Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of her Department’s policy of housing people in hotels in the Gatwick area in each of the last six months; and if she will make a statement.
To respond to your question we have interpreted it as requiring this information for supported asylum seekers, resettled refugees and unaccompanied asylum seeking minors and have provided information on that basis.
The Home Office do not routinely publish the numbers of people accommodated in hotels, or what hotels are used for accommodation, however we do publish information on the numbers of people accommodated in each local authority, which includes hotel accommodation at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2021
The Home Office considers the cost of accommodation to be commercially confidential and does not publish this information.
Staff employed by our providers working within hotels are required to have security clearance (SC) and a DBS check. Those staff who are employed by the hotel do not require security clearance unless their employers have clearance within their terms & conditions.