asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the difference in emergency benefits paid in the United Kingdom to citizens of the European Union and to those from outside the European Union. [HL4148]

There is a wide range of social security benefits in the UK, with different rules governing how non-UK nationals can access them. As a general rule, non-UK nationals who are subject to immigration control have no access to income-related social security benefits.

Rules on the entitlement to income-related benefits for EU citizens vary depending on which member state they are from and how long they have resided in the UK. A8 and A2 nationals who come to the UK to look for work or who have worked for less than 12 months cannot normally access benefits. This is because their right to reside in the UK is subject to their being self-sufficient.

Asylum seekers are excluded from social security benefits. Those asylum seekers who require assistance receive support from the National Asylum Support Service administered by the Home Office.

Local authorities have a duty to support certain categories of people who are subject to immigration control, have no recourse to public funds and are assessed as having a need for care and attention that is over and above a simple lack of accommodation and subsistence.