Refugees are being denied legal advice, says Amnesty

Refugees dispersed outside London are being denied proper access to legal advice, according to human rights organisation Amnesty International.The charity's 2001 report, which was based on interviews with immigration practitioners across the country., said there was an 'alarming shortfall in access to legal advice for dispersed asylum seekers, many of whom were sent to areas where people had no experience of living with asylum seekers'.This contributed to a situation where around 1,000 asylum seekers were held in detention at any given time last year, the report added.Rick Scannell, chairman of the Immigration Lawyers Practitioners Association, said he agreed with the report's findings, but that it did not go far enough.

In particular, he cited 'profound problems' that have been faced by asylum seekers as a result of the appeals provisions in the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.Mr Scannell said: 'ILPA has been made aware of numerous cases in which human rights claims made by asylum seekers have not been considered, despite a clear undertaking given to the immigration appeal tribunal on 5 October 2000 that this would not happen.' Law Society President Michael Napier said he was not surprised by the findings.

He noted that the Legal Services Commission has worked closely with solicitors in certain dispersal areas to attempt to alleviate the difficulties caused by the lack of asylum specialists outside of London.

Mr Napier added: 'The Law Society has made representations to the Home Office about the difficulties involved in the dispersal system.'Paula Rohan