A dearth of legal aid immigration lawyers means asylum claims on board the Bibby Stockholm could take longer to process, contrary to what the Government has said
Asylum seekers were initially pulled off the barge due to legionella bacteria in the water system of the Bibby Stockholm could worsen the asylum backlog because of a “desert” of legal aid lawyers in Dorset where the vessel is moored.But legal experts warn that a lack of immigration lawyers in the area could slow down the processing of asylum claims and increase accommodation costs in the long run.
“Our staff in Plymouth and Bristol are already beyond capacity due to the dispersal of clients to these areas, as well as requests to represent Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children,” the project told“We already turn people away every day. We will not have capacity to see clients on the barge. It is almost certainly the case that the other firms will not have capacity.”
Lawyers from other parts of the country are unlikely to be able to offer support to those on board the Bibby Stockholm, she said, with limits on the number of cases they can take on from outside of their local area. And the Refugee Council warned that asylum seekers, who were often traumatised and unable to speak English, would struggle to navigate the system without legal support.
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