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<p>I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my Rt. Hon. Friend the Minister for
Employment (Ms. Esther McVey) in the House of Commons on 20 November 2014 to Question
number 211618 as below:</p><p>While the Government checks the immigration status of
benefit claimants to ensure the benefit is paid properly and to prevent fraud, traditionally
that information has not been collected as part of the payment administrative systems.</p><p>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>However, the Government is looking at ways to reform the current
administrative system under Universal Credit so that it will systematically record
nationality and immigration status of migrants who make a claim.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
</p><p>The Government has made a radical series of changes over the last year to restrict
the access by non-UK citizens from the European Economic Area to UK benefits and tax
credits. This is in order to protect the UK’s benefit system and discourage people
who have no established connection with the UK from moving here, unless they have
a job or a genuine prospect of work, or have savings to support themselves until they
do.</p><p> </p><p> </p>
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