§ Mr. ProsserTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the new asylum seeker support arrangements in part 6 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 will be extended to cover in-country applicants. [118788]
§ Mr. StrawThe Minister of State, Home Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche), announced in the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for South Thanet (Dr. Ladyman) on 6 March 2000,Official Report, columns 556-58W, that the new National Asylum Support Service (NASS) would be phased in. The first stage commenced on 3 April, when NASS took over responsibility for support for all new applicants at port, and eligibility for social security and related benefits was ended for all new applicants. The second stage was for NASS to be extended to new in-country applicants. As I told the House on 10 April 2000, Official Report, column 6, we are now ready to begin this plan.
Also on Monday 10 April, my hon. Friend the Minister accordingly made a Direction which sets out that the support scheme in Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 will apply to all asylum seekers who claim asylum other than on arrival in the United Kingdom on, or after, Monday 17 April and who made the claim while in Kent. I shall announce plans to extend the new support scheme to other parts of the country at a later date.
The direction also applies to asylum seekers who are resident in Kent; who are in receipt of benefits; who get a negative decision on their asylum claim and who go on to appeal. Their benefits will end and they will be eligible for support from the NASS.