THE killing last week of a Kurdish refugee in Glasgow has re-opened the debate concerning our admission and treatment of asylum seekers.

This one tragedy must not be allowed to exaggerate either the actual number of those seeking asylum status or the scale of the problems they cause.

Overall, the number of asylum seekers is small, and by and large they integrate into our society remarkably well.

Nevertheless the review into the dispersal system for refugees, ordered yesterday by Home Secretary David Blunkett, is most welcome.

It is this system which lies behind the recent outbreak of trouble in Glasgow, and which lies behind the resentment felt for asylum seekers by a small minority of the public.

Understandably there is a need for refugees to be housed in groups. Isolation is the last thing needed by someone who may be fleeing persecution, prejudice and fear in their home country.

But we must avoid housing refugees in large concentrations, where there is a potential they may cause resentment among local residents. More local authorities need to come forward with offers of help so there is a more even dispersal of asylum seekers throughout the country.

These are the lessons to be learned from recent experiences in Glasgow, and we hope these will be taken on board in the review ordered by Mr Blunkett. This is a time for careful consideration, not over-reaction.

At all costs we must avoid going down the route of placing newly-arrived asylum seekers in secure detention centres, a policy favoured by the Conservative Party.

We also hope that Mr Blunkett uses the review to examine the policy of giving vouchers to asylum seekers.

The vouchers, used to buy food and other essential goods, automatically identifies their refugee status in the eyes of the public.

They stigmatise asylum seekers and lay them open to attack and persecution.

They should be abolished and replaced with a system which affords them the basic essentials for everyday living as well as protection.