Asylum Seekers: Government Support

Carla Denyer, the Green Party MP for Bristol Central, asked the Minister of State at the Home Department, Dame Angela Eagle, what steps the government is taking to prevent asylum seekers from becoming destitute. In her response, Dame Angela Eagle acknowledged that the previous government had lost control of the asylum system, leading to high accommodation costs and cases where people fell through the net and ended up destitute, adding to the burden on local authorities. She stated that the current government is taking action to process the backlog of asylum claims and reset the relationship between the Home Office and local authorities. Carla Denyer followed up by expressing her desire to see the "no recourse to public funds" policy scrapped altogether, as it prevents most migrants in the UK from accessing welfare support. She suggested that, at the very least, the Minister should stop applying this policy to the visas of any parents of children under 18, to ensure that children are adequately protected against poverty and destitution. Dame Angela Eagle responded that, in her view, the best way to deal with the issue of destitution is to decide asylum claims quickly and accurately, so that those who are entitled to work can do so and have access to recourse, while those who are not can be swiftly removed.