Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to address asylum seekers' complaints on food provided in contingency accommodation across the UK.

The Home Office requires clear standards from our accommodation providers, who are expected to conduct regular checks across the asylum estate.

Asylum seekers who are (a) children, (b) seriously unwell and (c) disabled are priorities for moves to dispersal accommodation, but it is a contractual requirement all service users are accommodated in accommodation appropriate to their needs.

Service Delivery Managers speak daily with providers about operational delivery and performance. In response to the global pandemic, officials also have formal weekly meetings to ensure individuals are housed safely, services are delivered in line with their contractual obligations and with adherence to guidance from UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and where appropriate Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) is followed.

Asylum seekers can also raise specific issues or concerns about their accommodation through the 24/7 Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service operated via Migrant Help.

In addition to the provision of Advice and Guidance services described in the contracts, Migrant Help’s role includes acting as the main contact point for all Service User complaints, reports of issues and requests for assistance. Service Users are able to contact Migrant Help 24/7 by telephone, webchat or email, and there are strict service level agreements in place to resolving contacts, dependent on issue type. With regards to complaints specifically, providers are contractually obligated to respond to Service User complaints within 5 working days of receipt. In the rare event that this timeframe is not honoured, or where a Service User is dissatisfied with the response received, the complaint is escalated to the Authority for comprehensive review and response. Where a complaint is upheld, the information is shared with the departments Service Delivery Managers for discussion at CMG with the providers to influence continuous improvement to the service provided. The complaints data is regularly monitored and analysed to identify trends in issues and feedback which can further enhance these conversations and maintain standards.

To further understand Service Users experience of the service, the department offers a series of customer surveys in collaboration with the ASC and AIRE providers. The surveys are 100% anonymous, available 24/7, and provide coverage of both Dispersal Accommodation and Initial Accommodation estates nationally, including all forms of contingency. The feedback is collated on a quarterly basis and used to inform improvement activity, with regular review of associated activity recorded and reviewed at the monthly CMG forums. The Department and our providers have been actively promoting the surveys across our service users to ensure awareness and drive response rates, and for Quarter 3 (March – May 2022) in excess of 8,000 responses were received for the ASC providers alone.

Within contingency accommodation, Service Users are provided with three culturally and nutritionally appropriate meals a day on a menu rotation, which typically includes a continental breakfast, lunch and evening meals, with a choice of a minimum of one hot and one cold selection, as well as a vegetarian option. Fresh fruit and other snacks are also made available to all throughout the day. Babies and small children are also provided with appropriate foodstuffs and additional provisions on demand. Appropriate options will be provided for any Service Users with special dietary, cultural or religious requirements and availability of these specialist provisions are covered within the contract requirements.

Northern Ireland does not form part of the asylum dispersal system currently, however my officials are working with the Northern Ireland Executive to identify how they can contribute to this UK wide challenge in terms of procuring sufficient accommodation.