50 signatures reached
To: James Brokenshire, the Immigration Minister
Don't Reduce Support for Children Seeking Asylum
To adequately support the small number of asylum seekers who safely reach our shores, and not reduce the support for children which is planned for 10 August 2015.
In addition to ask the Government to commit to increasing asylum support rates to 70% of income support.
Why is this important?
People seeking asylum do not have permission to work in the UK. Unless they have their own savings – and many have used any resources they possess to get to safety – they are forced to rely on support provided by the Home Office.
This consists of accommodation and, for a single adult, £5.28 per day to cover food, clothing, toiletries, travel, communication and all other necessities. This is simply too low to cover anybody’s basic needs, remembering that the living wage is £7.85 per hour! This forces asylum seekers to live in poverty and isolation. The plight of asylum families is somewhat better as children are given about £3 more per day (the actual amount depending upon the number of parents and children in a family).
However, on 16th July 2015, the Government introduced a new statutory instrument that reduces support for all people seeking asylum to the single flat rate. This will substantially reduce the amount given to children seeking refugee protection, as the current supplement they receive will be removed. This is a devastating blow. The internationally recognised poverty threshold, or ‘poverty line’, is defined as living on less than 60% of the median UK household income.
The Child Poverty Action Group has calculated this at £346 per week after housing costs for a couple with 2 children. The Government’s decision means an asylum couple with two children will soon be forced to live on £147.80 per week, 58% below the poverty threshold.
