Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 July (HL1030), how often priority dispersal internal checks occur, and what standard is required to pass those checks.

The Home Office monitors the length of time all applicants spend in initial accommodation and works closely with Migrant Help, a charity that provides independent advice and support to asylum claimants, to ensure that families with children are identified and receive priority assistance to apply for housing and support in order to progress their application through the system quickly.

Daily internal checks are in place to triage and identify applications for prioritising. The Home Office target for processing asylum support applications is 80% of applicants leaving Initial Accommodation in 19 days.

UKVI officials work closely with the service providers to ensure that family applications are prioritised in recognition of the family’s needs and in accordance with our duty under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act of 2009.