Compass Contracts

(asked on 20th June 2018) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2018 to Question HL5946 on asylum: housing, if he will publish the criteria set out in the COMPASS contracts on the allocation of shared rooms; and whether the Government has made an assessment of the level of compliance with that criteria.


Answered by
Caroline Nokes Portrait
Caroline Nokes
This question was answered on 26th June 2018

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 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 hold suppliers to account to quickly resolve the issue.
The Home Office closely monitors the length of stay of asylum seekers in Initial Accommodation and aims to move people to Dispersed Accommodation within 19 days. However, some stay in Initial Accommodation for shorter or longer periods depending on their individual needs. Information on the length of stay of people in Initial Accommodation is not currently recorded in a format suitable for publication.
Accommodation providers must comply with national and local housing regulations including those regarding room sharing. The accommodation contracts set out who may share a room, which includes allowing room sharing for couples, unrelated adults of the same sex and related children depending on their genders and ages. Providers are contractually required to take account of any particular circumstances and vulnerability of those that they accommodate and an assessment is made on a case-by-case basis depending on the specific needs of the individual. The statement of requirements contains the criteria for room sharing and can be found https://data.gov.uk/data/contracts-finder-archive/contract/503103

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