Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the quality of temporary accommodation provided to refugees from Afghanistan by (a) Serco and (b) other outsourced service providers in the Liverpool City Region.

The Asylum Accommodation service providers identify suitable hotels for people seeking asylum and ensure they conform to the accommodation standards and provision set out in Schedule 2 of the Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (AASC). The Home Office will then assess the recommendation, undertaking a site visit if needed, to ensure the suitability of the site, and if needed will work with the service provider and the hotel owner to bring the site up to a suitable standard.

Details of the AASC can be found at: New asylum accommodation contracts awarded - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab)

For Afghans relocated to the UK under one of our resettlement schemes who are staying in temporary accommodation, we do not use service providers but procure via Crown Commercial Services.