Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Asylum Seekers: Government Support

Monday 29 July 2024 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The last Government lost control of the asylum system, leading to high accommodation costs and cases of destitution.
  • This Government plans to process asylum claims more effectively to prevent destitution.
  • The Minister refuses to scrap the no recourse to public funds policy, preferring to decide asylum claims quickly to allow work rights for eligible individuals.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Carla Denyer Green Bristol Central
Asylum & Refugees
Context

High asylum accommodation costs and backlogs have led to many cases of destitution, adding burden on local authorities. The last government failed to control the system.

Question

The Government lost control over the asylum system leading to high accommodation costs and cases where people became destitute. What steps are being taken to help prevent asylum seekers from becoming destitute?

Answer from Angela Eagle

The last Government lost control of the asylum system, which has meant sky-high asylum accommodation costs but also too many cases in which people have fallen through the net and ended up destitute. This Government will get a grip. We have already set out plans to process asylum claims that have been stuck in record high backlogs, and have given assurances to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government that we will take action to reset the relationship between the Home Office and local authorities.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps to prevent destitution were not provided

How: This Government Will Get A Grip

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Q2 Carla Denyer Green Bristol Central
Immigration Benefits & Welfare Children & Families
Context

The no recourse to public funds policy prevents most migrants from accessing welfare support. This has led to child poverty and homelessness.

Question

No recourse to public funds is a policy that prevents most migrants in the UK from accessing most forms of welfare support. I would like to see the policy scrapped altogether to reduce child poverty and homelessness, but, at the very least, will the Minister stop applying it to the visas of any parents of children under 18 to ensure that children can be adequately protected against poverty and destitution?

Answer from Angela Eagle

No, the best way to deal with the issue of destitution is to decide asylum claims quickly and accurately so that those who are entitled to work can do so and have such recourse, and those who are not can be swiftly removed.

Not addressed: Specifically avoiding whether to stop applying no recourse policy for parents with children under 18

How: No, The Best Way To Deal With The Issue Of Destitution Is To Decide Asylum Claims Quickly And Accurately

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