§ Mr. WhittingdaleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 20 April 2000,Official Report, column 592W, when a reply will be sent to the letter from the hon. Member for Maldon and East Chelmsford to the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Mrs. Roche), of 24 January. [124142]
§ Mrs. RocheA full reply to the letter of 24 January from the hon. Member for Maldon and East Chelmsford was sent on 23 May.
§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Central of 9 May concerning issuing of letters to asylum seekers notifying refusal but delaying the issue of the removal notice; what consultation he has had with the Secretary of State for Social Security regarding its impact on benefits; if he will make it his policy to discontinue the practice; and if he will make a statement. [123865]
§ Mrs. RocheI replied to my hon. Friend on 23 May. There was no need to consult the Secretary of State for Social Security about the content of the interim letters to asylum seekers, because the relevant paragraphs were concerned with support from the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) which is part of the Home Office. There was never any intention to cut off support before the asylum seekers had the opportunity to appeal against the refusal of their claims, but I accept that the wording used in the interim letters may have caused some confusion. In order to avoid this in future, the paragraphs about NASS support have now been removed from the interim letter. Where appropriate, they are now included in the letter which provides full reasons for the refusal of the asylum claim.