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REFUGEE ACTION'S RESPONSE TO THE COMPREHENSIVE SPENDING REVIEW

Wednesday October 20th 2010

In response to the Comprehensive Spending Review in which the Home Office is set to make cuts of 23% to its budget over four years, Dave Garratt, acting Chief Executive of Refugee Action, said:

"Refugee Action is acutely aware of the need to make spending cuts within the Home Office, and we welcome UKBA plans to cut their budget by reducing waste and simplifying systems. It is also vital that people fleeing war and human rights abuses get the protection they deserve. We believe that voluntary sector agencies like Refugee Action are the key to getting this balance right.

"We see this as an opportunity for the government to push forward with its commitment to getting asylum decisions right the first time, which would save money on appeals and support. Those that need it would then get protection quickly, be able to support themselves and contribute to the economy.

"Involving the voluntary sector throughout the process will ensure that people seeking asylum get the help they need to have their cases properly heard in a timely fashion. After decisions are made, this sector also has the expertise to help asylum seekers either integrate into the local community or consider return to their country.

"The Big Society ideal is about us all exercising a duty of care for each other. As the Home Office publishes more details in coming weeks, we would like to see them recognise that people seeking asylum and refugees are some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. An adequately funded voluntary sector is a vital part of making the Big Society a workable reality."

ENDS

For more information, photographs and interviews contact Julia Ravenscroft, Press Officer at Refugee Action, on 0161 831 5454/07771 748 159.

Notes:

Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK. We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and long-term commitment to their settlement through community development work, and received 30,000 visits from asylum seekers last year. As one of the country?s leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 29 years? experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees.