Bid to quash human rights ruling fails

An attempt by the government to overturn a court ruling that it breached the human rights of three asylum seekers failed last week.

It had been forced to revise section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act in June 2004 after an appeal court hearing. This ruled that the policy breached the European Convention on Human Rights by denying asylum seekers support if they failed to make their claim “as soon as reasonably practicable”.

Under the revised approach, the National Asylum Support Service will help claimants unless they have an alternative source of support.