Update from Asylum Inquiry Scotland secretariat

14 September 2022

Thank you to the multiple organisations and individuals who made written submissions, by our stated deadline of 9 September.

We have received a wealth of material, including never-before-heard accounts from those in the asylum system, and from the grassroots organisations that support refugees and asylum-seekers. Every piece of evidence received will help inform our panel's recommendations. We are delighted and humbled that people in difficult and straitened situations took time to provide us with written submissions, which we see as confirmation of the importance of our work.

Driving principles of this Inquiry are flexibility and inclusivity - and with that in mind, we are keeping the Inquiry email inbox for written submissions open. We want to enable anyone who would like to submit evidence or share their experiences to have the chance to do so, in whatever written form and language that is easiest for them. 

We know that the people of Scotland have found the last two years of effectively an information vacuum about the events leading up to June 2020 long and difficult, and another core principle of the Inquiry is speed of delivery. We are committed to publishing our panel's findings in November 2022, but will continue to accept evidence for as long as we can, without jeopardising this date. Any material received at info@asyluminquiryscotland.com will be put before the panel for as long as we can practically do so.

Our panel is also holding oral evidence sessions; plus, a 'listening day' where panellists, chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy KC, will hear directly from refugees and asylum-seekers in a confidential and supportive setting. For more information, contact info@asyluminquiryscotland.com.