Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people (a) whose registered address was in asylum accommodation and (b) on subsistence-only asylum support have died since 1 April 2016; and how many serious incident reports on deaths of asylum seekers her Department has received from asylum accommodation contactors since 1 April 2016.

Deaths in asylum support and accommodation do occur, and in general, mortality rates do not exceed that of the general UK population. This includes deaths from natural causes or long-term terminal illnesses.

The Home Office, through undertaking its statutory duties towards asylum seekers and working with other agencies and organisations, takes a great many steps to safeguard the health, safety and wellbeing of those whom we support. We continue to work closely with a range of organisations to provide support to those that need it and, where necessary, will fully cooperate in any investigation into the cause of an individual’s death.

The specific information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.