Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to ensure that people seeking asylum are not required to share bedrooms under the new asylum accommodation contracts.

The forthcoming Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts will permit the use of room sharing for some service users, providing it complies with the strict criteria set out in the contracts Statement of Requirements.

This includes compliance with relevant national and local housing regulations including any advice from social services and primary and secondary care bodies on whether room sharing is inappropriate for individual cases. In addition Providers will continue to be required to ensure they take into account a service users individual characteristics and provide them with appropriate accommodation reflective of any changing needs, including adherence to religious practice.