Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether there are council tax discounts, exemptions and disregards in relation to asylum seekers under arrangements made under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; and whether there are provisions which amend the hierarchy of liability for asylum seekers.

The council tax (Liability for Owners) Regulations 1992 does not set out dwellings exempt or discounted from council tax. Instead, it prescribes classes of dwellings where the owner of the dwelling is liable for council tax, rather than the occupant. Therefore, where the dwelling has been provided to an asylum seeker under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the owner will be liable rather than the occupants. The government does not collect data on the dwellings within the classes prescribed by the regulations.