Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 34
34
Rejected
Amend indexing tool for asylum distribution, accounting for contingency accommodation and local factors
Recommendation
We recommend that the Home Office amends the indexing tool used to develop targets for the distribution of asylum seekers across the country so that it accounts for use of Contingency Accommodation. We also recommend that the Home Office ensures that accommodation providers take account of existing Contingency and Dispersal Accommodation— and other factors included in the indexing tool—when identifying any new Contingency Accommodation sites. (Recommendation, Paragraph 141)
Government Response Summary
The Home Office is reviewing its indexing tool but rejects the recommendation to directly account for Contingency Accommodation in its plans, arguing it would limit increasing Dispersal Accommodation. However, it does require providers to consider existing Dispersal Accommodation when proposing new sites.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
The Home Office is committed to ensuring that decisions on the distribution of asylum seekers and the identification of contingency accommodation sites are fair, evidence-based, and transparent. Dispersal Accommodation is being managed via the National Asylum Allocation Plans and Dispersed Accommodation Property Adjudication Process. We are also reviewing and updating the indexing tool to provide more accurate picture of capacity and impact across regions. Monthly place-based approach meetings provide a forum for local authorities and partners to align on dispersal planning and support cohesive delivery, informed by community-specific insights to reduce risk and improve outcomes. The Home Office agrees it needs to account for contingency accommodation in our overall accommodation planning. The department oversees National Allocation Plans which set out a Dispersed Accommodation target scenario. If met, would eliminate the need for Contingency Accommodation across the estate. We also provide data to Migration Partnership and councils that includes all asylum accommodation in each region. We therefore do not agree the recommendation to account for Contingency Accommodation directly in these plans, as doing so would further limit our ability to increase Dispersal Accommodation in LAs with existing Contingency Accommodation. This would risk limiting our ability to procure the levels of Dispersal Accommodation required to exit Contingency Accommodation. We require our accommodation providers to take account of existing Dispersal Accommodation to ensure alignment with the asylum accommodation plans when proposing any new sites, helping to prevent disproportionate concentration and maintain equity across the estate. In parallel, we are implementing a structured hotel exit plan that prioritises a variety of factors to ensure decisions are rational and aligned with strategic objectives. This work forms part of the wider transformation programme to reduce reliance on contingency accommodation and restore a sustainable dispersal model, balancing national priorities with local sensitivities.