Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in the context of the time taken to process asylum applications, if she will (a) enable asylum seekers to work while their applications are being processed and (b) make an assessment of the potential merits of ending no recourse to public funds (i) from arrival, (ii) after one month and (iii) after three months.

We allow asylum seekers to work if their claim has been outstanding for 12 months or more, through no fault of their own. Those permitted to work are restricted to jobs on the Shortage Occupation List (SOL).

Only those who are normally or habitually resident in the UK are entitled to access benefits and social housing, reflecting their strength of connection to the UK. This includes those with indefinite leave to remain, refugees, protected persons and those granted discretionary leave. Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute can obtain support under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.