Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 February 2017 to Question 63202, on jobcentres: refugees, and with reference to his Department's internal review in 2016, what the reasons were for refugees not applying for benefits sufficiently early to enable their benefit claim to be processed before their asylum assistance ceased; and what steps are being taken in the Government's pilot project to alleviate or prevent those reasons arising.

There are many reasons as to why a refugee, once granted status, may not immediately make a claim to benefit.

The process we are currently piloting involves a facilitated transfer for those who have been granted leave to remain in the UK, from asylum support to mainstream welfare provision, encouraging them to make contact with DWP at the earliest opportunity.

The pilot has been extended until the end of March 2017 and will then be evaluated to determine if this additional support has resulted in an application to benefits being received sufficiently early to enable it to be processed before the refugee’s asylum support ceases.

DWP will write to the Work and Pensions Select Committee with an update later this year.