All asylum seekers, whether adults or children, will receive a payment of £36.95 from 10 August
The Home Office announced today that the level of asylum support for families is to be reduced.
Under the changes made by the Asylum Support (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2015 (EIN members see here), all asylum seekers, whether adults or children, will receive a weekly payment of £36.95.
Image credit: UK GovernmentThe changes will take effect from August 10th.
BBC News notes how the changes will effect families:
• A single parent with one child will get £73.90, compared to £96.90 now.
• A single parent with two children will receive £110.85, compared to £149.86.
• A couple with two children will receive £147.80. They currently receive £178.44.
The Refugee Council notes that additional payments given to pregnant women and children under three will still be available, meaning pregnant women will continue to receive an additional £3 a week and very small children will continue to receive an additional £5 a week until the age of one, and £3 a week between the ages of one and three.
According to BBC News, the Home Office said it was making the changes because research found that the current payment system leads to families getting "significantly more cash than was necessary to meet their essential living needs".
A Home Office spokesman told the BBC: "The changes we are making have been drawn up using a tested methodology designed to ensure support levels are sufficient to cover essential living needs."
"They also bring the UK more closely into line with other EU countries. Among those with comparable systems, only Germany provides higher support payments to families."
Judith Dennis of the Refugee Council called the cuts "shameful".
She said: "These shameful cuts will plunge children further into poverty and could cause even more unnecessary hunger, ill health and anxiety for some of the most vulnerable families in Britain. It's utterly appalling that the Government has chosen to exacerbate the suffering of people who are already living in desperate situations."