Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 17
17
Accepted
Home Office pays for thousands of empty hotel rooms as buffer, facing accommodation challenges.
Conclusion
The Home Office also told us that it pays for around 5,000 empty hotel rooms as a ‘buffer’ in case it needs more space than exists at its initial holding facilities such as Manston, where many asylum seekers are first taken when they arrive in the UK.49 This buffer is on top of what it terms ‘ringfenced hotels’ which it can move people to “quickly as an overflow from Manston before they come into the more permanent estate”, although during our evidence session the Home Office did not set out how many beds it reserved in ringfenced hotels.50 The Home Office said that increasing dispersal 39 C&AG’s Report, paras 4, 1.8 40 PM Statement on illegal migration: 13 December 2022, 13 December 2022 41 C&AG’s Report, para 3.19 42 C&AG’s Report, figure 9 43 Q 59 44 Q 59 45 TAP0006 46 Q 134 47 Q 110 48 Q 94 49 Qq 98–101 50 Qq 98–101 The Asylum Transformation Programme 13 accommodation through the transformation programme was a big part of its plan to increase accommodation supply and reduce hotel use, but that it was also looking to use a number of larger sites as alternative accommodation.51 The Home Office has faced several challenges in securing such accommodation. This has included legal challenges against the use of former military sites and difficulties finding ports that will hold barges.52 Hotel use, safeguarding, and Home Office stakeholder engagement
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the committee's 'recommendation' (misunderstanding item type) and outlines its implemented plan to reform the asylum accommodation estate by optimising hotel use, increasing room sharing, expanding dispersed accommodation, and delivering alternative sites, with over 50 hotels planned for closure by January 2024.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
3.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 3.2 The Home Office has always been clear that the use of hotels as temporary accommodation for asylum seekers was a short-term measure to ensure that the department met its statutory obligation to accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute, during a period of unprecedented numbers of small boat arrivals. 3.3 In line with the Prime Minister’s comprehensive ten-point plan (13 December 2022) to tackle illegal migration, a clear plan and range of measures have been implemented to reform the management of the asylum accommodation estate. This includes optimising the use of existing hotels and increasing the number of people room sharing, growing the amount of dispersed accommodation available and delivering alternative forms of accommodation sites. As a result of these actions, the department has now begun to reduce reliance on hotel accommodation and has plans in place to close over 50 hotels before the end of January 2024. Whilst modelling asylum and accommodation demand is complex and inherently uncertain, the Home Office will continue to keep modelling assumptions and estimates under regular review to ensure that accommodation estate capacity remains sufficient for future levels of demand, under a range of different planning scenarios.