Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department is providing for costs associated with (a) health services and (b) civil legal advice and assistance in Scotland for expenditure consequential on dispersing asylum seekers to Scotland.

Health in Scotland is a devolved matter and therefore responsibility for funding would be with the Scottish Government. Legal aid in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scotland Legal Aid Board, an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government.

To ensure statutory duties are met, Home Office funds local migration partnerships to support inter-agency planning of central funded public services for asylum seekers. It also offers 'signposting', independent advice to asylum seekers so they can access health and legal aid, under a contract with Migrant Help. It is however, out with the jurisdiction of Home Office to directly fund health care and legal aid.