Latest news with #ImmigrationandAsylumAct1999
Daily Record
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Record
Lanarkshire parents reminded they could be eligible for extra payments over school holidays
National advice agency Advice Direct Scotland is urging households to check if they qualify for support before schools break up for the summer later this month. Lanarkshire parents are being reminded that they could be eligible for extra payments over the school holidays to cover the cost of meals for their children. National advice agency Advice Direct Scotland is urging households to check if they qualify for support before schools break up for the summer later this month. Households normally eligible for free school meals during term time should automatically start receiving payments of £2.50 or £4.80 per day, per child, during the holidays, depending on the child's age and where they live. While exact holiday dates vary by council, a household with two children could be entitled to between £150 and £288 over the course of the six-week summer break. Those who have not yet applied for free school meals, or who might start claiming benefits over the holidays due to a change in circumstances, are being urged to take action. All children in P1 to P5 at schools run by local councils currently receive free school lunches during term time, regardless of their family circumstances. Children in P6 and above continue to qualify only if they come from low-income households. Over the summer and other holidays, support is available to those who normally receive free school meals. Payments are set at £2.50 per day, per child, for each weekday during the holidays, excluding weekends. This means summer payments will be around £75, £126, or £144 per child, depending on the rate and school stage. To qualify, people must be in receipt of one of the following benefits: Universal Credit (where monthly earned income is not more than £850) Income Support Income-based Job Seeker's Allowance Income-based Employment and Support Allowance Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. Rebecca Fagan, benefit and welfare information officer at Advice Direct Scotland, said: 'With the summer holidays approaching fast, it's crucial that families know about the support available to help provide healthy meals for their children. 'Many Scots are facing financial difficulties due to the cost-of-living and energy crises and will be worried about holiday-related expenses on top of rising bills. 'For families with children eligible for free school meals, payments are available throughout the summer, so we encourage anyone who might benefit to apply now. 'Remember, once your application is approved, payments will start promptly and will also be available during other school holidays. 'If you're unsure about your eligibility or need help applying, our team at offers free, confidential support to everyone, regardless of personal circumstances.' provides free, practical advice and information on any topic, including access to benefits and whether households are claiming all the support they are entitled to. And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.
The Independent
14-03-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Government ‘unlawfully' housed asylum seekers at RAF Wethersfield
The Government acted 'unlawfully' by accommodating four vulnerable asylum seekers at RAF Wethersfield, a High Court judge has ruled. Mr Justice Mould found that the Home Secretary had made 'a most serious and inexplicable omission' in failing to assess the impact on disabled asylum seekers and those with serious mental health issues when changing the asylum accommodation policy. A result of this was that vulnerable asylum seekers with special needs or disabilities could be judged suitable to be accommodated at Wethersfield, the judge said. Four former residents of RAF Wethersfield brought legal action against the Home Office, claiming it acted unlawfully by housing them at the site when it was 'not suitable' because of characteristics which included being victims of torture and human trafficking or being disabled. The Home Office opposed the challenge, saying its allocation system was 'not incapable of being operated lawfully'. The men all stayed at the former airbase near Braintree, Essex, between July 2023 and February 2024. In a 136-page ruling on Friday, Mr Justice Mould found the Home Office was in breach of its duty in failing to assess the impact of policy change on asylum seekers with special needs. He said: 'In my judgment, the claimants' case is plainly well-founded.' Mr Justice Mould said the equality impact assessment 'makes no attempt to assess the equalities implications' of the proposed policy change, which means asylum seekers with disabilities or serious mental health issues may be judged to be suitable for accommodation at Wethersfield. He added: 'In this case, the only conclusion I am able to reach on evidence is that the defendant did not attempt to assess the equalities impacts of the proposed policy change.' The judge also found that the Home Secretary acted unlawfully and in breach of her duties under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in relation to three of the men. Barristers for the men had claimed the accommodation was 'seriously inadequate' and there was a 'structural and systemic failure' to identify vulnerabilities which would exclude people from being housed there. However, the High Court in London found that the home secretary's updated policies and procedures for identifying asylum seekers unsuitable for Wethersfield, was now capable of operating lawfully. He added: 'I do not accept that the conditions of accommodation provided for asylum seekers at Wethersfield as described in the evidence before the court have been shown to be so deficient as to be incapable of providing adequate accommodation for asylum seekers.' In respect of one of the men, a 25-year-old Eritrean national who cannot be named, the judge found that he had been 'unlawfully accommodated' at Wethersfield as the home secretary failed 'to have regard to credible evidence that he was the victim of human trafficking'. The then-Conservative government announced plans to house migrants at Wethersfield, as well as RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, in March 2023. Migrants began to be housed at Wethersfield last July, with capacity currently capped at 580 despite initial plans to accommodate 1,700 people. Clare Jennings of Gold Jennings, who represented one of the men, said: 'We are delighted that the High Court has acknowledged the significant failings in the treatment of our client, TG, by the home secretary, and the detrimental impact that being in Wethersfield had on his already fragile mental health. 'We are concerned that the continued use of large, ex-military sites, to house asylum seekers remains highly problematic and puts vulnerable people at risk.' Emily Soothill of DPG, who represented another of the men, said: 'People seeking asylum, especially victims of torture and trafficking, are more vulnerable to physical and mental illness. 'They have the right to be treated with dignity and should not be accommodated en masse in military barracks.'
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Government ‘unlawfully' housed asylum seekers at RAF Wethersfield
The Government acted 'unlawfully' by accommodating four vulnerable asylum seekers at RAF Wethersfield, a High Court judge has ruled. Mr Justice Mould found that the Home Secretary had made 'a most serious and inexplicable omission' in failing to assess the impact on disabled asylum seekers and those with serious mental health issues when changing the asylum accommodation policy. A result of this was that vulnerable asylum seekers with special needs or disabilities could be judged suitable to be accommodated at Wethersfield, the judge said. Four former residents of RAF Wethersfield brought legal action against the Home Office, claiming it acted unlawfully by housing them at the site when it was 'not suitable' because of characteristics which included being victims of torture and human trafficking or being disabled. The Home Office opposed the challenge, saying its allocation system was 'not incapable of being operated lawfully'. The men all stayed at the former airbase near Braintree, Essex, between July 2023 and February 2024. In a 136-page ruling on Friday, Mr Justice Mould found the Home Office was in breach of its duty in failing to assess the impact of policy change on asylum seekers with special needs. He said: 'In my judgment, the claimants' case is plainly well-founded.' Mr Justice Mould said the equality impact assessment 'makes no attempt to assess the equalities implications' of the proposed policy change, which means asylum seekers with disabilities or serious mental health issues may be judged to be suitable for accommodation at Wethersfield. He added: 'In this case, the only conclusion I am able to reach on evidence is that the defendant did not attempt to assess the equalities impacts of the proposed policy change.' The judge also found that the Home Secretary acted unlawfully and in breach of her duties under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 in relation to three of the men. Barristers for the men had claimed the accommodation was 'seriously inadequate' and there was a 'structural and systemic failure' to identify vulnerabilities which would exclude people from being housed there. However, the High Court in London found that the home secretary's updated policies and procedures for identifying asylum seekers unsuitable for Wethersfield, was now capable of operating lawfully. He added: 'I do not accept that the conditions of accommodation provided for asylum seekers at Wethersfield as described in the evidence before the court have been shown to be so deficient as to be incapable of providing adequate accommodation for asylum seekers.' In respect of one of the men, a 25-year-old Eritrean national who cannot be named, the judge found that he had been 'unlawfully accommodated' at Wethersfield as the home secretary failed 'to have regard to credible evidence that he was the victim of human trafficking'. The then-Conservative government announced plans to house migrants at Wethersfield, as well as RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, in March 2023. Migrants began to be housed at Wethersfield last July, with capacity currently capped at 580 despite initial plans to accommodate 1,700 people. Clare Jennings of Gold Jennings, who represented one of the men, said: 'We are delighted that the High Court has acknowledged the significant failings in the treatment of our client, TG, by the home secretary, and the detrimental impact that being in Wethersfield had on his already fragile mental health. 'We are concerned that the continued use of large, ex-military sites, to house asylum seekers remains highly problematic and puts vulnerable people at risk.' Emily Soothill of DPG, who represented another of the men, said: 'People seeking asylum, especially victims of torture and trafficking, are more vulnerable to physical and mental illness. 'They have the right to be treated with dignity and should not be accommodated en masse in military barracks.'
