Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether exiting statutory powers are in place to direct the Tees Port Authority to site an accommodation barge on the River Tees.

The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered.

We do not publicly comment on individual sites which may or may not be utilised. When a site becomes available and meets the requirements of our accommodation contract, we will follow our engagement process and notify local authority officials and other stakeholders in advance of using the location.