Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seekers fall into destitution or homelessness during the process of their application for refuge in the UK.

Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute can apply for free accommodation and cash support to cover their essential living needs whilst their cases are considered. If an applicant has an emergency need for accommodation they apply for support under Section 98 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 whilst their application for support is being processed; the vast majority of such requests are processed on the same day.