Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the total cost to the public purse was of proposals to accommodate asylum seekers on cruise ships in (a) Liverpool and (b) Edinburgh.

There is an urgent need to reduce reliance on hotels to accommodate asylum seekers, to reduce cost to taxpayer, to better manage community impacts and to better support asylum seekers. In exploring potential alternative large sites, we continue to consider all available options to source appropriate and cost-effective temporary accommodation.

We work closely with stakeholders, including local authorities and our contractors, to ensure that accommodation provided for those seeking asylum is suitable. As per standard practice, audited costs for large accommodation sites will be published through the Home Office annual report and accounts.