Asylum: Scotland

(asked on 20th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking to help ensure that asylum seekers living in Scotland are (a) aware of and (b) follow the Scottish Government's social distancing advice.


Answered by
Chris Philp Portrait
Chris Philp
Minister of State (Home Office)
This question was answered on 8th June 2020

It is Home Office policy to move people into suitable Dispersed Accommodation (DA) once their claim for support has been assessed, however we have had to restrict movement during COVID on public health advice.

Glasgow is currently the only dispersal area in Scotland and therefore procurement of longer term accommodation is limited to the city. Mears are working to procure suitable longer term accommodation across Glasgow and it is our intention, once restrictions on movement are lifted, to move all individuals in contingency accommodation into suitable DA, in consultation with Glasgow City Council.

We are working closely with public health colleagues (Greater Glasgow PHU) and local health leads (Asylum Health Bridging Team) to ensure their guidance on social distancing and self-isolation is properly applied, while ensuring that people can continue to access essential services. Accommodation providers have taken appropriate steps to comply with public health guidelines by limiting access to communal areas, sequencing food service, serving food to rooms, applying controls for distancing (e.g. tape markings) and providing translated public health guidance and instructions.

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