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does not belong in Britain and send them away without following the required process. The claim has to be considered. That is one of the uncomfortable facts at the centre of this debate. It does not mean that every claim is genuine. It does not mean that every person who claims asylum will eventually be allowed to remain. It means that the claim has to be examined before a final decision can be made. And this is where the system can become extremely slow. ## The waiting game Imagine arriving in Britain and being told that your case may take months or even years to resolve. You don't know whether you will be allowed to stay. You don't know whether you will be sent back. And while you wait, the government has to provide somewhere for you to live if you have no other accommodation. That costs money. The longer the wait, the greater the cost. This is one of the reasons the speed of decision-making matters so much. A properly functioning system should aim to reach a decision as quickly as possible without sacrificing fairness. If someone genuinely needs protection, they should not have to spend years wondering whether they will receive it. But equally, if someone does not qualify for protection, there should be a functioning system for dealing with that decision. ## The hotel question One of the things that has caused enormous public anger is the use of hotels and other temporary accommodation. People see hotels being used to house asylum seekers and compare that with their own experiences of trying to find accommodation or dealing with public services. They ask: **?Why are they being put in hotels when ordinary British people are struggling??** That question deserves an honest answer rather than being dismissed. The Government's argument is that people who have claimed asylum and have nowhere else to live need accommodation while their claims are being processed. The government's problem is that when the asylum system becomes overloaded, temporary accommodation can remain occupied for long periods. That makes an expensive temporary solution become a much bigger expense. There is therefore a straightforward policy question: **How do you reduce the amount of time people need temporary accommodation?** The obvious answer is to reduce the time taken to reach decisions. That means more trained decision-makers. Better administration. Fewer unnecessary delays. And a system capable of dealing with appeals and other legal processes efficiently. ## Three possible outcomes Once an asylum claim has been properly considered, there are broadly three possible directions. A person may be granted protection and allowed to remain. A person may be refused protection but have another legal basis for remaining. Or a person may ultimately have no legal right to remain. The third category is where another difficult part of the system begins. **Removal.** A refusal is not the same thing as physically returning somebody to another country. That requires the practical and legal ability to carry out the removal. And this is one of the areas where the system can become stuck. ## The difference between a decision and a removal This distinction is extremely important. Imagine the Government announces: ?This person's asylum claim has been refused.? That sounds like the matter is finished. But it isn't necessarily. There may be an appeal. There may be another legal obstacle. The person's identity may need to be established. Their country of nationality may need to issue documents. Their country may need to agree to accept them. And there may be other circumstances preventing immediate removal. This is why simply demanding more deportations does