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Written Question
Asylum: Southampton Itchen
Friday 30th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many overnight stays in Southampton Itchen have asylum seekers spent in (a) dispersed accommodation, (b) overflow dispersed accommodation, (c) contingency hotel, (d) stage one overnight initial accommodation or (e) accommodation made by spot booking since November 2022.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Statistics relating to supported asylum seekers temporarily residing in contingency accommodation are published as Immigration Statistics under the S98 population tables and the latest published immigration statistics also detail the number of asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets(opens in a new tab). Data is published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 24 November 2022. The next quarterly figures are due to be released in February 2023.

The Home Office does not publish a breakdown of these statistics which disaggregates the number of asylum seekers accommodated in specific accommodation. These figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.


Written Question
Asylum: Southampton Itchen
Friday 30th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of using hotels as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers in Southampton, Itchen constituency on the safety of (a) other hotel occupants and (b) local residents.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office aims to gradually end the use of hotels and move asylum seekers to less expensive and more suitable dispersed accommodation.  The Department has established a programme of work to actively encourage the three private providers of asylum accommodation and Local Authorities to support the procurement of sufficient dispersed accommodation. The Home Office will shortly bring forward a range of alternative sites such as disused holiday parks, former student halls, and surplus military sites.

Each potential accommodation site is assessed for its suitability, including the availability of public services within the local area. Our providers have a strong record of running contingency sites effectively with minimal impact on the local area and population. We actively engage and collaborate with relevant stakeholders including NHS partners to understand and act on any concerns appropriately as the site operates.


Written Question
Asylum: Southampton Itchen
Friday 30th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of using hotels in Southampton Itchen constituency to temporarily house asylum seekers on local NHS service.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office aims to gradually end the use of hotels and move asylum seekers to less expensive and more suitable dispersed accommodation.  The Department has established a programme of work to actively encourage the three private providers of asylum accommodation and Local Authorities to support the procurement of sufficient dispersed accommodation. The Home Office will shortly bring forward a range of alternative sites such as disused holiday parks, former student halls, and surplus military sites.

Each potential accommodation site is assessed for its suitability, including the availability of public services within the local area. Our providers have a strong record of running contingency sites effectively with minimal impact on the local area and population. We actively engage and collaborate with relevant stakeholders including NHS partners to understand and act on any concerns appropriately as the site operates.


Written Question
Asylum: Southampton
Friday 30th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of asylum seekers the Dolphin Hotel in Southampton has housed since it began providing temporary accommodation; and what the average occupancy rate was.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Occupancy levels are recorded at a specific point in time and vary daily. Statistics relating to asylum seekers temporarily residing in contingency accommodation are published as Immigration Statistics under the S98 population tables. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets. Data are published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 24 November 2022. The next quarterly figures are due to be released in February 2023.

The Home Office has no power to hold asylum seekers, including children, in hotels or any temporary accommodation if they wish to leave.


Written Question
Asylum: Southampton
Friday 30th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any asylum seekers have absconded from the Dolphin Hotel in Southampton since the hotel was adopted by the Home Office.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Occupancy levels are recorded at a specific point in time and vary daily. Statistics relating to asylum seekers temporarily residing in contingency accommodation are published as Immigration Statistics under the S98 population tables. These statistics can be found at Asylum and resettlement datasets www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets. Data are published on a quarterly basis, with the latest information published 24 November 2022. The next quarterly figures are due to be released in February 2023.

The Home Office has no power to hold asylum seekers, including children, in hotels or any temporary accommodation if they wish to leave.


Written Question
Asylum: Hotels
Friday 30th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department has budgeted for the provision of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers per person for the next 12 months.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The United Kingdom has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and other support whilst their application for asylum is being considered.

From 13 April 2022, all Local Authority areas in England, Scotland and Wales were expected to participate in a new system of full dispersal accommodation. This will allow the Home Office to move from using hotels to less expensive and more suitable dispersed accommodation. The Full Dispersal model allows the Home Office to procure dispersal properties within the private rental sector in all Local Authority areas across England, Scotland and Wales, rather than the minority of Local Authorities which currently participate, this approach will reduce pressures on those Local Authorities.

Costs for contingency accommodation are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts’.


Written Question
Asylum: Southampton Itchen
Friday 30th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent estimate her Department has made of how long hotels will be used to temporarily house asylum seekers in Southampton, Itchen constituency.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office aims to gradually end the use of hotels and move asylum seekers to less expensive and more suitable dispersed accommodation.  The Department has established a programme of work to actively encourage the three private providers of asylum accommodation and Local Authorities to support the procurement of sufficient dispersed accommodation. The Home Office will shortly bring forward a range of alternative sites such as disused holiday parks, former student halls, and surplus military sites.

Each potential accommodation site is assessed for its suitability, including the availability of public services within the local area. Our providers have a strong record of running contingency sites effectively with minimal impact on the local area and population. We actively engage and collaborate with relevant stakeholders including NHS partners to understand and act on any concerns appropriately as the site operates.


Written Question
Asylum: Hotels
Friday 30th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an economic impact assessment of housing asylum seekers at local hotels on (a) the local economy and (b) business activity on local high streets where those hotels are located.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered.

The significant increase in illegal, unnecessary and dangerous journeys across the Channel is placing unprecedented strain on our asylum system and it has made it necessary to continue to use hotels to accommodate some asylum seekers. The use of hotels is a short-term solution, and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation.


Written Question
Asylum: Hotels
Friday 30th December 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has made support available for hotel employees who have potentially lost their employment due to hotels being used as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

Hotels are under no obligation to contract with our providers but may recognise a commercial benefit from this arrangement. The decision regarding hotel staff is the responsibility of the hotel and not the Home Office.

The use of hotels is a short-term solution, and we continue to work hard with local authorities to increase the supply of dispersal accommodation, which provides a better result for local communities, the individuals seeking asylum.


Written Question
Asylum: Applications
Tuesday 20th September 2022

Asked by: Royston Smith (Conservative - Southampton, Itchen)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum claims were undecided (a) at the end of 2019 and (b) in the latest period for which figures are available.

Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)

The Home Office publishes data on asylum and resettlement in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on the number of asylum applications awaiting an initial decision or further review are published in table Asy_D03 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets. Information on how to use the datasets can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to 30 June 2022. Data as at 30 September 2022 is set to be published on the 24 November 2022.

Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.