Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Asylum Seekers: Hotels

Monday 15 January 2024 · 10 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 9 Not answered 0

Key points

  • We are making significant progress on closing hotels, with 50 due to be closed by the end of January and more in the coming months.
  • The Minister did not provide a specific timeline or criteria for closing hotels based on suitability.
  • The Government aims to control borders and reduce inflows into the UK via illegal crossings to stop the need for hotel responses.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alexander Stafford
Asylum & Refugees
Context

Hotels are being used as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers, a controversial issue.

Question

What recent progress has been made on ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

We are making significant progress on closing hotels, with 50 due to be closed by the end of January and more in the coming months. We are also working to move asylum seekers into alternative, cheaper accommodation and have successfully cleared the legacy backlog by deciding more than 112,000 cases.

Answered
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Q2 Luke Evans Con Hinckley and Bosworth
Asylum & Refugees
Context

Hotels in Leicestershire, including one in Appleby Magna, are still housing asylum seekers despite concerns from local police and fire service.

Question

Will the Minister set out a timeline for when hotels may close or how the least suitable hotels will be closed first?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

We need to stick the course on delivering closures, taking into account factors such as ease of exit, speed of exit, notice periods, and value for money. The Minister did not provide a specific timeline or criteria for closing hotels based on suitability.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific timeline or criteria for closure

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Q3 Maggie Throup Con
Housing
Context

There are temporary accommodation centres housing asylum seekers in the questioner's constituency.

Question

Will the Minister work with colleagues to amend social housing rules and close specific hotels?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

The Government's plan is working, but no concrete commitment was made to amend social housing rules or specific actions to close hotels in Erewash constituency.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or timeline for closing hotels

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Q4 Heather Wheeler Con
Asylum & Refugees
Context

Newton Park hotel is to end contract with asylum seekers by the end of February.

Question

Will the Minister confirm that the closure plan for Newton Park hotel will continue as promised?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

The situation in Heather Wheeler's constituency demonstrates progress, but no specific commitment was made for the closure of Newton Park hotel by a particular date.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific timeline or commitment

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Q5 Jack Brereton Con
Immigration Migrants & Borders
Context

Progress has been made in tackling illegal small boat crossings, leading to the closure of North Stafford hotel.

Question

Does my hon. Friend agree that unequivocal legislation on Rwanda will further reduce numbers?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

The Bill aims to help sustain progress by reducing in-flows into the UK, particularly via small boat crossings of the channel.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment or timeline for legislation

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Q6 Alexander Stafford
Immigration Asylum & Refugees
Context

There is concern that the situation with hotels housing illegal immigrants could happen again.

Question

Will forthcoming immigration legislation ensure that hotels are not used for asylum seekers?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

The Bill aims to help control borders, reduce in-flows into the system via illegal crossings, and stop the need for hotel responses.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific legislation content or timeline

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Q7 Diana R. Johnson Lab Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
Asylum & Refugees
Context

The Times reported that there are unused hotel beds costing £1.5 million a day, with 3,500 buffer beds.

Question

Are the figures about unused hotel beds and contingency measures correct?

Answer from Tom Pursglove

It is important to have a buffer for contingencies, but the Government is looking at this carefully. Within the hotel estate, efforts are being made to maximise bed space usage, which helps close hotels more quickly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific confirmation of figures

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Q8 Clive Betts Lab Sheffield South East
Asylum & Refugees Local Government
Context

The question addresses the pressure on local authorities due to high numbers of asylum applications being granted, leading to a strain on their homeless sections.

Question

Clive Betts is concerned about the pressure that the volume of asylum applications being granted puts on local authority homeless sections. He asks whether the Minister will consider extending the 28-day period for asylum seekers from Home Office accommodation to 56 days, as per the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

Answer from Tom Pursglove

Tom Pursglove acknowledges the issue but states there is no intention to change the 28-day period. He highlights that early visibility on anticipated numbers helps local authorities plan, though many people have more than 28 days within which to vacate.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly address the specific ask of reconsidering the time given.

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Q9 Jim McMahon Labour (Co-op) Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
Asylum & Refugees Housing
Context

The question addresses the imbalance in dispersing asylum seekers across different parts of England, with Oldham being disproportionately affected.

Question

Jim McMahon highlights that Oldham supports persecuted individuals but faces a housing crisis due to 145 asylum seekers staying in hotel accommodation and 910 overall. He asks whether it is time for the Government to review its dispersal policy to ensure every part of England plays a fair share, pointing out Braintree's low numbers compared to Oldham's high numbers.

Answer from Tom Pursglove

Tom Pursglove reassures Jim McMahon that he and his officials are considering equitability in the approach to dispersal. However, he also notes that a key part of the response is reducing flows into the system.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not directly address whether the Government would review its dispersal policy.

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Q10 Clive Efford Lab Eltham and Chislehurst
Asylum & Refugees
Context

The question addresses the Prime Minister's promise to close hotels used for asylum seeker accommodation, noting that figures have increased by 10,000 since last year.

Question

Clive Efford asks whether the figure of 56,000 asylum seekers in hotels is correct. He mentions the Prime Minister's previous commitment to closing these hotels and notes an increase of 10,000 since then.

Answer from Tom Pursglove

Tom Pursglove clarifies that the cited figures do not represent the current situation accurately and suggests periodic reporting on statistical releases affects the reliability of such citations.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not confirm or deny the accuracy of the figure of 56,000 asylum seekers in hotels.

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