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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

1317105

registered interest
date	21/05/2021
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, pursuant to the Answer of 21 May 2021 to Question 725 on asylum: housing, how the budget for weekly support payment for an asylum seeker is calculated; and how much is expected to be allocated to (a) food, (b) transport, (c) clothing and (d) cleaning products.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	5193
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2021 answer text <p>The level of the cash allowance provided to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute in order to meet their essential living needs (the legal test) is reviewed annually, using a methodology in place since 2014 and which has been judged by the Court of Appeal to be rational and lawful.</p><p>The basic approach is to determine all essential needs and assess the amount of money the average asylum seeker needs to meet each of them. Those with needs over and above the level of the average person can apply for additional funds exceptionally.</p><p>Further detail about the methodology can be found in the reports published at:</p><p><a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/publications/report-on-review-of-cash-allowance-paid-to-asylum-seekers</a></p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 26/05/2021 11:27:45 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1313826

registered interest
date	12/05/2021
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 assessment she has made of the potential merits of matching the £20 universal credit uplift for people seeking the asylum support allowance.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Zarah Sultana
uin	883
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with furnished accommodation with utilities provided free of charge and a weekly cash allowance. The level of the allowance is reviewed each year to ensure it remains sufficient to meet their essential living needs (the legal test). Currently, the standard allowance is £39.63 per week for the asylum seeker and each of any dependants in their household. The allowance is reduced if the individual is accommodated in a full-board facility where food and other essential items are provided free.</p><p>There are no plans to provide an additional £20 or to link the level of the allowance with the level of Universal Credit. Those receiving Universal Credit generally incur expenses asylum seekers are not required to meet, including paying for utilities and travel and other expenses incurred in looking for work.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 17/05/2021 16:36:43 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4786 label Biography information for Zarah Sultana

1313138

registered interest
date	11/05/2021
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, how many people will receive new ASPEN cards as part of the contract transition; and how many will be without access to any funds for themselves and family members during the weekend blackout window during that transition.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	427
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>Since January the project team has collaborated with voluntary sector partners through existing and well-established channels such as Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) and the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF). The team have built close links with the SMP and attends quarterly forums with NASF to provide updates on project progress, taking and answering questions.</p><p>Early this month, an ASPEN transition update, Q&amp;A session and workshop was held with NASF attendees.</p><p>As well as verbal engagement with the voluntary sector, the ASPEN project team has been committed to keeping third sector partners informed of progress via email. Regular written updates, information packs and all service user communication outputs have been shared with voluntary partners.</p><p>The project team has an open communication channel with all stakeholders via a specific project team e-mail inbox. Voluntary sector partners have been encouraged to submit any queries or questions relating to the ASPEN transition to the project inbox, which a project team member will monitor every day and provide responses to.</p><p>c43,000 new payment cards have been dispatched to date. Comprehensive, translated advice has accompanied the cards including guidance in relation to the transition over the weekend of 21<sup>st</sup> May- 23<sup>rd</sup> May.</p><p>Longstanding arrangements for the provision of Emergency Cash Payments (ECPs) will not be affected by the period of transition and will remain available throughout. We have also planned to manage any increased need for ECPs should this be required.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 428 question first answered 17/05/2021 15:39:16 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1313139

registered interest
date	11/05/2021
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 discussions her Department has had with voluntary sector organisations on the ASPEN card transition for asylum support payments.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	428
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>Since January the project team has collaborated with voluntary sector partners through existing and well-established channels such as Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs) and the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF). The team have built close links with the SMP and attends quarterly forums with NASF to provide updates on project progress, taking and answering questions.</p><p>Early this month, an ASPEN transition update, Q&amp;A session and workshop was held with NASF attendees.</p><p>As well as verbal engagement with the voluntary sector, the ASPEN project team has been committed to keeping third sector partners informed of progress via email. Regular written updates, information packs and all service user communication outputs have been shared with voluntary partners.</p><p>The project team has an open communication channel with all stakeholders via a specific project team e-mail inbox. Voluntary sector partners have been encouraged to submit any queries or questions relating to the ASPEN transition to the project inbox, which a project team member will monitor every day and provide responses to.</p><p>c43,000 new payment cards have been dispatched to date. Comprehensive, translated advice has accompanied the cards including guidance in relation to the transition over the weekend of 21<sup>st</sup> May- 23<sup>rd</sup> May.</p><p>Longstanding arrangements for the provision of Emergency Cash Payments (ECPs) will not be affected by the period of transition and will remain available throughout. We have also planned to manage any increased need for ECPs should this be required.</p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 427 question first answered 17/05/2021 15:39:16 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1313360

registered interest
date	11/05/2021
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 assessment her Department has made of the ability of people in receipt of asylum support to access funds during the three days within the ASPEN card transition.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	232
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>A necessary period of disruption to the outgoing provider’s service from 5pm on Friday 21st May 2021 is required to enable the process of transferring card balances to the new provider ready for use on Monday 24th May 2021 at 9am. Throughout this period of service disruption over this weekend, service users will be unable to use their ASPEN card.</p><p>c43,000 new payment cards have been dispatched to date. Comprehensive, translated advice has accompanied the cards including guidance in relation to the weekend of 21<sup>st</sup> May. To prepare for this period of service disruption, we have advised service users to withdraw funds or make purchases needed for the weekend prior to its commencement.</p><p>We have been communicating with service users directly, indirectly via our strategic delivery partners and numerous stakeholder representatives to alert them of the forthcoming period of disruption. We are also working with the voluntary sector to minimise disruption to the people we support during the period of service disruption.</p><p>Longstanding arrangements for the provision of Emergency Cash Payments (ECPs) will not be affected by the period of transition and will remain available throughout. We have also planned to manage any increased need for ECPs should this be required.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 233 question first answered 17/05/2021 15:46:52 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

1313371

registered interest
date	11/05/2021
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 assessment her Department has made of the availability and accessibility of voluntary sector organisations and foodbanks to people in receipt of asylum support during the ASPEN card transition period.
tabling member constituency	Stockton North
tabling member printed	Alex Cunningham
uin	233
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2021 answer text <p>A necessary period of disruption to the outgoing provider’s service from 5pm on Friday 21st May 2021 is required to enable the process of transferring card balances to the new provider ready for use on Monday 24th May 2021 at 9am. Throughout this period of service disruption over this weekend, service users will be unable to use their ASPEN card.</p><p>c43,000 new payment cards have been dispatched to date. Comprehensive, translated advice has accompanied the cards including guidance in relation to the weekend of 21<sup>st</sup> May. To prepare for this period of service disruption, we have advised service users to withdraw funds or make purchases needed for the weekend prior to its commencement.</p><p>We have been communicating with service users directly, indirectly via our strategic delivery partners and numerous stakeholder representatives to alert them of the forthcoming period of disruption. We are also working with the voluntary sector to minimise disruption to the people we support during the period of service disruption.</p><p>Longstanding arrangements for the provision of Emergency Cash Payments (ECPs) will not be affected by the period of transition and will remain available throughout. We have also planned to manage any increased need for ECPs should this be required.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster grouped question UIN 232 question first answered 17/05/2021 15:46:52 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	4122 label Biography information for Alex Cunningham

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