PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Asylum: Housing (9 March 2016)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department takes to investigate complaints about outsourced asylum accommodation centres; and whether she has received complaints on the operation in Glasgow of her Department's outsourced asylum accommodation contract with Serco and its sub-contractor Orchard and Shipman.

Asked by:
Ian Murray (Labour)

All accommodation providers are monitored closely to ensure accommodation meets contractual standards; this includes measures to ensure issues and complaints are quickly addressed. Failure of accommodation providers to resolve issues within strict time limits may result in the application of service credits.

Asylum seekers are encouraged to report issues about their accommodation to their accommodation provider for them to resolve. The Department also provides information to all asylum seekers, including direct telephone numbers to local and national UKVI staff where they can raise issues about the condition of their accommodation. As a result of recent improvements to the Home Office inspection regime the Contract Compliance Team measures service delivery via a short questionnaire to assess the level of contact, welcome briefing and support from the provider.

We are taking further steps to ensure asylum seekers’ voices are heard so that they feel confident to report complaints about their accommodation or any concerns they are having about their safety. To help achieve this, an advisory Board has been established which will enable the Home Office to discuss accommodation related issues with key NGO stakeholders, including those that pertain to issues raised regarding accommodation in Glasgow.

Answered by:
James Brokenshire (Conservative)
15 March 2016