§ Ms HarmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what representations his Department has made to the Home Office to resolve difficulties concerning the prompt payment of benefit to eligible asylum seekers arising from the absence in form IS96 of a sign as to whether a claim for asylum has been made; and if he will make a statement; [10790]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to resolve problems in the Benefits Agency concerning delays in the issuing of benefit payments to eligible asylum seekers arising from the fact that form IS96 does not show that a claim for asylum has been made. [10791]
§ Mr. Roger EvansForm IS96 is issued to any person from abroad granted temporary admission under the written authority of an immigration officer. Officials from this Department and from the Home Office have met to discuss this issue and have concluded that it is not appropriate to annotate form IS96 issued to an asylum seeker because it is not a secure document and does not lend itself to be adapted for that purpose.
An adjudication officer must be satisfied as to the true identity of a claimant before a benefit claim can be actioned. The bearer of form IS96: may not be an asylum seeker; may have been issued with more than one IS96 at different times, or may already have been refused leave to enter this country and granted temporary admission pending removal. Therefore, form IS96, annotated or otherwise, is unsuitable for use as a trigger for the payment of a social security benefit.
Departmental officials are in regular discussion with officials from the Home Office to improve the exchange of information between the two departments, to enable adjudication officers to verify the circumstances of asylum seekers' claims promptly.