Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to section 3c of the Asylum accommodation support transformation: policy equality statement, updated by his Department on 8 September 2020, what steps his Department is taking to ensure Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts (a) tackle prejudice and (b) foster good relations between LGBTQI+ people and others accommodated in hotels; what reports asylum accommodation providers have provided on the experiences of their LGBTQI+ service users; what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that asylum accommodation providers are (i) proactive in monitoring and identifying specific needs or risks and (ii) taking appropriate measures to respond; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that accommodation providers are not accommodating people identified as having specific needs or being at risk in the same sleeping quarters as other unrelated service users.

We expect high standards from all of our providers, and we have a robust governance framework in place to manage service delivery of the Asylum Accommodation Support Contracts (AASC). Further details can be found at: AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.

Section G.2 of the AASC provides examples of factors which accommodation providers should consider as part of their case-by-case assessment of an individual’s needs in room sharing, including whether they identify as LGBTQ+. This aligns with the allocation of accommodation policy which sets out that the circumstances of every person in asylum accommodation should be assessed individually. Where an individual need or safeguarding concern exists, accommodation may be provided to meet such need.

The AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting & Eligibility) service has also introduced more independent and transparent oversight of standards through clearer complaints mechanisms for asylum seekers and supporting data that allows more intelligent targeting of performance improvement.

Additionally, the Home Office has published the Asylum Support Contracts Safeguarding Framework at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/asylum-support-contracts-safeguarding-framework. This framework sets out a joint, overarching approach, as well as the key controls and reporting mechanisms in place, across the AASC contracts, for safeguarding arrangements.   All asylum seekers have access to a 24/7 AIRE (Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility) service provided for the Home Office by Migrant Help where they can raise any concerns regarding accommodation or support services, and they can get information about how to obtain further support.