Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total cost to the UK taxpayer has been since January 2020 of housing asylum seekers who have arrived on small boats in hotels and other locations.

The number of people arriving in the UK who require accommodation has reached record levels and has put our asylum system under incredible strain.

We have been clear that the use of hotels to house asylum seekers is unacceptable. There are currently more than 51,000 asylum seekers in hotels costing the UK taxpayer over £6 million a day.

The Home Office is making every effort to reduce our reliance on hotels through alternative forms of accommodation to limit the burden on the taxpayer.

As per standard practice, audited costs for the large accommodation sites will be published through the Home Office annual reports and accounts.

To reduce hotel use, asylum seekers will routinely share rooms with at least one person where appropriate. This will minimise the impact on communities while we stand up alternative sites.