Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of using hotels to house asylum seekers on local community cohesion.

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered.

The significant increase in dangerous journeys across the Channel is placing unprecedented strain on our asylum system and it has made it necessary to continue to use hotels to accommodate some asylum seekers. The use of hotels is a short-term solution and we are working hard with local authorities to find appropriate accommodation.

Community cohesion is an important aspect of using sites successfully and we would like to work with the Council and relevant stakeholders to understand and act to your concerns as appropriate. I would advise that the next multi agency meeting is used to raise these concerns and we can understand how to work collaboratively in managing this situation.