Real dates of application/entry/support. Methodologies for temporary assistance to asylum seekers and Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children:<br />10. To date the UK has had separate data systems for support and asylum applications. These could not be easily linked to apply the twelve-month rule from the date of asylum application for those receiving support. In practice many applicants claim support within 1-5 days of claiming asylum but there can be a small number of extreme outliers. The methodology therefore applies the twelve-month rule in line with guidance from the DAC:<br />‘In situations where a member maintains separate systems through which people apply for asylum and apply for asylum support, the twelve-month period can be considered to commence from the date of start of support, where this allows for reporting real costs for individuals. Support provided after the final rejection of the individual claim is not reportable as ODA.’(DCD/DAC(2017)35/FINAL, p15, Para. 34). <br />- This allows us to use real data as far as possible for individuals actually receiving assistance as the basis for measuring costs and to stop counting costs when a final decision is taken (even if this is before 12 months). This is in line with clarification 5 as only direct costs are attributed and are based on costs for individuals. In practice, the date used in this methodology is the date a claimant applies for support since the support start date is not available in the current system. This is more closely aligned with the spirit of clarification 3 in terms of coming first chronologically.<br />- There is a grace period of up to 28 days between a final decision and cessation of support. Most claimants will be in receipt of support for over 12 months as asylum applications tend to last longer. For those receiving a positive decision within 12 months, this temporary assistance remains eligible and will be captured in reporting for a total of 12 months. For those receiving a negative decision within 12 months, support for rejected claimants could be included in reporting during a grace period (up to 28 days for individuals, or longer for families). These costs are not actively excluded from ODA reporting as the number of claimants receiving decisions within 12 months of which are negative is small and it would create disproportionate additional burden to estimate for removal. These may be considered to offset any benefits or other social security provision that asylum seekers who are granted refugee status within 12 months may go on to receive but which are not currently reported for similar reasons of disproportionate burden to establish costs.<br />- Home Office has recently migrated data systems. It is expected that the new system will record more events in Section 95’s (s95) support cycle, ultimately providing richer data. Home Office is currently considering how the new system might be able to link data on support and asylum applications, meaning it may be possible in future to amend the methodology to apply the twelve-month rule from the date of asylum application and follow clarification 3 more explicitly. This will depend on how complete asylum application data is captured in the new data system. It may also be possible to refine the end date of support where a final decision on asylum is reached within 12 months. <br />Methodology for asylum seekers: <br />- The main data source is the estimated number of days that a claimant has been receiving s95 support. These data are referred to as “adjusted daily stock figures” for asylum seekers in receipt of support. They are based on administrative data collected by a caseworker who fills in the application for s95 support alongside the asylum seeker. This data is stored in a UK central database then specifically-designed reports are produced to give the adjusted daily stock figures for claimants meeting the ODA criteria (see below). <br />Methodology for support to UASC:<br />- Twelve months of support is recorded from when a claim for asylum is made, in line with the clarification 3. <br />Methodology for support to Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS) and Vulnerable Children Resettlement Scheme (VCRS):<br />- Twelve months support is recorded from the date of arrival in the UK (except for benefit provisions from the Department for Work and Pensions where support start when an application is made, c.f. template). UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) systems log and provide data on all arrivals who are given a unique reference number.