Oral Answers to Questions

Tommy Sheppard Excerpts

Monday 18th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[James Brokenshire]

I hope that the hon. Lady will welcome the fall in housing waiting lists under this Government. I say to her very clearly that steps have been taken under this Government to respond to this challenge. I remind her again of the £9 billion that has been committed to affordable homes, with the change that that will bring to so many people in actually creating the vision of a home and making that a reality. That is this Government’s intent, and it is something that we will deliver.

[Tommy Sheppard (Edinburgh East) (SNP)]

4. What steps he is taking to provide people who have recently been granted asylum with support for housing and community integration.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Nigel Adams)]

On 8 June, the Department announced £1.75 million to help new refugees by funding 35 offices in 19 areas of England with some of the highest numbers of asylum seekers. This will support people granted asylum into housing, learning and work. The Department is very keen to share this learning widely, including with the devolved Administrations.

[Tommy Sheppard]

The Government’s consultation report, “Integrated Communities”, said that the Government will

“work with civil society and others to increase the integration support available to those recognised as refugees after arrival in the UK.”

What specific measures are being taken to ensure that newly recognised refugees get the same support as resettled refugees?

[Nigel Adams]

Funding for the pilot programmes is drawn from the controlling migration fund, which has no remit to finance the devolved Administrations, as funding is devolved in this area. The pilot programmes are now recruiting staff and getting their programmes up and running. The pilots will run for two years. They are funded in the first year by my Department and in the second year by the council itself.