Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Home Office cited 'pace' and ministerial pressure for rapid Northeye acquisition.
Conclusion
When we asked the Home Office whether it had rushed its decision to acquire the Northeye site, the Home Office told us it was “operating at pace” to address the growing number of people claiming asylum. The Home Office said Ministers were “pushing” the department to progress quickly with this acquisition.12 It explained that there was a clear government strategy to stop using hotels as asylum accommodation due to their high costs.13 In December 2022, the then Prime Minister made a statement to Parliament on illegal migration, which included the aim of abolishing the backlog of initial asylum decisions by the end of 2023 and ending the use of hotels to house asylum seekers.14 The National Audit Office reported that this “generated significant pressure within the Home Office to identify and secure sites for asylum accommodation at pace”.15