Asylum seekers get £12m costs

More than £12 million was paid out in legal costs and compensation to asylum seekers and other immigrants last year, figures show.

The UK Border Agency paid a total of £14.2m last year in compensation, legal costs and ex-gratia payments, up almost £2m on the previous year, the agency’s annual report for 2010-11 showed.

This included payments to families who were unlawfully detained and removed, as well as £175,000 in compensation to an asylum seeker who was unlawfully detained and injured while in custody. Legal costs alone topped £7.7m in just over 1,000 cases, compared with £3.8m for 691 cases in 2009-10.