Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill — Asylum seekers can be placed in accommodation centres even if there is no local school pace for dependent children — 5 Nov 2002 at 18:12

The majority Aye voters passed an amendment^[1] to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill.

The Bill gives the government the power to set up accommodation centres for destitute asylum seekers and people with residency restrictions^[2]. During the House of Lords debate on the Bill Opposition Lords added a new amendment into the Bill. This would require the government to only place asylum seekers in accommodation centres if there was a local school place for any of their dependent children.

The aim of the amendment in this vote was to overturn this Lords amendment so the government wouldn't have to follow these rules which passed.

The Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill became law in 2002. Its main aims were to:^[3]

• Allow asylum seekers to be detained at any time
• Disallow appeals from within the UK from failed asylum seekers who are citizens of a specific country
• Deny asylum seekers support unless they make their claim "as soon as reasonably practicable" after arrival into the UK
• Create accommodation centres to house destitute asylum seekers

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• [1] Beverley Hughes MP, House of Commons, 5 November 2002
• [2] Section 16 in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act
• [3] Based on The Guardian's A-Z of legislation

Debate in Parliament | Historical Hansard | Source |