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Written Question
Low Alcohol Drinks: Labelling
Monday 18th November 2024

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the consultation entitled Updating labelling guidance for no and low-alcohol alternatives, published on 28 September 2023, whether his Department plans to take steps to update labelling guidance for no and low-alcohol alternatives.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

A consultation published in 2023 considered options for updating labelling guidance for no and low alcohol alternative drinks.

We will continue to consider how alcohol labelling can be improved to support consumers to make informed decisions about the products they are purchasing, whilst also promoting responsible consumption.


Written Question
Low Alcohol Drinks: Labelling
Monday 18th November 2024

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to standardise the term alcohol-free at 0.5% ABV for no and low-alcohol alternatives.

Answered by Andrew Gwynne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

A consultation published in 2023 considered options for updating labelling guidance for no and low alcohol alternative drinks.

We will continue to consider how alcohol labelling can be improved to support consumers to make informed decisions about the products they are purchasing, whilst also promoting responsible consumption.


Written Question
Asylum: Aberdeen
Tuesday 7th May 2024

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of offers for dispersal accommodation for asylum seekers in Aberdeen have been made to asylum seekers staying in (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotel accommodation in Scotland in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Bridging hotel accommodation was previously used to temporarily house Afghans resettling in the UK and has not been used to accommodate asylum seekers. As of 31 August 2023, we have successfully ended the use of bridging hotels for legally resettled Afghans.

Asylum accommodation is offered on a no choice basis. Asylum seekers receiving asylum support may be accommodated in any area of the UK where the Home Office has a supply of accommodation available and ready to use.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation (including in contingency hotels and other contingency accommodation) is published in table Asy_D11 here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis.


Written Question
Asylum: Aberdeen
Tuesday 7th May 2024

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of asylum seekers that have been transferred from (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotel accommodation in England to similar accommodation in Aberdeen in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Bridging hotel accommodation was previously used to temporarily house Afghans resettling in the UK and has not been used to accommodate asylum seekers. As of 31 August 2023, we have successfully ended the use of bridging hotels for legally resettled Afghans.

Asylum accommodation is offered on a no choice basis. Asylum seekers receiving asylum support may be accommodated in any area of the UK where the Home Office has a supply of accommodation available and ready to use.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation (including in contingency hotels and other contingency accommodation) is published in table Asy_D11 here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis.


Written Question
Asylum: Aberdeen
Tuesday 7th May 2024

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many vacant places there are in asylum seeker (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotels in Aberdeen.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Bridging hotel accommodation was previously used to temporarily house Afghans resettling in the UK and has not been used to accommodate asylum seekers. As of 31 August 2023, we have successfully ended the use of bridging hotels for legally resettled Afghans.

Asylum accommodation is offered on a no choice basis. Asylum seekers receiving asylum support may be accommodated in any area of the UK where the Home Office has a supply of accommodation available and ready to use.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation (including in contingency hotels and other contingency accommodation) is published in table Asy_D11 here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis.


Written Question
Asylum: Aberdeen
Tuesday 7th May 2024

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of asylum seekers that have been transferred from (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotel accommodation in Aberdeen to similar accommodation in England in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Bridging hotel accommodation was previously used to temporarily house Afghans resettling in the UK and has not been used to accommodate asylum seekers. As of 31 August 2023, we have successfully ended the use of bridging hotels for legally resettled Afghans.

Asylum accommodation is offered on a no choice basis. Asylum seekers receiving asylum support may be accommodated in any area of the UK where the Home Office has a supply of accommodation available and ready to use.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation (including in contingency hotels and other contingency accommodation) is published in table Asy_D11 here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). Data is published on a quarterly basis.


Written Question
Asylum: Scotland
Tuesday 7th May 2024

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of transporting asylum seekers in taxis to (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotels from (i) Aberdeen to (ii) Glasgow in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Bridging hotel accommodation was previously used to temporarily house Afghans resettling in the UK and has not been used to accommodate asylum seekers. As of 31 August 2023, we have successfully ended the use of bridging hotels for legally resettled Afghans.

Costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. The total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

The AASC Requirements below gives a detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of our polices:

http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.


Written Question
Asylum: Scotland
Tuesday 7th May 2024

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of transporting asylum seekers in taxis to (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotels from (i) Glasgow to (ii) Aberdeen in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Bridging hotel accommodation was previously used to temporarily house Afghans resettling in the UK and has not been used to accommodate asylum seekers. As of 31 August 2023, we have successfully ended the use of bridging hotels for legally resettled Afghans.

Costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. The total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

The AASC Requirements below gives a detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of our polices:

http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.


Written Question
Asylum: Scotland
Tuesday 7th May 2024

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of taxis that have taken asylum seekers between (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotel accommodation from (i) Aberdeen to (ii) Glasgow in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Bridging hotel accommodation was previously used to temporarily house Afghans resettling in the UK and has not been used to accommodate asylum seekers. As of 31 August 2023, we have successfully ended the use of bridging hotels for legally resettled Afghans.

Costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. The total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

The AASC Requirements below gives a detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of our polices:

http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.


Written Question
Asylum: Scotland
Tuesday 7th May 2024

Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the number of taxis that have taken asylum seekers between (a) contingency and (b) bridging hotel accommodation from (i) Glasgow to (ii) Aberdeen in each of the last 12 months.

Answered by Tom Pursglove

Bridging hotel accommodation was previously used to temporarily house Afghans resettling in the UK and has not been used to accommodate asylum seekers. As of 31 August 2023, we have successfully ended the use of bridging hotels for legally resettled Afghans.

Costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. The total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

The AASC Requirements below gives a detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of our polices:

http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.