Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish representations received from (a) Hillingdon council, (b) Harrow council and (c) other local authorities on the cost of supporting asylum seekers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is in regular contact with local authorities throughout the country in relation to the accommodation and other support provided to asylum seekers in each area.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with local authorities in (a) London and (b) England on the adequacy of funding to support asylum seekers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office is in regular contact with local authorities throughout the country in relation to the accommodation and other support provided to asylum seekers in each area.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with local authorities on the potential impact of the costs of supporting asylum seekers on the financial sustainability of local authorities.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)
This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of people stuck in limbo without any prospect of having their claims processed. At their peak use under the previous government, in the autumn of 2023, more than 400 asylum hotels were being leased by the Home Office, at a cost of almost £9 million a day.
Inevitably, due to the size of the backlog we inherited, the Government has been forced to continue with the use of hotels for the time being. It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs.
The Home Office continues to work closely with local authorities to manage all the pressures arising from the provision of asylum accommodation including the impact on wider local authority obligations and plans.
The Home Office has delivered various grants through which we provide funds to support local authorities housing asylum seekers.
Working closely with MHCLG, we are also making efficiencies in supporting the integration of newly recognised refugees to mitigate homelessness risks. This includes the sharing of cross-cohort, place-based data with partners to support better planning, and the completion of scoping exercises to understand the full costs to LAs and ensure our funding package is appropriate.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help ensure that people of Chagossian descent who are planning to move to the UK are offered help with finding permanent accommodation.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 18 March to Question 37161.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the number of people of Chagossian descent who have arrived at Heathrow Airport since 1 July 2024.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 18 March to Question 37161.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37161 on Resettlement: Chagossians, what information her Department holds on the costs incurred by local authorities for the provision of statutory support for recent migrants of Chaggosian descent.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 18 March to Question 37161.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37161 on Resettlement: Chagossians, whether Hillingdon Council has claimed costs for the statutory provision of support for Chagossians who have recently migrated to the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 18 March to Question 37161.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2025 to Question 37161 on Resettlement: Chagossians, if she will publish the costs for the provision of statutory support claimed by each local authority as of 31 March 2025.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 18 March to Question 37161.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support people of Chagossian descent who arrive in the UK.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave on 18 March to Question 37161.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with local authorities on the potential impact of migrants from the Chagos Islands on levels of service provision.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The Home Office has made funding available to support local authorities in meeting their statutory duties in relation to Chagossian British citizens arriving in the UK. Alongside other responsible departments, the Home Office continues to engage in discussions and work with the local authorities most impacted by the arrival of Chagossian British citizens in the UK.