Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Lift the Ban report entitled Why people seeking asylum should have the right to work, published in October 2018, what assessment the Government has made of the economic cost of preventing people seeking asylum from working.

The UK has a proud history of providing protection to those who need it and this Government is committed to delivering a fair and humane asylum system.

Whilst the Government has not assessed the economic cost of granting asylum seekers the right to work in the UK, our current policy is consistent with EU law and permits asylum seekers to work, in jobs on the Shortage Occupation List, if they have been waiting for a decision on their claim for 12 months or more and the delay is through no fault of their own. We are tackling delays in decision-making and have plans in place to improve the speed at which outstanding claims are decided.

It is important to focus on providing support for those who are recognised as refugees, to help them to integrate and find employment, so that they can rebuild their lives here.