Lord Roberts of Llandudno – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno on 2014-05-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they decide which retailers can be accessed using the Azure prepayment card given to asylum seekers.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach

The Azure card is provided to failed asylum seekers supported under the provisions of section 4 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Any retail outlet that provides food and other essential living items and accepts visa transactions can apply to join the Azure card scheme.

The card is currently accepted by Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, the Co-operative, Boots, Peacocks, Early Learning Centre, Mothercare, The British Red Cross, The Salvation Army and a few small independent retailers. There are ongoing discussions with other outlets that may be interested in joining the scheme.