Supplementary note submitted by the Refugee
Legal Centre
LETTER TO THE CLERK OF THE COMMITTEE
Further to our letter of 20 March with our submission
for consideration by the Home Affairs Committee prior to the meeting
with Mr Mike O'Brien on 12 May, I would like to request that the
Committee gives consideration to one further point in preparing
its questions for the Minister.
The Government has cut funding (grant-in-aid
by virtue of Section 23 of the Immigration Act 1971) to the Refugee
Legal Centre and the Immigration Advisory Service. Both organisations
are charities that provide publicly funded legal representation
for asylum seekers. The cut, of approximately £1 million
to both organisations, will result in several thousand asylum
seekers being unable to obtain legal representation as Legal Aid
is not available for representation before the Immigration Appeals
Authority. Additionally, appellants are unable to claim income
support following the decision of the last Government to cut their
benefits; appellants are now dependent on hand outs from Local
Authorities and are clearly not in a position to pay for legal
representation.
Perhaps the Minister could be asked how asylum
seekers are to obtain legal representation following the cut in
our funding.
Barry Stoyle
Director
20 April 1998
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