Watch out for Facebook lies

Gordon can you tell me if the following statement which is circulating Face book is true? It seems suspect to me

Martin

I'm shocked and disgusted at what I've found out/saw! I really can't believe it! Immigrants get £26.00 a day for food in tesco vouchers from our government. Which means each person gets £182.00 a week,therefore a family of 4 gets £728.00 a week or £2,912 a month just for food that's without their free housing and other benefits for clothes,shoes etc,etc. So I'm in Tescos and surprise,surprise the immigrants are spending their vouchers on crates of beer and bottles of spirits!!!!! They are being treated better than our old people that have paid into our system and have every right to the money the government is freely giving away when they are struggling on their measly pension and freezing and starving! So pissed off with this! Rant over....

Dear Martin

Thank you for contacting me about immigration and the benefit system.

I can assure you that the Government does not give food vouchers to migrants, and I do not recognise the figures you quote. Migrants must satisfy the Habitual Residence Test before they are eligible to claim means tested benefits. The Government has strengthened this test so that migrants have to prove they are doing everything possible to find a job, including establishing what efforts they have made to find work in their home country and whether their English skills are adequate.

Alongside this, the Government is preventing jobseekers from claiming out-of-work benefits until they have been in the UK for three months and will cut their benefits off after three months if they do not have a realistic chance of getting a job. EEA jobseekers are also no longer eligible to claim Housing Benefit.  In addition, people coming from outside the European Economic Area generally have an immigration status that allows no recourse to public funds and so would not be eligible for income-related benefits.

In the case of asylum seekers, if they are granted refugee status they are subject to the same entitlement rules as UK citizens. However, many social security benefits are contributory benefits and require claimants to have a sufficient National Insurance contribution record, which many refugees would find difficult. Asylum seekers who are destitute can claim Asylum Support from the Home Office, the current rate for which is £36.95 per week for each person in the household. In the event an asylum claim is unsuccessful, some claimants are given an ‘azure card’ until they are able to leave the UK, and this card can only be used in certain shops and cannot be used to purchase certain goods, such as alcohol. 

I recognise the contribution older people make to society and agree that we need to ensure they have security and dignity in retirement. The Government’s triple lock’ has meant the State Pension is £950 higher than in 2010. In addition, key universal benefits such as the Winter Fuel Payment, bus passes and TV licensees have been protected, and the Conservative Party is committed to retaining them for the next Parliament too.

I hope this is reassuring. Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Regards

Gordon

GORDON HENDERSON MP

Sittingbourne and Sheppey