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Last Updated: Wednesday, 7 May, 2003, 23:06 GMT 00:06 UK
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Asylum report at-a-glance
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Here are the main points raised by the Commons home affairs select committee in their report on the repatriation of failed asylum seekers.
The UK has seen the number of asylum seekers landing on its shores spiral since the end of the Cold War
If allowed to continue unchecked there is an "inevitable" danger of social unrest
Failure to deal effectively and humanely with the issue of asylum may cause a political backlash resulting in the rise of extremists
Public trust in the asylum system depends on the efficient removal of people whose claims have failed
The committee recognises the removals process is far more complicated than most people appreciate
The current number of failed asylum seekers remaining in the UK is impossible to estimate without accurate statistics
Enforced removals need to be carried out rapidly, effectively and humanely
Asylum seekers and economic migrants deserve to be treated humanely and not as statistics
There have been "improvements" to the removals process in recent months
Embarkation controls should be put in place to check who is leaving the country
False targets such as the government's pledge to remove 30,000 failed asylum seekers each year, subsequently dropped, arouse false expectations and are demoralising
When a removal of an asylum seeker is delayed not through their own fault they should not be left destitute
People who are unable to return to their countries should be granted temporary status so they can support themselves
Quarterly figures of all those detained should be published by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate
Strip searches of detainees should only be carried out where there is reasonable suspicion to justify such an action
A "modest allowance" should be provided to returnees to make sure they do not return to destitution in their countries
The committee paid tribute to the workers in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate for carrying out a difficult job with "dignity, humanity and fairness"
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