Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of enabling people to apply for asylum at Regional Intake Units.

We take the wellbeing of asylum seekers extremely seriously.

As part of our response to COVID-19, we have introduced regional intake units to allow asylum claims to be registered in a safe way that adheres to social distancing guidance and minimises travel.

The introduction of the regional intake units in Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool, Leeds, Solihull and Cardiff, is a temporary measure in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and these changes do not represent a new operating model. These are contingency measures put in place to allow asylum claims to be registered in a safe manner and ensure those that are at immediate risk of destitution can access support.