Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Fourth Report: Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (Coronavirus): institutional accommodation
Home Affairs Committee
HC 562
Published 28 July 2020
Government response
Fifth Special Report: Home Office preparedness for COVID-19 (coronavirus): institutional accommodation: Government Response to the Committee’s Fourth Report · published 13 Nov 2020
Recommendations & Conclusions
17
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Para 62
While asylum support payments were provisionally increased in June 2020 from £37.75 to £39.60 per...
Recommendation
While asylum support payments were provisionally increased in June 2020 from £37.75 to £39.60 per week, people with ongoing asylum claims may still struggle to meet their essential needs on this weekly amount, particularly during the pandemic. It is imperative …
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Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the importance of communication access, stating it provides Wi-Fi or SIM cards in initial accommodation and hotels. It rejects the recommendation for an additional £10 weekly phone credit, confirming a full review of cash allowances is ongoing and will be published.
Home Office
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26
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Para 110
Asylum seekers should not have been moved to new accommodation during the pandemic without justified...
Recommendation
Asylum seekers should not have been moved to new accommodation during the pandemic without justified and urgent reasons for doing so or without a vulnerability assessment demonstrating that the move could be made safely. This must happen Home Office preparedness …
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Government Response Summary
The government accepts that communication during some moves was not thorough and will share operational lessons, but does not explicitly commit to vulnerability assessments for all future moves or a review of health provision in hotel accommodation, and has no plans for a safeguarding KPI.
Home Office
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28
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Para 114
The Department should ensure that lessons learned from the handling of asylum moves during the...
Recommendation
The Department should ensure that lessons learned from the handling of asylum moves during the lockdown are referred to the safeguarding board and incorporated into the safeguarding and assurance frameworks. The Department should consider how local authorities and third sector …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects introducing a contractual KPI for safeguarding but states that a dedicated Safeguarding Board oversees existing frameworks. They have established a National Safeguarding Forum with local authorities and partners to enhance understanding and allow input, committing to provide progress updates to the Committee.
Home Office
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29
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
Para 122
We welcome the Minister’s willingness to consider the case for reinstating the weekly allowance for...
Recommendation
We welcome the Minister’s willingness to consider the case for reinstating the weekly allowance for individuals who have previously had this allowance withdrawn, following forced changes of accommodation during the pandemic. Individuals who were moved into hotels at the start …
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Government Response Summary
The government has no plans to reinstate the full weekly allowance of £39.60 but has decided to provide a weekly sum of £8 to cover essential needs for travel and clothing for those in temporary accommodation.
Home Office
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30
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
The subsistence allowance should be provided to any individual whose entitlement to section 95 support...
Recommendation
The subsistence allowance should be provided to any individual whose entitlement to section 95 support has been accepted from the time that entitlement is determined, whether or not they are then immediately able to move into dispersal accommodation. This allowance …
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Government Response Summary
The government rejects providing the full £39.60 weekly allowance to asylum seekers in initial accommodation, stating there are no plans to do so. However, they have decided to provide a weekly sum of £8 to cover essential travel and clothing needs.
Home Office
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36
Recommendation
Accepted in Part
We call once again on the Home Office and its providers to work closely with...
Recommendation
We call once again on the Home Office and its providers to work closely with housing providers, local authorities and Strategic Migration Partnerships to increase the availability of asylum accommodation both during the period of lockdown, and afterwards. (Paragraph 143) …
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Government Response Summary
The government states it is committed to collaborative work and has tasked Strategic Migration Partnerships to work with Local Authorities to increase dispersal participation and procurement of accommodation, reporting to the HOLGCEX group.
Home Office
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