Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Houses in Multiple Occupation (Asylum-Seeker Accommodation) (England) Regulations 2023, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of those regulations on (a) potential savings for Government contractors and (b) costs incurred by local authorities.

We recognise that Local Authorities incur costs by providing services and wraparound support to asylum seekers. That is why we introduced grant funding to Local Authorities last year, to recognise their financial contribution. This amounted to £3,500 per new dispersed bedspace delivered, and we are trialling an increase in funding of up to £6,500 per new bedspace this year.

We assess that this change will deliver significant savings for the taxpayer as it will support Government contractors to provide alternative accommodation to hotels.