§ Lord Greavesasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the proposal to provide asylum seekers with smartcards will in any way change the number, range and identity of the shops in which they can be used compared with the current system of vouchers; and, if so, in what ways. [HL1084]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Rooker)The new application registration card will replace the standard acknowledgement letter (SAL) that is currently given to asylum seekers and will allow for much more reliable identification of the holders. Once the new smartcards have been introduced, we will replace the voucher system with a more robust but less socially divisive scheme. We are exploring potential mechanisms for achieving this, including automated credit transfer and using the smartcard as a means of providing financial support to asylum seekers.