14 days and your out

Rumours are now circulating that the Home Office are setting a target of 14 days for completion and removal of people making 'manifestly unfounded' asylum claims. These new targets will probably be aimed at people from countries on the *'White list'.

This follows the Home Office press release on the 18th March, announcing new legislation to detain people throughout the asylum process and remove them at the end of it if their claim fails

In the PR Home Office Minister Beverley Hughes said: "Building on the radical reforms in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, and the success of Oakington's fast track process, this new pilot will enable us to process and remove failed asylum seekers from the UK within about a month of their arrival.

    An order under the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 was laid before Parliament last week, which will set out the timetable for dealing with appeals.

* 'White list' countries which parliament have deemed to be safe: Albania, FRY, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Jamaica, Cyprus, Czech R, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia.

New Fast Track Pilot For Asylum Claims

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Asylum seekers to be barred from entering the UK

Reports in the *'Sunday Telegraph' earlier this month that the UK were planing to deport all new asylum seekers to other countries whilst their asylum claims were held were played down by the Home Office - even though the 'Sunday Telegraph' was clear that it was the Home Office who were the source of the information.

Now, according to **BBC News Online, Tony Blair has presented draft proposals to the EU summit to do just that. In a written answer in Hansard on Monday 24th March, Immigration Minister Beverley Hughes said: . . . . . "we have been developing proposals for zones of protection outside this country and means of processing people in transit places between source countries and Europe. The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary will discuss those issues further in the Council later this week."

**BBC News Online: Asylum 'havens' urged by UK

*Sunday Telegrah: Blunkett plans to send asylum seekers to Albania