Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what measures are in place to ensure that private subcontractors providing accommodation for asylum seekers are meeting the standards of the Housing Act and that such measures are enforced and complaints acted on.

Accommodation providers are required to provide safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped accommodation that complies with the Decent Homes Standard in addition to standards outlined in relevant national or local housing legislation.

The contract requires Providers to visit and inspect each property every month and UKVI inspects a significant proportion of properties each year to ensure standards are being met. Where asylum accommodation is found to be falling short of the required standards UKVI has procedures in place to inspect, investigate and quickly resolve when specific information is received and a contract management regime to monitor supplier performance and take measures where appropriate.