Asylum Accommodation Hotels 2023-07-03
2023-07-03
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The use of hotels for asylum seekers is under scrutiny.
What recent progress her Department has made on reducing the use of hotels as contingency asylum accommodation?
The Home Office seeks to end the use of hotels and to move asylum seekers to less expensive, more suitable accommodation. To support that, we are bringing into use large, disused military sites and vessels, which will provide adequate, safe, secure, non-detained accommodation for asylum seekers and also reduce the pull factor to the United Kingdom.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
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Context
The Home Office sent a contradictory email stating that the use of hotels is inappropriate yet plans to increase usage by 159%.
How on earth can the Minister expect the country to trust him when he cannot even keep his policies consistent within the same email?
The policy that we have adopted is one of maximising the capacity of the hotels that we have for as long as we have them. That is saving the taxpayer at least a quarter of a billion pounds and reducing reliance on hotels elsewhere in the country.
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Assessment & feedback
The inconsistency mentioned by the MP was not directly addressed.
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The Home Office has yet to explain how it plans to find unaccompanied asylum-seeking children who go missing.
Will the Home Office set out its plans to find these vulnerable people?
We have been very clear that we and the police take extremely seriously any young person who goes missing from a hotel or any other form of accommodation. Local police forces and Home Office personnel treat that exactly as they would any other child going missing and they conduct a full missing person inquiry.
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Assessment & feedback
The plan to find the children was not specified beyond conducting inquiries.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
There are concerns regarding the poor living conditions of asylum seekers at a Wiltshire hotel.
Will the Minister give particular attention to the Wiltshire hotel?
I am familiar with the hotel in my hon. Friend's constituency and the concerns he has raised. I will take a look at that, but as I have said previously, the answer to this challenge is to stop the boats coming in the first place.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific issue of Wiltshire hotel was not addressed.
Stop The Boats
Response accuracy
Q5
Direct Answer
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Context
The community of Sharnbrook is providing a welcoming environment for asylum seekers.
Will the Minister spend a moment to congratulate the community of Sharnbrook?
I would be very happy to put on record my view of the good work being done by my hon. Friend's constituents. He is right to say that there are voluntary and community groups, charities and churches right across the country that support asylum seekers while they are in this form of accommodation, and we and our providers facilitate that wherever possible.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy