Purchase of snowmobiles, timeshares and furs prohibited, despite asylum seekers receiving only £9.95 a week
Are you an asylum seeker and are you considering buying an armoured car, a snowmobile or a timeshare using your Home Office pre-paid cash card? If so, think again, for these are just some of the luxuries on a list of banned items and activities drawn up by the government.
Quite how asylum seekers living in hotels who are banned from working but are provided with meals and receive £9.95 a week are expected to afford any luxuries is unclear. Similarly, those in self-catering accommodation who receive £49.18 a week may find it tricky to foot the bill for flowers (also on the list).
Officials have drawn up the extensive list of hundreds of banned items and activities in response to reports that some asylum seekers were using their weekly allowance to gamble. The money is pre-loaded on to cards called Aspen cards, which can be used at cashpoints, and some retailers including those who sell national lottery tickets and scratchcards.
Steve Smith, the CEO of the charity Care4Calais, said: “This list demonstrates how out of touch politicians are with the realities of life for people seeking sanctuary in this country. People seeking asylum are receiving as little as £10 per week in financial support. They aren’t buying the ‘luxury items’ the Home Office is suggesting.
