Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that asylum (a) accommodation and (b) facilities support adequately vulnerable people seeking asylum.

All applicants for asylum support and accommodation are asked to declare any specialist circumstance or specific accommodation requirements as part of the consideration of their initial application form. In accordance with our published policy, the Home Office will carefully consider all requests on a case by case basis from asylum seekers who may have particular vulnerabilities, care needs or health problems that necessitate a need for a specific location or specialist accommodation requirements. Further details regarding this policy can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-accommodation-requests-policy

A further ongoing assessment of needs is undertaken by asylum accommodation providers commencing upon initial entry into accommodation. All asylum accommodation Providers are contractually required to take account of any particular circumstances and vulnerability of those that they accommodate, including those who have health care issues. In addition Providers must comply with national and local housing regulations including advice from social services and primary and secondary care bodies on a case-by-case basis depending on the specific needs of the individual.

A property inspection process forms part of the Home Office’s contract compliance regime which ensures that the required performance standards expected of all providers are met. Where inspected property does not meet the required standards there are strict time limits on resolving property defects; failure to meet those time limits can result in service credits being applied through financial deduction from monthly invoices. These are monitored formally, on a monthly basis, at Contract Management meetings between the providers and representatives of UK Visas and Immigration.