Ask your MP to sign EDM 905: Support For Claimants Under Immigration & Asylum Act 1999
Categories: Articles:Asylum & Refugees |
Published: 07/01/2014 |
Views: 1967
That this House is concerned that support rates under section 4 and section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 are very austere; notes that a maximum payment of £35.39 per person per week is barely half the sum of income support and is often not sufficient to cover essential medical, food and transport costs; deems the maximum level of support of just £5.06 per person per day as a strong driver of asylum seekers' social exclusion in society; urges the Government to raise the support rates under section 4 and section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 to a minimum of £45.44 per person per week, representing 80 per cent. of income support, for single adults;
recognises that the cashless payment methods under which section 4 benefits are issued place detrimental limits on how families and individuals can buy fundamental goods and services and access transport; believes that restrictions on the use of the cashless payment method unfairly favour just nine of the UK's largest retailers, which damages local businesses; supports a move towards cash methods for distributing support payments; and urges the Government to reassess the conditions used to determine granting of support rates under section 4 so that they include people who are currently being refused or withdrawn from support but who clearly have substantial health needs as was the case previously.
Sponsors: Sheerman, Barry/ Bottomley, Peter / Ritchie, Margaret / Durkan, Mark
House of Commons: 06.01.2014
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