Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what performance metrics and contractual KPIs are used across Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract regions; and what the latest performance results are for each supplier by region.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) include a comprehensive suite of contractual Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and service level requirements which apply across all regions. These metrics cover core areas such as property standards, timely provision of accommodation and subsistence, safeguarding obligations, management of service requests, and delivery of operational reporting.
The full set of contractual KPIs for each AASC region has been published online and can be accessed via Contracts Finder at the following links:
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder
AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder
Performance results for the AASC contracts are commercially sensitive. Releasing detailed, supplier‑level performance data could undermine the Department’s ability to manage and assure the delivery of these live contracts effectively. For this reason, the Home Office does not publish individual supplier performance results.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers have been moved from the Copthorne Hotel since 22 January 2026; and how many asylum seekers are still located at the site.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office keeps the use of contingency accommodation under continual review to ensure that resources are managed responsibly while upholding our statutory obligations to support eligible asylum seekers.
However, for reasons of safety, security and the welfare of both service users and staff, the Home Office does not disclose operationally sensitive information relating to individual accommodation sites, including the movement of asylum seekers into or out of specific hotels.
It would not be appropriate for the department to comment on the operational status or use of any individual location.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints have been received relating to accommodation standards under the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contract series since 1 March 2019; and what proportion were upheld by supplier and year.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Complaints relating specifically to accommodation standards are recorded and reviewed as part of the department’s wider contract management regime. However, detailed information on the number of such complaints received since 1 March 2019, and the proportion upheld by supplier and by year, forms part of contractual performance data that is considered commercially sensitive. As such, this data is not published.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how the siting and operation of the proposed new vehicle base will improve the logistical servicing of Derwentside IRC; and what interim arrangements are being made to improve escorting and transport moves to and from Derwentside IRC.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The current service delivery model for immigration escorting is to locate vehicle bases at or near Immigration Removal Centres, where most escorting movements begin and end. The nearest vehicle base to Derwentside IRC is currently more than 100 miles away, which makes servicing the centre logistically challenging. Once operational, the new vehicle base is expected to improve escorting efficiency for that location.
Until the vehicle base is operational, escorting requirements will continue to be met through other vehicle bases, supported by the flexible deployment of staff / vehicles and close coordination with our contracted escorting provider to ensure movements are carried out safely and securely and in a timely manner.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether per capita share of asylum accommodation across regions is a criteria in deciding asylum hotel closure priority.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Hotel closure will be prioritised based on a wide range of criteria. The hotel exit plan will continue to be carefully managed to ensure that all supported asylum seekers are accommodated in suitable alternative accommodation. The department operates a Full Dispersal model which works to ensure that asylum accommodation is equitably and fairly spread out across the country, meaning that a small number of local authorities are not unduly burdened.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for employers and workers of the removal of the mandatory element from their plans for digital identification.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The national digital ID will not be mandatory for individuals to obtain. However, digital right to work checks will be mandatory by the end of the Parliament
Currently, for British and Irish citizens, many right to work checks are paper based. This is vulnerable to fraud and does not create a clear record of when and where checks have been carried out
The digital ID will provide a modern, secure and trusted way for people to prove who they are and access services across the public and private sectors
We will issue the new digital ID, for free, to everybody who wants one and has the right to be in the UK, including the around 10% of UK citizens without traditional forms of ID
We will be consulting imminently - in a range of ways – to ensure the introduction of Digital ID is as effective and inclusive as possible.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will update the Computer Misuse Act 1990 to give greater protection to cyber security professionals.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Government is conducting an ongoing review of the Computer Misuse Act.
As part of the review, we are reviewing how we can better support legitimate cybersecurity researchers so they can operate within a clear and supportive legal framework, while maintaining robust safeguards.
Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of Dating Scam Fraud were reported in 2025; and what the financial loss was.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Home Office does not collect information on Dating Scam Fraud. City of London Police are the national lead force for fraud and operate the Report Fraud (formerly Action Fraud) reporting service which collects data on Dating Scam Fraud. The below data was collected from the reports made to Action Fraud (now Report Fraud) that amounted to a crime under the Home Office crime recording rules.
In the first 10 months of 2025, there were 9,305 dating scam reports to Action Fraud (now ‘Report Fraud’). Losses for these reports totalled £90.9m. Source: Report Fraud Analysis Services (Public)
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department’s policy is on managing applications from Syrians who entered the UK under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
On 14 July 2025, we published updated country information which enabled decision making to resume on Syrian asylum and settlement protection claims. Where an applicant arrived in the UK via the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, we will proceed straight to considering a grant of indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Claimants will be required to meet the relevant validity (i.e. apply on the relevant form and establish their identity) and suitability requirements (i.e. consideration of any criminals' convictions) of the settlement protection policy.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South and Mid Down)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of recommencement of processing settlement applications from Syrians.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
On 14 July 2025, we published updated country information which enabled decision making to resume on Syrian asylum and settlement protection claims. Where an applicant arrived in the UK via the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme, we will proceed straight to considering a grant of indefinite leave to remain in the UK. Claimants will be required to meet the relevant validity (i.e. apply on the relevant form and establish their identity) and suitability requirements (i.e. consideration of any criminals' convictions) of the settlement protection policy.