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100998

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	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 retailers are part of the Azure Card programme; and what is the total amount spent with each retailer since the card's inception.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL2454
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <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> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL2455 HL2456 HL2458 question first answered 11/11/2014 17:10:18 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

100999

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	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 why an Azure Card user does not qualify for emergency food vouchers when a technical problem occurs with the card.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL2455
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <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> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL2454 HL2456 HL2458 question first answered 11/11/2014 17:10:19 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

101000

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	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 efforts have been made to ensure that staff at retailers who accept the Azure Card are educated about the card’s rules and do not deny card users purchases which they are entitled to make.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL2456
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <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> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL2454 HL2455 HL2458 question first answered 11/11/2014 17:10:19 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

101001

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	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 people have been on support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for a period in excess of (1) six months, (2) one year and (3) five years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL2457
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>The information requested is shown in the following table:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p><strong>Length of time people have been on Section 4 support</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td> </td><td> </td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Period on support</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of People</strong></p></td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>6 to 12 months</p></td><td><p>684</p></td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>1 year to 5 years</p></td><td><p>3013</p></td><td> </td></tr><tr><td><p>5 years or more</p></td><td><p>698</p></td><td> </td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 18/11/2014 15:22:06 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

101002

	registered interest
	date	27/10/2014
	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 is their assessment of the statement by Refugee Action that more than 90 per cent of those on support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 regularly missed a meal.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL2458
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <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> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL2454 HL2455 HL2456 question first answered 11/11/2014 17:10:20 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

101285

	registered interest
	date	28/10/2014
	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 they consider those on support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to be able to meet their basic needs from that support alone.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL2490
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>Failed asylum seekers supported under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are provided with accommodation, utilities, household equipment and free healthcare. A weekly allowance to the value of £35.39 is also provided for each person in the household. The Government is satisfied that this package of support is sufficient to meet their essential needs.</p><p>It is not currently possible to purchase travel tickets with the Azure card for practical reasons. Accommodation is provided within walking distance of shops and other services and tickets are provided for essential medical appointments.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL2491 question first answered 11/11/2014 16:56:40 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

101286

	registered interest
	date	28/10/2014
	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 why individuals on support under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are prohibited from accessing any kind of transportation with the Azure Card.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL2491
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>Failed asylum seekers supported under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are provided with accommodation, utilities, household equipment and free healthcare. A weekly allowance to the value of £35.39 is also provided for each person in the household. The Government is satisfied that this package of support is sufficient to meet their essential needs.</p><p>It is not currently possible to purchase travel tickets with the Azure card for practical reasons. Accommodation is provided within walking distance of shops and other services and tickets are provided for essential medical appointments.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates grouped question UIN HL2490 question first answered 11/11/2014 16:56:42 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

101680

	registered interest
	date	29/10/2014
	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 they consider that Azure Card users are able to meet their essential living needs; and on what grounds they base their assessment.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL2502
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2014 answer text <p>Failed asylum seekers supported under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are provided with accommodation; utilities, household equipment and healthcare are provided free. The Azure Card is provided to enable them to buy food and other items and is uploaded each week to the value of £35.39 for each person in the household. Extra assistance is also provided where necessary, for example by arranging travel to medical appointments and by providing maternity grants for pregnant women.</p><p>The Government keeps this package of assistance under review but is satisfied that it meets the essential living needs of recipients of section 4 support.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 11/11/2014 16:51:54 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

106185

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2014
	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 people for whom return is not possible have been in receipt of support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 for longer than six months.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL2656
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>Support is provided in some circumstances to failed asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute under section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.</p><p>Although no specific records are kept, only a small number of people seek support because they claim they are permanently unable to leave the UK. Support is provided because there is a temporary legal or practical obstacle to departure, for example because the person is too sick to travel or needs time to apply for the necessary travel document. The number of people who have been on section 4 support for more than 6 months is 4,395.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Bates question first answered 18/11/2014 15:20:07 answering member 1091 label Biography information for Lord Bates
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno

106186

	registered interest
	date	04/11/2014
	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 is the total amount of unspent credit which has been removed from Azure card users as a result of the card's £5 carry-over limit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Roberts of Llandudno
	uin	HL2657
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/11/2014 answer text <p>Approximately £850,000 of credit has not been used since the card was introduced in December 2009 for this reason.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Taylor of Holbeach question first answered 18/11/2014 15:21:09 answering member 3787 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Holbeach
	tabling member	3691 label Biography information for Lord Roberts of Llandudno