Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they introduced the provision of £39.63 in cash support to those seeking asylum in the UK; and what are the eligibility criteria for that payment.

Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are provided with accommodation and a weekly allowance to cover their other essential living needs.

The level of the standard allowance is reviewed each year and adjusted where necessary. As a result of this year’s review the allowance has been raised from £37.75 per week to £39.63 per week. The £39.63 rate took effect from 22 February 2021, although an earlier exceptional temporary increase to £39.60 was implemented from 15 June 2020 pending the outcome of the full review.

The allowance is reduced if the asylum seeker is accommodated in full-board facilities where some of their essential living needs, for example food and toiletries, are provided in kind.