Yvette Cooper calls for urgent reform as report details shameful conditions
As Brits protest against Donald Trump’s anti-refugee policies, a new report by MPs reveals Britain’s shocking treatment of asylum seekers.
Here’s a taster from the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee’s report on asylum accomodation:
“A particular concern drawn to our attention was the presence of vermin in some accommodation and delays in the problem being addressed. Migrant Voice told us that infestations of mice, rats and bedbugs were the second biggest source of complaint for people in dispersed accommodation.”
Here is some testimony from a woman named Jane in Sheffield:
“The rats run up the stairs, and out of the store cupboard into the living room. I am frightened for the children.“
Not surprisingly, these conditions are worse for vulnerable people, such as torture victims. In a passage straight out of the 2017 bestseller 1984, the report notes:
“One client noted that the presence and noise of rats triggered flashbacks as he shared a cell with rats when he was detained and tortured in his country of origin. This trigger led to a significant deterioration in his mental health and the re-emergence of suicidal ideation.”
Other problems include pregnant women living up several flights of stairs, overcrowding, women living in close quarters with strangers and not feeling safe, and filthy living conditions, with dirty carpets, rotten sofas and the stench of urine.
The Home Office and private contractors G4S and Serco are clearly failing to look after the 38,000 asylum claimants in accomodation.
Meanwhile, the number of people waiting for an initial decision on their asylum claim is the highest on record, with 27,252 as of September 2016. Thirty-eight per cent, or 16,880, have been waiting more than the government’s target of six months.
And people are still being housed in the most deprived areas of the country, with many local authorities declining to help.
The report also deplores what it calls a two-tier system, whereby funding and support for the government’s Syrian refugees scheme outstrips the wider asylum regime.
Yvette Cooper, Labour MP and Committee Chair, said:
“The state of accommodation for some asylum seekers and refugees in this country is a disgrace. And the current contract system just isn’t working. Major reforms are needed.
We have come across too many examples of vulnerable people in unsafe accommodation for example children living with infestations of mice, rats or bed bugs, lack of health care for pregnant women, or inadequate support for victims of rape and torture. No one should be living in conditions like that.”
She added:
“The Home Office needs to act urgently to raise standards, improve the inspection regime, deal with delays in asylum claim processing which are pushing the numbers up and ensure there is adequate funding.”
You can read the full report here, including its recommendations.
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘We will consider the committee’s recommendations and respond in full shortly.’
Adam Barnett is staff writer for Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter @AdamBarnett13
See: Labour MPs demand that Johnson ‘have the guts to speak out’ on Muslim ban
See: UK Syrians call on Britain to accept refugees banned by Trump
2 Responses to “We Brits don’t ban asylum seekers – we just house them with rats and bugs”
Michael WALKER
The Chair of the Committee who produced that report is Yvette Cooper MP.
This is the same Yvette Cooper reported here:
“Cooper also told Sky News she and her husband, Ed Balls, would be prepared to accept a refugee. Speaking before Sturgeon, the shadow home secretary and Labour leadership contender said: “If that’s what it took and that’s what was needed, then of course, I think lots of people would be. But I think what I’ve been calling for is for each city and each county to support 10 refugee families. I think we can do that, I think we’ve got a lot of people across the country coming forward now and saying: ‘Do you know what, we want to help’.””
http://tinyurl.com/h4vw7vh
She has never housed any refugees nor has the other politician who made the same offer ..(Sturgeon)
And now she complains about the conditions in which refugees are housed.
You really could not make it up.
greg
Perhaps Ms Cooper will think twice in the future when she votes for the invasion of other countries.