Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to ensure that Afghan refugees living in UK hotels following Operation Pitting are able to maintain their current employment when moving between hotels.

There is a huge effort underway to support the families into permanent homes as soon as we can so they can settle and rebuild their lives. The length of time that a family will remain in bridging hotels is dependent on the availability of appropriate housing. We expect that whilst the hotel estate will reduce, there will be an ongoing need to provide temporary housing in hotels for a small number of families for several months.

To deliver value for money to the taxpayer, officials are working at pace to consolidate the bridging estate, by maximising capacity in hotels with available rooms and return rooms that don’t match family requirements. Part of this work means families can sometimes be moved from a hotel scheduled for closure to another hotel within the bridging estate. In such instances we consider current employment and endeavour where possible to keep families in the same areas, or within commutable distance. Families are given appropriate notice of a move and are supported by their Hotel Liaison Officer and local authority throughout.