Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the availability and accessibility of voluntary sector organisations and foodbanks to people in receipt of asylum support during the ASPEN card transition period.

A necessary period of disruption to the outgoing provider’s service from 5pm on Friday 21st May 2021 is required to enable the process of transferring card balances to the new provider ready for use on Monday 24th May 2021 at 9am. Throughout this period of service disruption over this weekend, service users will be unable to use their ASPEN card.

c43,000 new payment cards have been dispatched to date. Comprehensive, translated advice has accompanied the cards including guidance in relation to the weekend of 21^st May. To prepare for this period of service disruption, we have advised service users to withdraw funds or make purchases needed for the weekend prior to its commencement.

We have been communicating with service users directly, indirectly via our strategic delivery partners and numerous stakeholder representatives to alert them of the forthcoming period of disruption. We are also working with the voluntary sector to minimise disruption to the people we support during the period of service disruption.

Longstanding arrangements for the provision of Emergency Cash Payments (ECPs) will not be affected by the period of transition and will remain available throughout. We have also planned to manage any increased need for ECPs should this be required.