Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate he has made of (a) the number of asylum seekers living in the UK awaiting a decision on their claim for refugee status and (b) the average amount of support from the public purse that those asylum seekers are receiving each week.

All asylum claims lodged in the UK are carefully considered on their individual merits against a background of relevant case law and up to date country information. We ensure that claimants are given every opportunity to disclose information relevant to their claim before a decision is taken. Where an asylum claimant establishes a well founded fear of persecution or serious harm in their country of origin, they are normally granted protection and are not expected to return there.

The number of asylum seekers living in the UK awaiting a decision on their claim for refugee status currently stands at 22,579. This figure has been taken from Asylum Transparency data - August 2018, found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-transparency-data-august-2018

The COMPASS contracts provide asylum seekers, who claim to be destitute, with full board accommodation, in Initial Accommodation, while their means are assessed. Dispersal Accommodation is available to those who qualify, and a small weekly allowance of £37.75 per person per week for food and other essential expenses is provided whilst their application for asylum is being considered.