Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to locate asylum seekers in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland; and if so, what discussions have taken place with the devolved administrations about the matter especially in relation to (1) the number of asylum seekers to be located, (2) the timetable for implementation, and (3) what monies will be provided from the Treasury to fund the locations.

The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, introduced the policy of national dispersal and was designed to introduce an equitable distribution across the country such that no one area was overburdened by the obligation of supporting asylum seekers. In accordance with that Act a number of local authorities across the UK, including those within the devolved administrations, have volunteered to participate in accommodating asylum seekers. As part of the dispersal policy established in 2000, an advisory cluster limit was set by the Home Office at 1 asylum seeker for every 200 of the settled population.

We are aware that there has been an increase in the demand for accommodation from asylum seekers due to increased intake. We are currently working closely with accommodation providers and local authorities to widen existing dispersal areas.