Asylum System Faces Chaos due to Delays in Payment of Legal Aid

The government has just recently warned that the asylum system does face chaos due to delays in the payment of legal aid. The Refugee and Migrant Justice said that it's facing a cash crisis, because a growing proportion of its legal aid is now only paid upon completion.

The charity is actually the UK's largest provider of free legal advice to asylum seekers and represents thousands of people fleeing persecution from countries like Iraq, Iran, Zimbabwe, and Afghanistan. It said that it took on 11,000 new clients last year. A lot of the aid that the charity is suppose to get could be delayed for up to two years. This is putting victims of trafficking and 900 unaccompanied children at risk.

The charity went on to say that the new coalition government had told its team that it was locked into the current legal aid payment system. This system was set up under the Labour government for a further three years.

Caroline Slocock, the chief executive of the charity, said that RMJ is not asking for new money. They are simply asking for payment of legal aid on work that has already been carried out. She went on to say that charities like them, which are important to Prime Minister David Cameron's Big Society, cannot wait for up to two years for payments whilst the Home Office processes cases. The current legal aid payment system on asylum and emigration puts justice at risk.

She finished up by saying that they hope that the government will reconsider and agree to take a genuinely fundamental look at legal aid in this area. Otherwise, the asylum system will face chaos, with 10,000 asylum seekers and victims of trafficking at risk.