Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans her Department has to introduce a statutory consultation duty with local authorities prior to establishing asylum accommodation sites.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since 2022, the Home Office has adopted a policy of Full Dispersal, which works to ensure that Asylum accommodation is equitably distributed across the country and that a small number of Local Authorities are not unduly burdened. The Asylum Accommodation plans were developed in an evidence based and deliverable manner and are underpinned by an indexing model which considers several social factors, including crime rates, levels of homelessness and availability of GPs and Dentists.
Development of the plans was informed by feedback provided by local authorities, Strategic Migration Partners (SMPs) the Local Government Association as well as other Government Departments. Details of the Asylum Accommodation Plans are shared with nominated local authority officials and progress is routinely monitored within regular official forums jointly attended by Local Authority, Home Office, accommodation providers and SMPs colleagues.
The Home Office and its accommodation providers operate a robust consultation process, which not only ensures that local authorities are aware of all ongoing procurement activity of Dispersed Accommodation in their respective areas, but also allows them to share local expertise and intelligence, including information from statutory partners such as police, at the earliest opportunity to inform procurement.
Our accommodation providers ensure that consultation with local authorities is carried out in accordance with the requirements and standards set out in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts. At all times, the Home Office maintains oversight of procurement and consultation to ensure effective and appropriate delivery, in line with expected standards and requirements.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mechanisms her Department utilises to coordinate refugee transition policy with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
We have worked, and continue to work, with colleagues at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), including through ongoing cross-government discussions, to understand rough sleeping and homelessness pressures within local authorities in England. We are also working closely with MHCLG on the government’s National Plan to End Homelessness strategy and as part of this work we have committed to ensuring councils receive information from asylum accommodation providers for 100% of newly granted refugees at risk of homelessness within two days of an asylum discontinuation of support notification.
Following a time-limited pilot, the Home Office has introduced a 42-day end-of-support policy for newly granted refugees, providing additional time to support a successful move from asylum accommodation. Newly granted refugees can access Positive Move On advice from Migrant Help on accommodation, finances, benefits and employment. In selected areas, Asylum Move On Liaison Officers provide additional support to help support newly granted asylum seekers to successfully move on from asylum accommodation and access relevant services.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average annual full-time equivalent headcount of asylum processing caseworkers was in each year between 2016 and 2024.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ and in the ‘Migration transparency data’.
Data on asylum claims awaiting an initial decision at the end of each quarter is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions datasets’.
Data on the number of asylum caseworking staff per month from 2020 onwards is published in table ASY_05(M) of the ‘Immigration and Protection data’.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the number of unprocessed initial asylum applications was as of 1 July 2024.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ and in the ‘Migration transparency data’.
Data on asylum claims awaiting an initial decision at the end of each quarter is published in table Asy_D03 of the ‘Asylum claims and initial decisions datasets’.
Data on the number of asylum caseworking staff per month from 2020 onwards is published in table ASY_05(M) of the ‘Immigration and Protection data’.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what value for money reviews her Department has commissioned into asylum procurement contracts awarded prior to July 2024.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
Since 2021, the Home Office has carried out two financial audits into its existing Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC).
The Home Office has a rigorous regime of oversight of its asylum contracts, including delivery performance, finance performance and of value for money. This includes continued negotiation of rates paid for services at contracted hotels, with ongoing work to end the use of hotels across the UK. This work has delivered significant cost reductions to date across the asylum portfolio.
All procurements carried out by the Home Office follow Cabinet Office guidance on protecting Value for Money for the taxpayer.
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what anti-money laundering due diligence protocols are utilised when evaluating high-net-worth business investment visa applications.
Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The UK closed its Investor Visa to new applications in February 2022 due to the illicit finance risks and poor economic value. At present, the UK does not have an investor visa that is open to new applications and applications for extensions of existing leave closed on 17 February 2026. We continue to process applications for indefinite leave to remain for those on existing leave and this will continue until 17th February 2028.
The Immigration Rules require that funds be held in FCA regulated financial institutions with funds subject to those companies ongoing due diligence obligations. All cases are also subject to the Home Office’s visa security checks.
Reflecting the governments concern over the elevated risk of investment migration generally, The UKs Money Laundering Regulations (The Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing and Transfer of Funds (Information on the Payer) Regulations 2017), creates an explicit expectation (section 33 para 6a Viii) for banks to regard clients use of investment migration programmes in any country, including the UK as a risk factor. Banks must also consider in applying Enhanced Due Diligence considerations to clients. These regulations are owned by Treasury but applicable to the Immigration system.
The relevant extract is below;
(6) When assessing whether there is a high risk of money laundering or terrorist financing in a particular situation, and the extent of the measures which should be taken to manage and mitigate that risk, relevant persons must take account of risk factors including, among other things—
(a)customer risk factors, including whether—
…
(viii)the customer is a third country national who is applying for residence rights in or citizenship of a state in exchange for transfers of capital, purchase of a property, government bonds or investment in corporate entities in that state;
Asked by: Chris Bloore (Labour - Redditch)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential fiscal yield from asylum accommodation cost reductions.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is delivering a more affordable and sustainable asylum system. It has already reduced asylum spending by around £1 billion since 2023-24. It plans to deliver a further £1 billion of savings by 2028-29. These savings are expected to arise from a number of initiatives, including the commitment to end the use of asylum hotels during this Parliament.