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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

1197460

registered interest
date	20/05/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons asylum support rates are lower in 2020 than they were in 2002; and if she will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	49636
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2020 answer text <p>Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with free accommodation (with utility bills and council tax paid) and a weekly cash allowance to meet their other essential living needs (the legal test).</p><p>The current level of the allowance is £37.75 per week for each person in the asylum seeker’s household and is assessed using a methodology adopted in 2014. The methodology has been recognised by the Court of Appeal as rational and lawful. Details of how it works are set out in the reports published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers</p><p>The allowances provided in 2002 were generally linked to mainstream benefits provided by the Department of Work and Pensions. The amount provided depended on a variety of factors, including the age of the asylum seeker. Those asylum seekers aged over 25 received a higher rate (£37.77) than those aged between 18-24 (£29.88). From 2009, however, all new asylum seekers were placed on the lower rate previously only applicable to those aged under 25.</p><p>The current asylum support allowances are not linked in any way to mainstream benefit levels.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 02/06/2020 10:11:48 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1229329

registered interest
date	28/08/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons the repeal of section 4(2) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, as provided for by the Immigration Act 2016, has not yet taken effect.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	81517
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2020 answer text <p>Implementation of the changes made by the Immigration Act 2016 to asylum support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and to local authority support for migrants without immigration status requires engagement with local authorities, the devolved administrations and other partners on the preparation of the required regulations. The timing of this work is currently under review.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 10/09/2020 10:47:10 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1196055

registered interest
date	15/05/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications for Section 4 support have been (a) granted and (b) refused since 23 March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	47279
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 answer text <p>Published stats will be available on gov.uk in due course, recent statistics since March 2020 are not yet ready for release.  We can confirm that we have seen an increase in Section 4 application and we have moved people who would no longer be eligible for Section 95 support onto Section 4.  We are working to ensure that applications are dealt with efficiently, and that no one should be left destitute.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 20/05/2020 08:01:34 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1196054

registered interest
date	15/05/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been transferred from Section 95 to Section 4 support since 23 March 2020.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	47278
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2020 answer text <p>Published stats will be available on gov.uk in due course, recent statistics since March 2020 are not yet ready for release. We can confirm that we have seen an increase in Section 4 application and we continue to move people who would no longer be eligible for Section 95 support onto Section 4. We are working to ensure that applications are dealt with efficiently, and that no one should be left destitute.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 26/05/2020 12:36:40 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1191716

registered interest
date	29/04/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will increase financial support for asylum seekers during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Hornsey and Wood Green
tabling member printed	Catherine West
uin	41562
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2020 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. In addition to weekly cash payments, asylum seekers who claim support also receive free furnished accommodation in which utilities are paid for.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 20/05/2020 08:03:32 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4523 label Biography information for Catherine West

1192203

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of asylum support rates.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	42020
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 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.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 42021 question first answered 11/05/2020 13:45:35 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1192204

registered interest
date	01/05/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to increase asylum support rates.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	42021
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/05/2020 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.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 42020 question first answered 11/05/2020 13:45:35 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1193215

registered interest
date	05/05/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will set asylum support at 70 per cent of universal credit.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	43752
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/05/2020 answer text <p>We are currently reviewing the level of the cash allowances, as we do each year, to ensure that these meet the essential living needs of asylum seekers. The level of the cash allowances is not linked to Universal Credit.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 12/05/2020 16:53:05 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1205605

registered interest
date	19/06/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that (a) Asylum Support rates receive a £20 covid-related uplift in line with universal credit and (b) backdate that uplift to March 2020; and if she will make it her policy to reinstate asylum support to at least 70 per cent of mainstream income support.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	61747
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2020 answer text <p>We have been reviewing the level of the cash allowances provided to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, as we do each year to ensure that they remain capable of meeting their essential living needs.</p><p> </p><p>As a result of this work, the standard allowance has been raised to £39.60 per week from £37.75 per week, an increase of around 5%. This increase is significantly higher than the current general rate of inflation, which Office of National Statistics data shows was only 0.5% in the 12 months period to May.</p><p> </p><p>The level of the allowance is not linked to social security benefits.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to the allowance, we also provide free accommodation, with utilities and council tax paid for and there is free access to the NHS and free access to education for their children.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has a generous record in supporting asylum seekers. Last year, we made around 20,000 grants of asylum or protection (one of the higher figures in Europe), as well as offered protection to 3,000 Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children – the highest number of any country in Europe. In addition, we have directly resettled around 20,000 people from the most dangerous areas of the world (especially Syrians) in the UK over the last 5 years. Finally, we spend around £14 billion per year in Overseas Aid, helping millions of people around the world. This is the highest amount of any country in Europe and we are the only G7 country to meet the 0.7% of GNI Overseas Aid target</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 25/06/2020 07:49:34 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts