§ Lord Jenkin of Rodingasked Her Majesty's Government:
What response they have given to the Association of London Government's request for further help, discussed at a meeting on 5 November, over the 7,000 adults, 4,000 families and 450 unaccompanied children currently being supported by the London Boroughs.
§ The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington)The Department of Health is in regular contact with the Association of London Government and appreciates the financial and logistical burden facing local authorities as a direct result of the High Court and Court of Appeal rulings about asylum seekers. This is why three special grants will be made available to local authorities to contribute to the cost of accommodating asylum seekers in 1997–98. The local authority associations will be given the opportunity to comment on the terms of the grants which will be laid before Parliament.
The Department of Health maintains that community care legislation is not the appropriate way to be providing for the needs of adult asylum seekers and for that reason we are appealing to the House of Lords on this issue. At the same time the Government are carrying out a fundamental review of the asylum process, including the way asylum seekers are cared for, looking at all the possible options available.