The Rt Hon James Brokenshire

Minister of State

Home Office

2 Marsham Street

London

SW1A 0AA

Date: 12^th November 2014

Dear James,

I am writing to you about the outcome of the Home Office review into asylum support rates and to draw your attention to the ‘Bring Back Dignity’ campaign by Refugee Action.

I was shocked to find that the conclusion reached by the review was that asylum support rates did not need to be altered. I find it abhorrent that this decision was reached despite a wealth of evidence from NGO’s like Refugee Action, who specialise in asylum support and have found that asylum seekers are being pushed into poverty.

I would like to draw specific attention to the costings quoted by the review, which in some cases is half the amount that the poorest 10% of the British population live on.

I am particularly concerned that the Home Office found that asylum seekers needed no more than £1.08 a week to spend on toiletries, £0.55 a week on £23.88 on weekly food costs for an adult and £3.00 on bus and train fares. This seems completely unrealistic and detached from the real life experiences of those seeking asylum in the UK.

Additionally, the review found that the current clothing allowance for asylum seekers was insufficient, and yet did not provide an immediate resolution, leaving people to suffer in the meantime.

I would, therefore, urge you to reconsider the outcomes of this review and to implement measures to ensure that asylum seekers are not pushed further into poverty. I would also like to know what measures have been put into place to increase the clothing allowance for asylum seekers, especially considering that winter is now imminent and many will not have access to essential winter clothing.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this matter.

Yours sincerely,