most asylum-seekers get by on £38 a week. Plans for a network of induction centres, which could include former hotels, will provide accommodation for seven to 10 days only, during which officials can verify identities and prevent abuses of the system. Those that have been dispersed around Britain have been the victim of 2,000 racial incidents in two years. Asylum-seekers who live with friends or relatives forgo access to benefits. Asylum-seekers cannot legally work, although some do menial jobs in the black economy.