Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 4:31 pm on 17 December 2003.

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Photo of Diane Abbott Diane Abbott Labour, Hackney North and Stoke Newington 4:31, 17 December 2003

May I take my hon. Friend even further back in time, to the introduction of the voucher system and totally cashless support? When some of us complained that that would only drive people further into destitution, we were told that we were wrong, and that that system would be an engine and a lever to discourage abuse of the asylum system. What happened? People were forced further into destitution. A punitive approach to asylum control demonstrably does not work.