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<p>The Azure card is issued to destitute failed asylum seekers accommodated under
section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 because they are temporarily unable
to leave the United Kingdom.</p><p>The card is updated each week with credit to the
value of £35.39 for each person in the household to enable them to buy enough food
and other essential items.</p><p>The table below lists the retailers that accept the
Azure card and the total amounts spent at each of them since it was introduced. The
table includes Peacocks, which no longer participates in the card scheme.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Retailer
Name</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Value (£)</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tesco</p></td><td><p>20,660,480.59</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Asda</p></td><td><p>11,373,929.59</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Sainsbury's</p></td><td><p>5,935,535.81</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Morrisons</p></td><td><p>2,528,626.86</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Boots</p></td><td><p>2,478,849.23</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Peacock
Group</p></td><td><p>333,709.46</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Co-operative Group Food</p></td><td><p>250,074.03</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Food
City Halal Market</p></td><td><p>202,813.59</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Mothercare</p></td><td><p>39,947.70</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Iceland
Foods</p></td><td><p>38,311.88</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Midlands Co-operative</p></td><td><p>22,172.05</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Salvation
Army</p></td><td><p>3,544.40</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>British Red Cross</p></td><td><p>3,380.32</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Masala
Bazaar</p></td><td><p>330.55</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Holland and Barrett</p></td><td><p>326.68</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>Information and training materials are provided to the retailers about the
terms and conditions attached to the card, which are reviewed and updated regularly.</p><p>We
are aware of some isolated instances where people have been denied purchases, but
in the great majority of cases this is because they had insufficient funds on the
card to buy the particular items.</p><p>If there is a defect in the card that means
it cannot be used, for example because it has been damaged, arrangements are made
to issue vouchers.</p><p> </p><p><br></p>
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