Seventh Report - Children in poverty: No recourse to public funds
Select Committee
Work and Pensions Committee
HC 603
14 April 2022
Recommendations
4 results
9
Rejected
Para 30
We recommend the Government significantly reduces the period for which children may be subjected to...
Recommendation
We recommend the Government significantly reduces the period for which children may be subjected to NRPF conditions. Parents with children should be given access to public funds after a maximum period of five years.
Government Response Summary
The government does not plan to shorten the maximum period of time spent subject to NRPF for families with children, stating those migrating to the UK are generally expected to maintain and support themselves and any accompanying family without reliance on the UK’s welfare system.
Department for Work and Pensions
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10
Rejected
Para 35
Most of those who gave evidence were keen to see an end to the no...
Recommendation
Most of those who gave evidence were keen to see an end to the no recourse to public funds condition. But we think the Government is unlikely to change this policy and such a change could result in fewer people …
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Government Response Summary
The government does not accept the recommendation to extend Child Benefit to all British children irrespective of their parents’ immigration status, arguing that existing provisions cover eligible families and that those without indefinite leave to remain should be able to support themselves.
Department for Work and Pensions
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16
Rejected
Para 60
We are pleased to hear that the Government’s NRPF forum is regularly receiving feedback on...
Recommendation
We are pleased to hear that the Government’s NRPF forum is regularly receiving feedback on the change of conditions process. We recommend that the work of the Government’s NRPF Forum is more transparent and readily available to stakeholders. We ask …
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Government Response Summary
The government will not publish the minutes of the NRPF Forum meetings, but minutes and action logs are shared with members.
Department for Work and Pensions
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20
Rejected
Para 71
We are concerned that it is not cost effective for local authorities to operate their...
Recommendation
We are concerned that it is not cost effective for local authorities to operate their own alternative welfare system, and that support for families is inconsistent across the UK. We recommend that the Government carry out an analysis of whether …
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Government Response Summary
The Home Office does not plan to carry out a cost-benefit analysis on NRPF because it would not be feasible to do so meaningfully due to practicalities around estimating the total population subject to NRPF present in the UK at any one time.
Department for Work and Pensions
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Conclusions (2) Observations and findings — click to expand
8
Conclusion
Rejected
Para 29
The levels of deprivation children in poverty endure as a result of their parents being subject to the NRPF condition should not be allowed to dominate any childhood. Many parents will have NRPF for 10 years—much of a child’s formative years. Given that parents could be without access to child-related …
Government Response Summary
The government has no plans to shorten the maximum period of time spent subject to NRPF for families with children, as those migrating to the UK are generally expected to maintain and support themselves and any accompanying family without reliance on the UK’s welfare system.
19
Conclusion
Rejected
Thousands of families with NRPF are supported by local authorities under Section 17 every year, with costs running into the tens of millions. We are concerned that this indicates that the mechanisms used to support households in poverty with no recourse to public funds does not represent value for money …
Government Response Summary
The Home Office does not plan to carry out a cost-benefit analysis on NRPF because it would not be feasible to do so meaningfully.