Asylum: Social Security Benefits

David Davis
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers had their benefits withdrawn under section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 in each year since it came into force.

Jacqui Smith
The use of section 9 was introduced by way of a pilot scheme which ran from December 2004 to December 2005. During this time asylum support was withdrawn from 26 families. Six of these families are on support again, having become eligible during 2007.