---

Home Office

Answer

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he made of the administrative costs (a) in total and (b) per asylum seeker of providing support for asylum seekers through (i) the voucher system and (ii) the social security system; what the total cost to date is of administering asylum vouchers; and if he will make a statement. [141707] Mrs. Roche: The total staffing and related costs of the National Asylum Support Service (NASS), which include the administrative costs of the voucher scheme, are estimated as £16 million for 2000-01. Based on an anticipated total of 43,000 applications for support the estimated administrative cost per asylum seeker in 2000-01 is £372. Total staffing and related administrative costs of NASS, including the costs of administering the voucher scheme, assessing applications for support and arranging the dispersal and accommodation of asylum seekers to 30 November 2000 are recorded as £9 million. Vouchers are printed and distributed by third party providers under contract to the Home Office and the costs of this service are commercially confidential. Payments made under the voucher contract to 30 November 2000 are included in the total staffing and related administrative cost. Between 1994 and 1999 the annual administrative costs for income support for asylum seeker claims for one year was estimated to be in the region of £1 million and £2.5 million in 1999-2000. The estimated costs in the current year to the end of October are £0.5 million. These figures, which are rounded to the nearest £0.5 million, are based on the cost of processing new income support claims and maintaining existing cases. Costs per asylum seeker are not available.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

359 c52-3W;359 c50-1W; 141707

Session

2000-01

Subjects

Asylum Administration Costs Refugees National Asylum Support Service Operating costs

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk