Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the contract between the Home Office and Clearsprings Ready Homes for the provision of asylum accommodation, how often Clearspring ready Homes is required to inspect the quality of accommodation provided to asylum seekers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts must adhere to the Asylum Accommodation and Support Schedule Statement of Requirements. An Environmental Impact Assessment was completed at the time the contracts were agreed. The contracts have resulted in significant investment in the accommodation estate and its itinerary – improved facilities in Initial Accommodation, clear requirements on room sharing and greater inventory in Dispersal Accommodation
Asylum seekers can raise issues, provide feedback or make a complaint through Migrant Help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This service can be accessed by telephone, online webchat or in person at nominated sites. Migrant Help will then assign to the relevant party for response within strict contractual time frames. It is vital that individuals utilise this service to raise issues and complaints formally – this helps the department and our delivery partners to effectively identify areas for improvement and target provision enhancement activity to where it is needed most.
.All asylum properties are also inspected by our accommodation providers at least monthly. Additionally, our contract assurance team carries out targeted inspections, for example, targeting for inspection properties about which issues have been raised via Migrant Help. Our inspectors have procedures and tools to focus inspections on all relevant aspects of contract compliance. This investment is delivering benefits in assuring property management and standards.
If accommodation providers have been found to have fallen short of the required standards then we can take action, including but not limited to the application of financial remedies.
Details of the value of the contracts with Clearsprings Ready Homes are published on GOV.UK and can be found via the following links
Wales AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder
South : AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder
Engagement with local authorities around the use of sites is paramount to the work we are doing, and we will always aim to provide as much notice as possible of our intention to use sites. However, this isn’t always possible due to the urgent requirements we have at times including when dealing with large numbers of asylum seeker arrivals..
We offer regular and accurate communication with local officials through Multi agency forums. Amongst the other communication platforms available. We have a dedicated Engagement Team, to assist with any general concerns around sites and working together collaboratively.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what is the total value of the contract with Clearspring Ready Homes for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts must adhere to the Asylum Accommodation and Support Schedule Statement of Requirements. An Environmental Impact Assessment was completed at the time the contracts were agreed. The contracts have resulted in significant investment in the accommodation estate and its itinerary – improved facilities in Initial Accommodation, clear requirements on room sharing and greater inventory in Dispersal Accommodation
Asylum seekers can raise issues, provide feedback or make a complaint through Migrant Help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This service can be accessed by telephone, online webchat or in person at nominated sites. Migrant Help will then assign to the relevant party for response within strict contractual time frames. It is vital that individuals utilise this service to raise issues and complaints formally – this helps the department and our delivery partners to effectively identify areas for improvement and target provision enhancement activity to where it is needed most.
.All asylum properties are also inspected by our accommodation providers at least monthly. Additionally, our contract assurance team carries out targeted inspections, for example, targeting for inspection properties about which issues have been raised via Migrant Help. Our inspectors have procedures and tools to focus inspections on all relevant aspects of contract compliance. This investment is delivering benefits in assuring property management and standards.
If accommodation providers have been found to have fallen short of the required standards then we can take action, including but not limited to the application of financial remedies.
Details of the value of the contracts with Clearsprings Ready Homes are published on GOV.UK and can be found via the following links
Wales AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder
South : AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder
Engagement with local authorities around the use of sites is paramount to the work we are doing, and we will always aim to provide as much notice as possible of our intention to use sites. However, this isn’t always possible due to the urgent requirements we have at times including when dealing with large numbers of asylum seeker arrivals..
We offer regular and accurate communication with local officials through Multi agency forums. Amongst the other communication platforms available. We have a dedicated Engagement Team, to assist with any general concerns around sites and working together collaboratively.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether provisions exist within her Department's contract with Clearsprings Ready Homes to (a) monitor and (b) revise the quality of accommodation that Clearsprings Ready Homes is contracted to provide for asylum seekers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts must adhere to the Asylum Accommodation and Support Schedule Statement of Requirements. An Environmental Impact Assessment was completed at the time the contracts were agreed. The contracts have resulted in significant investment in the accommodation estate and its itinerary – improved facilities in Initial Accommodation, clear requirements on room sharing and greater inventory in Dispersal Accommodation
Asylum seekers can raise issues, provide feedback or make a complaint through Migrant Help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This service can be accessed by telephone, online webchat or in person at nominated sites. Migrant Help will then assign to the relevant party for response within strict contractual time frames. It is vital that individuals utilise this service to raise issues and complaints formally – this helps the department and our delivery partners to effectively identify areas for improvement and target provision enhancement activity to where it is needed most.
.All asylum properties are also inspected by our accommodation providers at least monthly. Additionally, our contract assurance team carries out targeted inspections, for example, targeting for inspection properties about which issues have been raised via Migrant Help. Our inspectors have procedures and tools to focus inspections on all relevant aspects of contract compliance. This investment is delivering benefits in assuring property management and standards.
If accommodation providers have been found to have fallen short of the required standards then we can take action, including but not limited to the application of financial remedies.
Details of the value of the contracts with Clearsprings Ready Homes are published on GOV.UK and can be found via the following links
Wales AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder
South : AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder
Engagement with local authorities around the use of sites is paramount to the work we are doing, and we will always aim to provide as much notice as possible of our intention to use sites. However, this isn’t always possible due to the urgent requirements we have at times including when dealing with large numbers of asylum seeker arrivals..
We offer regular and accurate communication with local officials through Multi agency forums. Amongst the other communication platforms available. We have a dedicated Engagement Team, to assist with any general concerns around sites and working together collaboratively.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints have been registered against Clearsprings Ready Homes in relation to that company's provision of accommodation for asylum seekers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All those residing in Home Office accommodation can raise complaints via Migrant Help 24/7 either by telephone, webchat or via the ‘Raise an Issue’ function on the customer portal. Our providers are obligated to respond to any complaints raised within 5 working days of receipt. Furthermore, if a provider fails to respond within this timeframe, or should an individual feel that a complaint has not been addressed to their satisfaction, they are able to raise the issue directly with the Home Office. We absolutely take seriously any complaints that are raised, acting accordingly to resolve the issue and prevent the issue arising in the future.
We can confirm that in the month of October, Migrant Help raised a total of 348 complaints with Clearsprings Ready Homes on behalf of service users. Forty complaints were then escalated to the authority following initial response, for further review. We are unable, however, to identify the number of complaints specifically relating to ‘hygiene’ as this is not one of the categorisations used when recording this information.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints have been made by service users about the hygiene standards of accommodation provided by Clearsprings Ready Homes for asylum seekers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All those residing in Home Office accommodation can raise complaints via Migrant Help 24/7 either by telephone, webchat or via the ‘Raise an Issue’ function on the customer portal. Our providers are obligated to respond to any complaints raised within 5 working days of receipt. Furthermore, if a provider fails to respond within this timeframe, or should an individual feel that a complaint has not been addressed to their satisfaction, they are able to raise the issue directly with the Home Office. We absolutely take seriously any complaints that are raised, acting accordingly to resolve the issue and prevent the issue arising in the future.
We can confirm that in the month of October, Migrant Help raised a total of 348 complaints with Clearsprings Ready Homes on behalf of service users. Forty complaints were then escalated to the authority following initial response, for further review. We are unable, however, to identify the number of complaints specifically relating to ‘hygiene’ as this is not one of the categorisations used when recording this information.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times officials at Public Health England have contacted officials at the Home Office to raise issues relating to hygiene at accommodation provided by Clearsprings Ready Homes.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Office does not hold that information.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to monitor the adequacy of accommodation for asylum seekers provided by Clearsprings Ready Homes.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts must adhere the Asylum Accommodation and Support Schedule Statement of Requirements.
Asylum seekers can raise issues, provide feedback or make a complaint through Migrant Help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This service can be accessed by telephone, online webchat or in person at nominated sites. Migrant Help will then assign to the relevant party for response within strict contractual time frames. It is vital that individuals utilise this service to raise issues and complaints formally – this helps the department and our delivery partners to effectively identify areas for improvement and target provision enhancement activity to where it is needed most.
All asylum properties are also inspected by our accommodation providers at least monthly. Additionally our contract assurance team carries out targeted inspections, for example, targeting for inspection properties about which issues have been raised via Migrant Help. Our inspectors have procedures and tools to focus inspections on all relevant aspects of contract compliance. This investment is delivering benefits in assuring property management and standards.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has conducted a review of the adequacy of accommodation provided by Clearspring Ready Homes in the last 12 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts must adhere the Asylum Accommodation and Support Schedule Statement of Requirements.
Asylum seekers can raise issues, provide feedback or make a complaint through Migrant Help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This service can be accessed by telephone, online webchat or in person at nominated sites. Migrant Help will then assign to the relevant party for response within strict contractual time frames. It is vital that individuals utilise this service to raise issues and complaints formally – this helps the department and our delivery partners to effectively identify areas for improvement and target provision enhancement activity to where it is needed most.
All asylum properties are also inspected by our accommodation providers at least monthly. Additionally our contract assurance team carries out targeted inspections, for example, targeting for inspection properties about which issues have been raised via Migrant Help. Our inspectors have procedures and tools to focus inspections on all relevant aspects of contract compliance. This investment is delivering benefits in assuring property management and standards.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings (a) Minister and (b) officials in her Department have had with Clearsprings Ready Homes in the last 12 months.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All Asylum Accommodation and Support Services contracts must adhere to the Asylum Accommodation and Support Schedule Statement of Requirements.
We meet with Clearsprings Ready Homes in scheduled quarterly and monthly meetings and engage on a daily basis to ensure we are meeting our statutory and contractual obligations.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many hotels in (a) the London Borough of Hounslow, (b) London, (c) Kent and (d) Sussex are in use by Clearsprings Ready Home for the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Home Office location records for hotels are not based on county/county Ccuncil boundaries, but rather on lower tier authorities.
A response can be given for London by counting all the hotels in the contingency estate located within a London borough, but not for Kent or Sussex because the geographical county boundaries don’t necessarily match lower tier authority boundaries.
The available information is given in the table below.
Location | No of Hotels |
Hounslow | 7 |
London | 80 |