Immigration law solicitors are cautiously celebrating this week after the government backed down on its plan to remove the right to judicial review in asylum cases.

However, concerns still remain about how it will now proceed with reforming the system.

Revealing the U-turn at the second reading of the Immigration and Asylum Bill this week, Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer said the government is still committed to streamlining the appeals process.

'The system also needs to ensure we have proper judicial oversight - we do not have that right yet,' he admitted.

Chris Randall, executive committee member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association, said withdrawal of the clause would only be good news if it were replaced with a proposal that afforded proper protection to the rights of asylum seekers.

He said.

'We will have to see whether what the Home Office replaces the clause with is a real improvement, or whether it will attempt to produce a similar result by other means.'

A Department of Constitutional Affairs spokesman said it was now looking into how to reform the system in the absence of the clause.

Paula Rohan