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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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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