Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the transition from the asylum accommodation COMPASS contracts to the Asylum Accommodation and Support Transformation contracts, whether transition, risk management and contingency plans have been shared with local authorities in participating asylum dispersal areas.

The Home Office has designed the Asylum Accommodation and Support Transformation project to replace the current asylum accommodation and support services to ensure a smooth transition of services from one Provider to another.

The current timetable allows eight months for mobilisation and transition activities, which is similar to the time that such activity took when the current contracts came into operation.

The transition governance structure means that we are now working closely with local authorities and other statutory partners to ensure a smooth transition. Regional Transition leads are working to ensure that their regional plans are co-ordinated on a local basis with strategic stakeholders to manage risks and to ensure effective contingency measures are in place to minimise impacts to all Service Users.