Memorandum submitted by Hitslink Management
Co-operative Limited
I am writing on behalf of Hitslink Advice Centre.
We are a busy advice centre based in the City of Leicester and
many of our clients come from the ethnic minorities.
I have enclosed some information regarding major
problems faced by many of our clients due to problems obtaining
a National Insurance number. Although the situation has improved
this year, as we have not seen as many clients who have been refused
a National Insurance number, there are still problems with delays.
The result of this is that benefits such as Housing Benefit is
not being paid leading to severe pressure on clients.
Another major issue involves the arbitrariness
of decisions around the habitual residency test. Families including
pregnant women, young children, old people and those with disabilities
are being left for months without benefit because it is decided
that they have not passed the habitual residency test. No reasons
are given as to why a claimant has to wait for months on end despite
the fact that they have done everything to try and settle in the
UK.
The test is particularly harsh on people coming
to the UK to settle for the first time who may not speak English
as a first language. These claimants may not be able to fully
explain their reasons for settling in the UK due to language problems.
These claimants (first time arrivals in the UK) by definition
need to be allocated a National Insurance number and because the
process takes so long it seems unfair to also impose an arbitrary
habitual residency test with the need to be present in the UK
for an imprecise appreciable period of time. The habitual residency
test disproportionately affects black claimants and we would recommend
that ethnic monitoring is put in place to find out if black claimants
are being made to wait longer before becoming habitually resident
and therefore entitled to benefit.
Hitslink would be willing to provide oral evidence
if the Committee would like to hear further evidence regarding
these issues.
Reiza Khan
Welfare Rights Worker
30 April 2003
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