Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department undertook on the ability of local authorities to support numerous asylum seekers located within the local authority area by her Department with approximately 24 hours notice.

Our ability to find suitable accommodation for people as quickly as is necessary has been impacted by the unprecedented numbers of people crossing the Channel.

As I outlined in my letter to MP’s issued on 18^th November, we have taken immediate steps to improve levels of engagement with key stakeholders, including Local Authorities. These standards will be reviewed regularly and, wherever possible, progressively raised.

In sourcing specific sites, accommodation providers conduct a series of due diligence checks before mobilisation to ensure that accommodation is statutorily and regulatory compliant. We also continue to work closely with local authorities on full asylum dispersal to ensure fairer distribution across the UK.