§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish(a) the current cost of providing social security payments to asylum seekers broken down by type of benefit, numbers of claimants and regional location and (b) any guidance or procedures issued which are currently in force on social security payments of any kind to asylum seekers. [12106]
§ Mr. Andrew MitchellThe administration of income support is a matter for Peter Mathison, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. George Howarth, dated 26 January 1996
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if he will publish (a) the current cost of providing social security payments to asylum seekers broken down by type of benefit, numbers of claimants and regional location and (b) any guidance or procedures issued which are currently in force on social security payments of any kind to asylum seekers.The information is not available in the format requested. In May 1994, the most recent date for which complete information is available, expenditure on Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit for asylum seekers was an estimated £4.7 million per week in total. this comprised £2.4 million Income Support, £2.2 million Housing Benefit and £0.1 million Council Tax 594W Benefit. There were just over 42,000 claims to Income Support from Asylum Seekers, of which 28,000 were also claiming Housing Benefit and 11,000 claiming Council Tax Benefit. Regional figures and information on other benefits is unavailable.Guidance on asylum seekers is available in the Adjudication Officer's Guide paragraphs 28751–28900. The Handbook "Persons from abroad for Income Support staff" provides procedural guidance for BA staff. These are available in the Library.I hope you find this reply helpful