AceBreakingNews – Plans to expand court capacity, including training 150 judges, to run a new fast-track appeals system for Rwanda deportations have been unveiled.

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More than 100 staff have already been hired to support a new system hearing appeals, the justice secretary said.

Last year’s Illegal Migration Act proposed the new courts to stop migrant appeals clogging up the justice system.

It comes as MPs continue debate on a bill aimed at reviving the PM’s plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

The extra resources are designed to deal with criticism from some Conservative MPs that individual appeals against deportation to Rwanda will clog up the courts and should be disallowed entirely.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said the changes will free up 5,000 additional sitting days to hear asylum cases.

Meanwhile, MPs are debating proposed changes to the Safety of Rwanda Bill in the Commons. 

Amendments tabled by Robert Jenrick – who resigned as immigration minister last year over the legislation – and veteran Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash are among those which are being considered.

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They aim to restrict an individual’s ability to block their removal to Rwanda and prevent international law being considered in legal challenges against the policy. 

More than 60 Tory MPs are backing the amendments including two deputy Conservative chairmen – Lee Anderson and Brendan Clarke-Smith. 

However, they are not expected to pass as both the government and opposition parties are likely to vote them down.

The bigger test for the government will be a vote expected on Wednesday, when the rebels could vote against the entire bill. 

If around 30 Tory MPs joined opposition parties in voting against the legislation it could be defeated. 

In a bid to deter people from trying to get to the UK across the Channel in small boats, the government wants to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda. Labour has criticised the policy as an expensive “gimmick” and says it would prioritise tackling the smuggling gangs.

The government’s Rwanda policy was blocked by the Supreme Court on the grounds of concerns about the safety of the east African country for asylum seekers. 

Following the court decision, the government introduced the Safety of Rwanda Bill which states that in UK law that Rwanda is a safe country.

Streamline process

In a bid to assuage concerns about legal challenges, ministers have announced plans to hire more judges from the current First-Tier Tribunal system to the new Upper Tribunal to deal with Rwanda appeals.

Judges will receive additional training and will be paid more to sit on evenings and weekends. The government has also created 25 additional hearing rooms to deal with cases.

The move is designed to centralise complex migration cases and appeals, streamlining the process. 

Home Office analysis has found 99.5% individual legal challenges under the Illegal Migration Act will fail. But there is still a risk that large numbers lodging appeals will clog up the system sufficiently to delay and frustrate their removal. 

The Ministry of Justice has been working with the judiciary since last summer to put in place extra capacity into the system ahead of implementing the Rwanda policy.

The justice secretary said it would be for the judiciary to decide whether additional judges would need to be deployed on a temporary basis.

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