Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of allowing asylum seekers to undertake paid work.

At present, asylum seekers who have had their claim outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own, can apply for permission to work. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Immigration Salary List. This list is based on expert advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee.