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1352230

registered interest
date	03/09/2021
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	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will set support for asylum seekers at 70 per cent of universal credit entitlement in line with the representations made by the Safe Passage campaign.
tabling member constituency	Edinburgh East
tabling member printed	Tommy Sheppard
uin	41957
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2021 answer text <p>Asylum seekers and their dependants who would otherwise be destitute are supported under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. The package of support provided usually consists of free furnished accommodation with utility bills and council tax paid. Individuals are able to access free NHS healthcare and free education for children. They are also provided with a cash allowance to cover other essential living needs.</p><p>The level of the allowance is currently set at £39.63 per week for each person in the household. There are no plans to adjust the amount so that it is set at 70% of the rate of Universal Credit or align it with other mainstream benefits.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 10/09/2021 13:24:32 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4453 label Biography information for Tommy Sheppard

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

1310222

registered interest
date	19/04/2021
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	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has put in place to avoid the homelessness and rough sleeping of vulnerable migrants who have been in receipt of section 4 support and accommodation during the covid-19 outbreak when the ban of evictions ceases.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	183263
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2021 answer text <p>All failed asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute can obtain accommodation from the Home Office under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, provided they take reasonable steps to leave the UK or show there is a temporary obstacle preventing their departure. No failed asylum seeker therefore needs to be homeless. Failed asylum seekers should leave the UK and return to their country of origin - support will be given to them to do that via voluntary return or we will seek an enforced return.</p><p>Decisions to stop providing accommodation to failed asylum seekers who refuse to take steps to leave the UK, despite being able to, were suspended in November last year following the introduction of new Covid-19 restrictions. Now that step 2 of the Government’s Covid-19 Recovery Roadmap has been reached (from 12 April) this blanket pause on all cessations of support has been replaced by an approach that allows them to take place on a case by case basis, though initially with a cap on the total number of cessations that can be made per week (175) and exceptions for those who are pregnant, elderly and clinically vulnerable. This approach will initially apply to those accommodated in England only, but is expected to be rolled out to the rest of the UK, subject to further discussions with officials in the devolved administrations. The policy approach has been developed following discussions with Public Health England, representatives of local authorities and NGOs.</p><p>The Home Office has been informing local authorities about the new policy approach, through letters and meetings and there will be further communication in the coming weeks. It is not possible at this stage to assess how many decisions are likely to be made in respect of individuals currently accommodated in Liverpool or other areas, as this depends on a range of factors, including whether the individuals now agree to leave the UK and can therefore remain in Home Office accommodation until their departure is arranged. As the picture becomes clearer data will be shared with individual local authorities on the likely volumes of such cases in their areas.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 183264 183265 183266 question first answered 22/04/2021 15:40:40 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1310225

registered interest
date	19/04/2021
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	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) notice and (b) additional support her Department plans to give to (a) local authorities and (b) other relevant stakeholders supporting vulnerable individuals prior to the ending Section 4 support and the restarting of evictions.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	183264
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2021 answer text <p>All failed asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute can obtain accommodation from the Home Office under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, provided they take reasonable steps to leave the UK or show there is a temporary obstacle preventing their departure. No failed asylum seeker therefore needs to be homeless. Failed asylum seekers should leave the UK and return to their country of origin - support will be given to them to do that via voluntary return or we will seek an enforced return.</p><p>Decisions to stop providing accommodation to failed asylum seekers who refuse to take steps to leave the UK, despite being able to, were suspended in November last year following the introduction of new Covid-19 restrictions. Now that step 2 of the Government’s Covid-19 Recovery Roadmap has been reached (from 12 April) this blanket pause on all cessations of support has been replaced by an approach that allows them to take place on a case by case basis, though initially with a cap on the total number of cessations that can be made per week (175) and exceptions for those who are pregnant, elderly and clinically vulnerable. This approach will initially apply to those accommodated in England only, but is expected to be rolled out to the rest of the UK, subject to further discussions with officials in the devolved administrations. The policy approach has been developed following discussions with Public Health England, representatives of local authorities and NGOs.</p><p>The Home Office has been informing local authorities about the new policy approach, through letters and meetings and there will be further communication in the coming weeks. It is not possible at this stage to assess how many decisions are likely to be made in respect of individuals currently accommodated in Liverpool or other areas, as this depends on a range of factors, including whether the individuals now agree to leave the UK and can therefore remain in Home Office accommodation until their departure is arranged. As the picture becomes clearer data will be shared with individual local authorities on the likely volumes of such cases in their areas.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 183263 183265 183266 question first answered 22/04/2021 15:40:40 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1310226

registered interest
date	19/04/2021
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	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what advice he has received from Public Health England on the implications for the health of (a) migrants, (b) communities and (c) the public to cease provision of support under Section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and restart evictions during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
tabling member printed	Dan Carden
uin	183265
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2021 answer text <p>All failed asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute can obtain accommodation from the Home Office under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, provided they take reasonable steps to leave the UK or show there is a temporary obstacle preventing their departure. No failed asylum seeker therefore needs to be homeless. Failed asylum seekers should leave the UK and return to their country of origin - support will be given to them to do that via voluntary return or we will seek an enforced return.</p><p>Decisions to stop providing accommodation to failed asylum seekers who refuse to take steps to leave the UK, despite being able to, were suspended in November last year following the introduction of new Covid-19 restrictions. Now that step 2 of the Government’s Covid-19 Recovery Roadmap has been reached (from 12 April) this blanket pause on all cessations of support has been replaced by an approach that allows them to take place on a case by case basis, though initially with a cap on the total number of cessations that can be made per week (175) and exceptions for those who are pregnant, elderly and clinically vulnerable. This approach will initially apply to those accommodated in England only, but is expected to be rolled out to the rest of the UK, subject to further discussions with officials in the devolved administrations. The policy approach has been developed following discussions with Public Health England, representatives of local authorities and NGOs.</p><p>The Home Office has been informing local authorities about the new policy approach, through letters and meetings and there will be further communication in the coming weeks. It is not possible at this stage to assess how many decisions are likely to be made in respect of individuals currently accommodated in Liverpool or other areas, as this depends on a range of factors, including whether the individuals now agree to leave the UK and can therefore remain in Home Office accommodation until their departure is arranged. As the picture becomes clearer data will be shared with individual local authorities on the likely volumes of such cases in their areas.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp grouped question UIN 183263 183264 183266 question first answered 22/04/2021 15:40:40 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4651 label Biography information for Dan Carden

1276846

registered interest
date	14/01/2021
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	To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's timescale is for the change of provider of the ASPEN card for asylum support payments.
tabling member constituency	Middlesbrough
tabling member printed	Andy McDonald
uin	137943
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2021 answer text <p>As part of the COVID-19 contingency measures introduced by the Home Office, the transition to the new ASPEN card was postponed to enable the Department to focus on handling the operational challenges that the pandemic was causing on the wider asylum support system.</p><p>However, the current contract has been extended to ensure there is payment service continuity during this challenging time. The new card service provision is scheduled to be in place by the end of May 2021.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 19/01/2021 11:22:25 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4269 label Biography information for Andy McDonald

1229250

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, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public paper of providing support to asylum seekers who are unable to work because their case has not yet been heard.
tabling member constituency	Worsley and Eccles South
tabling member printed	Barbara Keeley
uin	81749
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2020 answer text <p>The Home Office has not made an estimate of this cost.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Asylum seekers can work in the UK if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months, through no fault of their own. Those allowed to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, which is published by the Home Office and based on expert advice from the Migration Advisory Committee.</p><p> </p><p>It is important to distinguish between those who need protection and those seeking to work here, who can apply for a work visa under the Immigration Rules. Our wider policy could be undermined if migrants bypassed work visa Rules by lodging unfounded asylum claims here.</p><p> </p><p>As part of the plans to speed up Asylum decision making, over the last 18 months, UK Visas and Immigration have increased the number of Asylum decision makers and support staff as part of a rolling recruitment campaign and mobilised a transformation programme that seeks to simplify, streamline and digitise processes.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 07/09/2020 13:21:29 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	1588 label Biography information for Barbara Keeley

1229291

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, what steps she is taking to (a) provide refugees and asylum seekers with (i) additional financial support and (ii) support with their travel during the covid-19 outbreak and (b) support social distancing within asylum seeker accommodation.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	82338
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/09/2020 answer text <p>Refugees are free to take employment and are eligible to apply for the same welfare benefits as British Citizens and other permanent residents of the UK. They do not therefore receive assistance from the Home Office.</p><p> </p><p>Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with free accommodation, with utilities and council tax paid for, as well as free access to the NHS and free access to education for their children. Unless they are in full-board accommodation, they also receive a cash allowances to cover their other essential living needs.</p><p> </p><p>The level of the cash allowance was reviewed earlier in the year, taking account of Covid-19 factors and evidence about a range of living costs, including travel. As a result of that work, the allowance was raised to £39.60 per week from £37.75 per week with effect from 15 June, an increase of around 5%. The increase was significantly higher than the general rate of inflation, which Office for National Statistics data shows was only 0.5% in the 12 months period to May.</p><p> </p><p>Accommodation providers have worked closely with Public Health officials to ensure that all supported asylum seekers receive guidance on social distancing, which is in line with the advice provided to the general public.</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 07/09/2020 13:35:39 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

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

1222131

registered interest
date	08/07/2020
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, what plans her Department has for continuing to support people in the asylum system during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	71159
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/07/2020 answer text <p>Any asylum seeker who would otherwise be destitute can obtain support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 from the time they arrive in the UK, until their claim is fully determined, and they have exhausted their appeal rights.</p><p>During the covid 19 outbreak we suspended cessations to cases where the asylum claim had been determined. This is currently being reviewed.</p><p> </p><p>A comprehensive cessation plan, on how to recommence support cessations is being worked through with discussions with Local Authorities, Other Government Departments and Stakeholders, which included members of the voluntary and community sector.</p><p>We remain committed to working closely with the accommodation providers and communicating with local authorities to relieve pressure and capacity as much as possible and ensure that health guidance is being followed.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 13/07/2020 16:16:57 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones