§ Mr. Nigel GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services why his Department is restricting the allowances to refugees who have sought sanctuary in the United Kingdom to 90 per cent. of income support: if he 657W will give the numbers of refugees who have submitted claims to the Department of Health and Social Security and have received payments at only 90 per cent. of income support since April; if he has plans to review this policy; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. PortilloIncome support, like its predecessor, supplementary benefit, is not payable under the normal rules to people who are admitted temporarily to the United Kingdom. Special provisions enable urgent cases payments to be made to asylum-seekers admitted temporarily to the United Kingdom whilst their applications for refugee status are considered. Once accepted as qualifying for refugee status under the United Nations convention, normal benefit is payable.
Under income support, urgent cases payments are made at 90 per cent. of the normal rate, although allowances for children and housing costs are met in full. These rules apply not just to asylum-seekers but to other groups of people in defined circumstances. The reason for the abatement is that there would be no point in having rules which exclude people from benefit in certain situations if they could obtain full benefit by virtue of the urgent cases rules.
All instances in which urgent cases payments are made to people from abroad are notified by local social security offices to the office of the chief adjudication officer (OCAO). In the period 6 April-30 June 1988 OCAO received information about 613 new cases.
We have no plans to change these arrangements.