Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has a contract with the owner of Hanover Point in Stockton on Tees to house asylum seekers and refugees.

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. For several years, record numbers of people cross the Channel in small boats, and this surge has placed the Home Office’s asylum support infrastructure and accommodation services under immense pressure. The use of hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with Local Authorities and our accommodation providers to find more appropriate accommodation.

For safeguarding purposes, we do not publicly comment on individual sites which may or may not be utilised. When a site becomes available and meets the requirements of our accommodation contract, we will follow our engagement process and notify the local MP as well as local authority officials in advance of using the location.