Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee
Asylum Seekers in Scotland
Background
The Committee undertook an inquiry on asylum seekers in Scotland. While housing asylum seekers is a reserved matter, the Committee wanted to understand:
- what rights asylum seekers in Scotland have
- what public resources are available to asylum seekers
- the experiences of people seeking, granted and refused asylum
To get this understanding, the Committee focused its inquiry on:
- the impact of current Home Office policy and legislation on asylum seekers in Scotland
- the impact of the current system on local communities and race relations
- the role of local and devolved government
- the role of private contractors
- the most effective use of public funding
The Committee heard from groups representing asylum seekers and communities where asylum seekers live.
It also heard from:
- charities and community organisations supporting asylum seekers
- human rights organisations
- public authorities with a responsibility for asylum seekers in Scotland
Engagement
Other ways the Committee heard views and experiences
The Committee held private informal engagement sessions with those with lived experience to help inform the inquiry. The first session took place at Maryhill Integration Network, Glasgow on 6 June 2023 and the second was held at the Scottish Parliament on 13 June 2023, both supported by external organisations.
Notes from 6 June 2023 engagement session
English for speakers of other languages/interpreters (103KB, pdf) posted 29 September 2023
Health, including mental health (100KB, pdf) posted 29 September 2023
Housing and hotel accommodation (100KB, pdf) posted 29 September 2023
Mothers and babies (112KB, pdf) posted 29 September 2023
Transport (96KB, pdf) posted 29 September 2023
Notes from 13 June engagement session
Group 1 Notes from engagement with Tigrinya speakers (English version) (99KB, pdf) posted 09 October 2023
Group 1 Notes from engagement with Tigrinya speakers (Tigrinya version) (145KB, pdf) posted 09 October 2023
Group 2 Notes from engagement with Farsi speakers (English version) (97KB, pdf) posted 09 October 2023
Group 2 Notes from engagement with Farsi speakers (Farsi version) (204KB, pdf) posted 09 October 2023
Group 3 Notes from engagement with Arabic and Somali speakers (English version) (91KB, pdf) posted 09 October 2023
Group 3 Notes from engagement with Arabic and Somali speakers (Arabic version) (138KB, pdf) posted 09 October 2023
Supplementary evidence received following engagement sessions
Building Bridges - a report on the importance of integration and social cohesion for asylum seekers (116KB, pdf) posted 29 September 2023
Friends of Scottish Settlers (284KB, pdf) posted 29 September 2023
Report
The Committee's report, 'The Human Rights of Asylum Seekers in Scotland', was published on 24 October 2023. You can read the report at the following link:
The Committee received the following response from the Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees:
Correspondence
Back to Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee