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legislature	pref label
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1329931

registered interest
date	07/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	For what reason her Department continues to monitor asylum seekers' usage of Aspen Cards.
tabling member constituency	Rutherglen and Hamilton West
tabling member printed	Margaret Ferrier
uin	901027
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2021 answer text <p>Aspen cards are prepaid debit cards used to provide financial support to destitute asylum seekers. Their use is recorded and will be investigated where there are safeguarding concerns, for example to help locate a person who has gone missing, or potential breaches of the conditions of support to which the recipients have agreed, such as to prevent fraud.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 07/06/2021 16:05:22 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4386 label Biography information for Margaret Ferrier

1202093

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what (1) financial, and (2) other forms of, support are available to asylum seekers awaiting decisions on their status.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL5484
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/06/2020 answer text <p>If any asylum seeker would otherwise be destitute they are provided with accommodation and a weekly allowance to cover their essential living needs, although the allowance is not provided if they are accommodated in a full-board facility.</p><p> </p><p>The level of the weekly standard allowance from 15 June 2020 is £39.60. The allowance is also provided to asylum seekers who have adequate accommodation provided by their families or friends but need help to cover their essential living needs. Council tax and utilities are also paid for, and free NHS healthcare and education for their children are provided.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 23/06/2020 16:35:57 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1199431

registered interest
date	02/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 27 May (HL4183), whether the outcomes of the review of asylum support will be published by the end of June.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL5030
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>We review the level of financial support provided to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute annually, using a methodology that has been in place since 2014 and which the courts have agreed is rational and lawful. The methodology takes account of the costs of food, clothes, toiletries and other items.</p><p> </p><p>The standard weekly allowance has been raised to £39.60 from £37.75, an increase of around 5%, because the methodology showed this is now the amount the average asylum seeker needs to meet their essential living needs. This increase is considerably higher than current year to year rise in general inflation, which was reported to be 0.8% in April.</p><p> </p><p>This allowance is only one part of the package of support provided. We also provide free accommodation, utilities are paid for, council tax is paid for, and there is free access to the NHS and free education for their children.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 16/06/2020 11:21:02 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1202665

registered interest
date	10/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 12 May (HL4183), what proportion of the increase of 26p a day in asylum support is attributable to the additional costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, such as those arising from increased hygiene needs.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL5527
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>We review the level of financial support provided to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute annually, using a methodology that has been in place since 2014 and which the courts have agreed is rational and lawful. The methodology takes account of the costs of food, clothes, toiletries and other items.</p><p> </p><p>The standard weekly allowance has been raised to £39.60 from £37.75, an increase of around 5%, because the methodology showed this is now the amount the average asylum seeker needs to meet their essential living needs. This increase is considerably higher than current year to year rise in general inflation, which was reported to be 0.8% in April.</p><p> </p><p>This allowance is only one part of the package of support provided. We also provide free accommodation, utilities are paid for, council tax is paid for, and there is free access to the NHS and free education for their children.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 25/06/2020 08:02:51 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

768559

registered interest
date	11/10/2017
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government by whom, and when, the sum of £36.95 for asylum seekers' cash support was determined; and whether they have any plans to increase it.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL1909
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/10/2017 answer text <p>Asylum seekers and their dependants who would otherwise be destitute are provided with a cash allowance and accommodation if they need it. The Home Office regularly reviews the level of the cash allowance to ensure that it is sufficient to cover their essential living needs.</p><p> </p><p>The current allowance of £36.95 per week for each person in a household has been in place since 6 April 2015 and was set following a review that took place earlier that year. There was a further review in 2016 and a report of the outcome was published in March 2017: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers</a></p><p> </p><p>The report sets out the methodology used in the annual review to assess the adequacy of the allowance, which has been accepted by the courts.</p><p> </p><p>A further review is currently ongoing. Whether there will be any changes in the level of the allowance depends on the outcome of that review.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 24/10/2017 16:10:16 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name Report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers-2016 (1).pdf title Report on review of cash allowances:asylum seekers
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

942037

registered interest
date	16/07/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how long it takes for an asylum seeker to receive a decision on their application for section 4 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; if successful in their application, how soon they should receive that support; and what is the average time taken (1) to decide an application for section 4 support, and (2) for payment to be made.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL9551
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2018 answer text <p>The Home Office has a range of measures for processing asylum support applications depending on the nature of the application being made. Access to accommodation and subsistence payments is provided once suitable accommodation is sourced and eligibility confirmed. Currently information on processing times is not recorded in a format suitable for publication and there are no plans to publish such statistics at this time.</p><p>The Home Office is continuing to work with the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum to consider what further information could be made publicly available once the new IT system for asylum support casework has been fully implemented later this year.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 23/07/2018 12:47:29 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1338329

registered interest
date	21/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers are currently dependent on support from the UK Government.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL1265
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2021 answer text <p>The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of asylum seekers supported by the UK Government.</p><p>These statistics are published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 27 May 2021 and can be found at: (please see attached table)</p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets#asylum-support</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 05/07/2021 16:56:36 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name asylum-applications-datasets-mar-2021 (1).xlsx title Asylum and Resettlement Data Sets
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1338328

registered interest
date	21/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum seekers were unable to receive their benefits due to recent issues with the Aspen Card.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL1264
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2021 answer text <p>Fully functioning and tested Aspen cards have been distributed to all service users. The vast majority have activated it and have been using it successfully since the service went live on Monday 24th May 2021.</p><p>Where replacement cards have been requested, they are being actioned swiftly and are being dispatched to service users accordingly.</p><p>Those experiencing issues with their Aspen card were, and still are, entitled to Emergency Cash Payments (ECPs) if in need. Due to this, all support-entitled asylum seekers were able to receive their benefits, either through an Aspen card or cash payments.</p><p>The vast majority of service users have now received and activated their new Aspen card since the service went live on Monday 24th May 2021. These cards are working and being used successfully to make purchases or withdraw funds (dependent on asylum seeker support type).</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL1263 question first answered 05/07/2021 16:24:16 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1330247

registered interest
date	07/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was the weekly benefit payment received by asylum seekers in each of the last 10 years.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL802
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2021 answer text <p>Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute can obtain support from the Home Office. The support package usually consists of free, furnished accommodation (with utility bills and council tax paid) and a weekly cash allowance to meet other essential living needs.</p><p>The standard weekly cash allowance for a single adult asylum seeker over the past 10 years is set out in the table below.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Weekly Rate</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>From 18 April 2011</p></td><td><p>£36.62</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>From 6 April 2015</p></td><td><p>£36.95</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>From 6 February 2018</p></td><td><p>£37.75</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>From 15 June 2020</p></td><td><p>£39.60</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>From 22 February 2021</p></td><td><p>£39.63</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 21/06/2021 15:59:32 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

833637

registered interest
date	30/01/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how the replacement of the Azure card by the Aspen card for asylum seekers was publicised.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL5253
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/02/2018 answer text <p>In order to publicise the replacement of the Azure card we wrote to all service users informing them of the change, and what the implications were for them. We briefed service providers and the voluntary sector about the forthcoming change to ensure that advice and guidance was available in case of difficulty.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 06/02/2018 17:03:43 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

833636

registered interest
date	30/01/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what aid is available for destitute asylum seekers who are not allowed to work and are not entitled to benefits.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL5252
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/02/2018 answer text <p>Asylum seekers and their dependents who would otherwise be destitute are provided with a weekly cash allowance and free accommodation.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 09/02/2018 12:39:20 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1331022

registered interest
date	08/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of delays in the issuing of the Aspen payment cards to asylum seekers.
tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Southwark
uin	HL893
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2021 answer text <p>The PrePaid Financial Services (PFS) solution is a well-established Mastercard pre-paid card used by organisations across the UK as well as abroad and has undergone over 5 months of rigorous testing to integrate with Home Office systems.</p><p>Service users were notified of the transition in advance and a significant majority of service users have received their Aspen card and successfully activated. The service is functioning as expected for those who have activated their card. The cards are fully working, withdrawals and purchases are being made and the automated IVR activation line is operating well.</p><p>Transitions of this nature are complex, and plans to mitigate anticipated issues were, and remain, in place. Cash payments were made available in emergencies. We will continue to work with the remainder of service users to activate their cards and ensure they are supported throughout.</p><p><br> Our main focus is to ensure all remaining service users have an activated card so the new service can be accessed and support payments received.</p><p>As part of our management of service contracts continuous improvement assessments will be factored in throughout the contract term and implemented accordingly.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 22/06/2021 16:16:12 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4345 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Southwark

887329

registered interest
date	19/04/2018
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the increase in February of the standard allowance for asylum seekers from £36.95 a week to £37.75 a week is sufficient to meet living costs.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL7126
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2018 answer text <p>The assessment is set out in a report published in March 2018, the report outlines the standard allowances for asylum seekers and for convienance the report is attached and can also be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers</a>.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 02/05/2018 12:42:45 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name Report_on_review_of_cash_allowance_paid_to_asylum_seekers_-_2017_-_final.._-v1.pdf title Report on Review of cash allowance-asylum 2017
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1218586

registered interest
date	29/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the policy to withdraw section 95 support from asylum seekers when they are given temporary accommodation with food.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL6258
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2020 answer text <p>There has been no change to policy.</p><p>Asylum seekers receiving support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and in dispersed accommodation are generally provided with accommodation and a cash allowance to cover other essential living needs.</p><p> </p><p>For those in full board section 98 Initial Accommodation, hotels or hostels, essential living expenses are covered and they do not therefore receive a cash allowance. Where section 98 accommodation is self-catered they will receive a cash amount to purchase their own food.</p><p>As a result of the Covid-19 crisis a higher proportion of asylum seekers than usual are being accommodated in full-board hostels and hotels.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 13/07/2020 16:29:00 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1330248

registered interest
date	07/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the failure to pay benefits to asylum seekers due to contractual changes to the ASPEN card payments system; and what steps they will take to ensure that this does not happen again.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL803
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/06/2021 answer text <p>The PrePaid Financial Services (PFS) solution is a well-established Mastercard pre-paid card that is used by organisations across the UK as well as abroad and has undergone over 5 months of rigorous testing to integrate with Home Office systems.</p><p>Service users were notified of the transition in advance and a significant majority of service users have received their Aspen card and successfully activated it. For those who have done this the service is functioning as expected. The cards are fully working, withdrawals and purchases are being made and the automated IVR activation line is operating well.</p><p>Transitions of this nature are complex, and plans to mitigate anticipated issues were, and remain, in place. Cash payments were made available in emergencies. We will continue to work with the remainder of service users to activate their cards and ensure they are supported throughout.</p><p>As part of our management of service contracts continuous improvement assessments will be factored in throughout the contract term and implemented accordingly.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 21/06/2021 15:51:48 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1189746

registered interest
date	21/04/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) increase asylum support rates in line with Universal Credit, and (2) provide further support to asylum seekers to assist with essential living requirements, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL3263
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/05/2020 answer text <p>We are currently reviewing the level of the cash allowances, as we do each year, to ensure that they remain capable of meeting the essential living needs of asylum seekers. There are no plans to increase the level of the cash allowances to Universal Credit levels.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 05/05/2020 16:06:27 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1196847

registered interest
date	18/05/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make Wi-Fi available for people living in all forms of asylum accommodation so that they can contact essential mental health support services, currently only offered online, during the COVID-19 pandemic without having to spend any portion of their £37.50 weekly allowance on such data.
tabling member printed	Lord Judd
uin	HL4558
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>Asylum seekers receiving support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 199 are generally provided with accommodation and a cash allowance to cover other essential living needs. The level of the cash allowance provided take into account communication needs, including the cost of buying and using a mobile phone. As a result of the Covid-19 crisis a higher proportion of asylum seekers than usual are being accommodated in full-board hostels and hotels. We are looking at practical ways of providing internet access to this group and other ways to enable them to communicate effectively.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 02/06/2020 15:29:32 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	1660 label Biography information for Lord Judd

1187941

registered interest
date	25/03/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to suspend all terminations of asylum support temporarily as part of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL2955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2020 answer text <p>Following public health guidance, we have put in place a number of measures to support people in the asylum system who are affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, including working closely with providers to make sure the most vulnerable people within the system receive the support they need.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 08/04/2020 14:02:20 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1195232

registered interest
date	12/05/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the level of asylum support in line with the COVID-19 related uplift for Universal Credit.
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL4235
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/05/2020 answer text <p>We are currently reviewing the level of the cash allowances, as we do each year, to ensure that they remain capable of meeting the essential living needs of asylum seekers. The level of the cash allowances is not linked to Universal Credit.</p><p>Home Office has put in place a range of measures to support those in the asylum system who are affected by the covid-19 outbreak. We continue to monitor the situation closely and are making adjustments to our processes and procedures where necessary and appropriate</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 27/05/2020 15:25:56 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1338327

registered interest
date	21/06/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made with resolving issues with the Aspen Card.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL1263
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/07/2021 answer text <p>Fully functioning and tested Aspen cards have been distributed to all service users. The vast majority have activated it and have been using it successfully since the service went live on Monday 24th May 2021.</p><p>Where replacement cards have been requested, they are being actioned swiftly and are being dispatched to service users accordingly.</p><p>Those experiencing issues with their Aspen card were, and still are, entitled to Emergency Cash Payments (ECPs) if in need. Due to this, all support-entitled asylum seekers were able to receive their benefits, either through an Aspen card or cash payments.</p><p>The vast majority of service users have now received and activated their new Aspen card since the service went live on Monday 24th May 2021. These cards are working and being used successfully to make purchases or withdraw funds (dependent on asylum seeker support type).</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford grouped question UIN HL1264 question first answered 05/07/2021 16:24:16 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1145333

registered interest
date	06/09/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of applicants for support under section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, in the last year for which records are held, were asked to provide further information to support their request, broken down by the reason further information was required.
tabling member printed	Lord Watson of Invergowrie
uin	HL17784
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/10/2019 answer text <p>The information requested would require a manual trawl of records of all service users receiving section 4 support and could only be provided at a dis-proportionate cost.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 08/10/2019 11:16:37 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	1241 label Biography information for Lord Watson of Invergowrie

1219454

registered interest
date	30/06/2020
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that asylum seekers who have no recourse to public funds can obtain soap and other essentials; and what plans they have, if any, to provide such people with mobile telephones whilst they are in the process of applying for asylum.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL6318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/07/2020 answer text <p>Asylum seekers receiving support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are generally provided with accommodation and a cash allowance to cover other essential living needs, including hygiene products. For those in section 98 Initial Accommodation and hotel or hostel accommodation, hygiene products are provided to them.</p><p>The level of the cash allowance provided takes into account communication needs, including the cost of buying and using a mobile phone. As a result of the Covid-19 crisis a higher proportion of asylum seekers than usual are being accommodated in full-board hostels and hotels. We are looking at practical ways of providing internet access to this group and other ways to enable them to communicate effectively.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 14/07/2020 16:36:08 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1149947

registered interest
date	16/10/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to determine whether an applicant for section 4 asylum support should be considered particularly vulnerable; what is the target timescale for an asylum seeker who is deemed to be vulnerable to receive that support under Home Office guidelines; and what was the average time taken for a payment to be made after an application for support by an applicant that met that criteria in the most recent period for which figures are available.
tabling member printed	Baroness Lister of Burtersett
uin	HL154
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/10/2019 answer text <p>The Asylum Seekers (Reception Conditions) Regulations 2005 define a vulnerable person as:</p><ul><li>A minor</li><li>A disabled person</li><li>An elderly person</li><li>A pregnant woman</li><li>A person who has been subjected to torture, rape or other serious forms of psychological, physical or sexual violence;</li><li>A person who has had an individual evaluation of his situation that confirms he/she has special needs.</li></ul><p>Accommodation providers are also contractually required to take account of any particular circumstances and vulnerability of those that they accommodate. The definition of vulnerability in the contracts is the same as the one set out in the 2005 Regulations.</p><p>The particular circumstances of other supported asylum seekers and their dependants who may have other particular vulnerabilities are also carefully considered, for example because they have care needs or health problems that require a need for a specific type of accommodation or accommodation in a particular location. Further details regarding these policies can be found at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-requests-policy" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-requests-policy</a></p><p>We aim to decide most of these applications within 5 working days, or 2 days of the Home Office reviewing the application if the person is vulnerable, but some take longer because of the need to make further enquiries to establish that the person is eligible to receive the support.</p><p>The Home Office monitors closely the performance of asylum support application decision making and has a range of targets for processing support applications depending on the nature of the application being made. However information on processing times is not recorded in a format suitable for publication. We are currently in the process of embedding a new system and reporting tools and once this has been implemented we will review our reporting processes,.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 30/10/2019 17:56:56 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford attachment 1 file name Allocation-Of-Accommodation-v5_0.pdf title Accommodation Requests policy
tabling member	4234 label Biography information for Baroness Lister of Burtersett

1290187

registered interest
date	25/02/2021
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government when they introduced the provision of £39.63 in cash support to those seeking asylum in the UK; and what are the eligibility criteria for that payment.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL13714
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2021 answer text <p>Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with accommodation and a weekly allowance to cover their other essential living needs.</p><p>The level of the standard allowance is reviewed each year and adjusted where necessary. As a result of this year’s review the allowance has been raised from £37.75 per week to £39.63 per week. The £39.63 rate took effect from 22 February 2021, although an earlier exceptional temporary increase to £39.60 was implemented from 15 June 2020 pending the outcome of the full review.</p><p>The allowance is reduced if the asylum seeker is accommodated in full-board facilities where some of their essential living needs, for example food and toiletries, are provided in kind.</p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 10/03/2021 17:36:08 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

1124892

registered interest
date	07/05/2019
answering body	Home Office
answering dept id	1
answering dept short name	Home Office
answering dept sort name	Home Office
hansard heading	Asylum: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether funding currently dedicated to asylum matters will be ring-fenced following the UK's departure from the EU.
tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
uin	HL15567
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>There are currently no plans to apply a ring fence to asylum payments in this financial year.</p><p>Any new restrictions to departmental spending would be agreed with HM Treasury. Any further changes would form part of the Spending Review discussions taking place this year for financial year 2020-21 onwards.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Baroness Williams of Trafford question first answered 21/05/2019 15:29:48 answering member 4311 label Biography information for Baroness Williams of Trafford
tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno