Survivors and other vulnerable groups at risk as coalition government announces cuts to welfare state

Swingeing cuts to the welfare state announced by the new coalition government inevitably hit the most vulnerable hardest.

In August, the Legal Service Commission had its budget drastically reduced and, as a result, the number of firms able to offer legal aid was cut from 2,400 to 1,300. As this took hold, many law firms found they had much-reduced or no capacity to represent people in their asylum claims. Refugee and Migrant Justice, who represented many Medical Foundation clients, was one of those which went into administration in 2010. In November, the Ministry of Justice published proposals for a reform of legal aid in England and Wales and a consultation period which will end in February next year.  

There had been better news in July, after a ruling in the Supreme Court resulted in the basic right to work being afforded to those who have waited for a decision on a fresh asylum claim for longer than 12 months. It was a step in the right direction for the on-going ‘Let Them Work’ campaign, which is calling for the right to work for asylum seekers who have waited over six months for a full resolution of their claim. However, the Home Office immediately attempted to negate the impact of the court’s decision by looking to severely restrict the jobs people could apply for. The attempt would be to limit those asylum seekers, eligible under the new rules, to job vacancies where there are official staff shortages. According to the Guardian, “asylum seekers would have to be qualified maths teachers, chemical engineers, high-integrity pipe welders or even experienced orchestral musicians or ballet dancers to have any hope of being allowed to work.”