ALG: Audit of Asylum Seekers

ALG: Audit of Asylum Seekers

"Summary:

Leaders’ Committee - Item No: 7

This report sets out proposals for the conclusion of local government responsibility and the repayment of expenditure in providing services to destitute asylum seekers and raises concerns about an audit of asylum seekers to be undertaken by the Home Office.

Recommendations:

The Leaders’ Committee is recommended to:1. agree the proposals for grant aid to boroughs2. agree the timetable for completion of local government responsibility provided that a clear programme is agreed with the ALG by June 20023. agree that the boroughs be asked to complete the data matching exercise and, subject to detailed consultation, assist the Home Office in tackling fraud.

Asylum seekers

Interim Provisions

1. Local authorities have been required to support destitute asylum seekers since 1996. The Asylum Support Regulations 1999 require local authorities to support destitute asylum seekers arriving in the UK pending the full introduction of the new arrangements. From July 2000, the National Asylum Support Service supports new asylum seekers. From a peak of 80,000 asylum seekers, London boroughs are now supporting 56,000 people.

2. The Government has decided that the interim arrangements should continue until 5 April 2004 and Ministers will lay the necessary regulations before Parliament as soon as possible. The Home Office has advised that it will aim to agree a programme for the transfer by April 2002; it is expected that the transfer of cases will start in e the latter part of 2002/2003.

3. The Leaders’ Committee has been advised of the difficulties that the Government has experienced in establishing the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) and the Home Secretary’s proposals for streamlining the asylum support system. There is little prospect of the NASS being able to complete the transfer of an additional 56,000 asylum cases in London and another 25,000 in the rest of the country in 2002/2003. A two year extension of the interim provisions is realistic, provided that that the NASS undertake a planned approach that will transfer responsibility as soon as possible. The Home Office has linked the transfer to the completion of a data matching exercise now underway in London. The ALG has ensured that boroughs were briefed and officers are advising boroughs to complete the task quickly. Ministers have also announced that all asylum seekers are to be issued with an Asylum Registration Card (ARC) and this will require that asylum seekers be interviewed; the programme should be complete by October 2002.

4. The Asylum White Paper will be published on 5 February 2002. An Immigration and Asylum Bill will be introduced in March 2002.

5. A further report on the timetable will be provided to the Committee in June 2002.
Grants
6. The Home Office has now agreed to withdraw proposals to introduce Beacon Rents as a limit on grant applications for the repayment of the cost of supporting destitute asylum seekers. Over 40 authorities responded in December to the LGA expressing concerns.

7. Instead, the Home Office propose that grant claims for 2001/2002 should be based on:
· £140 per week grant limit for single adults
· £350 per week grant limit for smaller families
· £380 per week grant limit for families with 5 or more people.

8. This will provide another £1 million towards eligible costs, primarily in London.

9. The Home Office is keen to introduce some form of limit on grants, related to local market conditions. It has conceded that Beacon Rents are not appropriate and agrees that it may be better to use HB thresholds; now under discussion with DTLR and DWP.

10. It is intended that grant instructions be issued in early February and the scheme for 2002/2003 settled in March 2002.

11. No recommendations are yet made on unaccompanied asylum seeking children. However, the Home Office proposes:
· £400 per week (£575 pw in authorities with over 100 children) grant limit for under 16 s
· £200 per week (£300 pw in authorities with over 100 children) grant limit for over 16s
· an additional £8.5 million will be allocated to meet additional claims made by local government in 2000/2001
· additional resources will be allocated to meet the increased overall costs from the current rise in numbers of child asylum seekers entering the UK

12. The ALG is giving further information is being supplied to the Home Office to secure improvements in the grant levels and meet additional costs from the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 that came into operation in October 2001.
13. The Government intends to introduce powers to make grants to local government and remove the need for a Parliamentary Report on the detailed conditions of grant for unaccompanied asylum seeking children.

14. A further report will be provided to the Committee on progress.

AUDIT OF ASYLUM SEEKERS

15. The Home Office proposes an audit of all asylum seekers supported by local government. The Home Office is recruiting temporary staff to enable the audit to be completed throughout the country. Following representations from ALG the Home Office has agreed to develop a project plan and to involve boroughs. Officers are concerned that visits should only be conducted after completion of local planning and are seeking to influence the scheme to ensure that:

· any large scale programme of visits is started only after full consultation and planning involving boroughs and the police

· interviews should be linked to the issue of Asylum Registration Cards

· boroughs have "read only" access to the Asylum Registration Cards

· boroughs should be asked to issue notices and take action if fraud is detected

· asylum seekers are visited on an exception basis where there is concern about possible fraud or immigration status

· there is access to interpreters to enable issues to be understood and appropriate action taken

· visits start in June on completion of the current data sharing exercise.

16. Boroughs should check that appropriate enquiries have been made concerning eligibility for local services.

17. If the data exchange proceeds promptly and allowing time for the completion of planning any audit and visits, it is likely that the programme would be delayed.

18. Boroughs will be provided with a full briefing when agreed with NASS and the Metropolitan Police Service."

November 2001

http://www.alg.gov.uk/