To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 19 March 2009, Official Report, column 69WS, on asylum support, what estimate he has made of the annual administrative cost of operating a plastic payment card system for the provision of section 4 support for asylum seekers. (271650)

The annual administrative cost is estimated at £200,000. We are confident that the benefits of replacing vouchers with a payment card outweigh the financial investment.