Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is required to provide accommodation to asylum seekers who have made an appointment at an asylum intake unit and are waiting for that appointment to take place.

The Home Office has a legal obligation to provide support to asylum-seekers who would otherwise be destitute.

Those wishing to claim asylum are expected to do so on arrival at the port of entry or, if already in the UK, and their circumstances change, as soon as possible at the Asylum Intake Unit (AIU) in Croydon. The AIU operates an appointment process for those who have accommodation, but a walk-in service is available for those who are destitute and need immediate accommodation.

Destitute asylum seekers can access initial support under section 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 which is offered as initial or contingency accommodation when they make an appointment to attend an asylum screening interview at the AIU and until the appointment time.