ASYLUM SEEKER SUPPORT

That this House is concerned at the low level of support provided for asylum seekers; notes that the current level is below subsistence; further notes that a single 25-year-old adult seeking asylum receives £35.13 a week which is 55 per cent. of income support and which equates to just £5 per day; is further concerned at the level of destitution faced by asylum seekers as a result of this low level of support; believes that this policy drives asylum seekers into social exclusion rather than alleviates them from it; recognises that this is a punitive measure and not a form of welfare designed to allow asylum seekers adequately to subsist during an application; and urges the Government to consider raising the asylum support subsistence payment to a minimum of £45 a week, representing 70 per cent. of income support, for single adults.