Asylum accommodation

Home Affairs Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 17 Dec 2024 Closed: 22 Jan 2026 Parliament page
The Home Office has a duty to provide housing and subsistence to asylum seekers who are awaiting a decision on their claim and are destitute. Asylum accommodation is primarily delivered by private providers through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC). Home Office spending on asylum accommodation and support … Read more
22 Recommendations
24 Conclusions
1 Report
5 Oral sessions
6 Letters
5 Events
Activity timeline 18 events
22 Jan
2026
Report published
22 Jan
2026
Correspondence
11 Nov
2025
Correspondence
27 Oct
2025
Report published
14 Oct
2025
Correspondence
14 Oct
2025
Correspondence
1 Jul
2025
Oral evidence
1 Jul
2025
Correspondence
1 Jul
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 6, Palace of Westminster
10 Jun
2025
Oral evidence
10 Jun
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Thatcher Room, Portcullis House
13 May
2025
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 5 sessions
1 Jul 2025
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Caroline O'Connor · Migrant Help Juliet Halstead · Migrant Help
10 Jun 2025
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Dame Angela Eagle DBE · Home Office Joanna Rowland CB · Home Office Simon Ridley · Home Office
13 May 2025
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Claudia Sturt · Serco UK & Europe Jason Burt · Mears Group Steve Lakey · Clearsprings Ready Homes
29 Apr 2025
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Alex Fraser · British Red Cross Councillor Peter Mason · Local Government Association Enver Solomon · Refugee Council Frances McMeeking · Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership Megan Smith · Deighton Pierce Glynn Natasha Beresford · Dacorum Borough Council Paul Dennett · Salford City Council
18 Mar 2025
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David Bolt · Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration Dr Lucy Mort · Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Professor Jonathan Darling · Durham University Sachin Savur · Institute for Government
Title HC No. Published Items Response
4th Report – The Home Office's management of asylum accommodation HC 580 27 Oct 2025 46 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
13 results
Clear
2 Recommendation Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Set out plans for a flexible, cost-minimising asylum accommodation system, incentivising hotel exits.
We recommend that the Home Office sets out plans for an asylum accommodation system that can flexibly respond to changing demand, whilst minimising potential costs to the taxpayer. In the short term, the Home Office should identify and implement any … Read more
Government Response
The government's response focuses on strengthening its internal contract management capabilities, including investing in capacity, training, and accountability frameworks, and commissioning an independent review of these arrangements, rather than setting out plans for a flexible asylum accommodation system, specific incentives for exiting hotels, or the implications of contractual break clauses.
Home Office
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4 Conclusion Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Home Office repeatedly failed to build adequate commercial and contract management capacity, despite warnings.
The Home Office was warned repeatedly that it needed to ensure it had adequate commercial and contract management capacity, but did not learn this lesson. Failure to do so left it unprepared to respond to the surge in demand for … Read more
Government Response
The government responded by addressing the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration's access to contract information, stating current access is supervised and protocols are being updated, rather than detailing plans for enhancing its own commercial and contract management capability. It will consider formalising these arrangements in legislation when parliamentary time allows.
Home Office
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5 Recommendation Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Institute systematic approach to enhancing Home Office commercial and contract management capability and accountability.
The Home Office should set out plans for enhancing and maintaining its commercial and contract management capability, to ensure that it has the skills and resources necessary to effectively manage the delivery of the contracts and control the costs of … Read more
Government Response
The government committed to finalising robust amendments to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for service providers by February 2026, and to incorporating enhanced KPI frameworks into future asylum accommodation contracts. However, this response did not detail plans for enhancing the Home Office's own commercial and contract management capability.
Home Office
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9 Conclusion Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration lacks access to commercial contracts, undermining scrutiny.
The work of the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI) provides essential scrutiny of the delivery of asylum accommodation. The work of the ICIBI does not reduce the need for systematic assurance, but in the absence of adequate … Read more
Government Response
The government responded by detailing its plan to close asylum hotels by the end of the Parliament, stating it has already reduced hotel use and is exploring large sites, rather than addressing the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration's access to commercial contracts.
Home Office
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10 Conclusion Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Give Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration access to commercial contracts for proper scrutiny.
The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration should be given access to commercial contracts so they can be properly scrutinised. The legislation underpinning the Inspector’s role should be amended if necessary to achieve this. (Recommendation, Paragraph 56) 97 Read more
Government Response
The government responded by outlining contractual obligations for providers to notify asylum seekers of accommodation moves with at least five days' notice, and the provision of induction booklets and Migrant Help access, rather than addressing the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration's access to commercial contracts.
Home Office
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14 Recommendation Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Implement clear process for regularly reviewing asylum accommodation subcontractors and increase transparency.
We recommend that the Home Office reports back to us in its response to this report on the outcome of its audit of asylum accommodation subcontractors and implements a clear process for how it will regularly review significant subcontractors. It … Read more
Government Response
The government's response deflects the recommendation by focusing entirely on policies for Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) and age assessment processes, rather than addressing subcontractor audits, transparency, or the termination of Stay Belvedere Hotels Ltd.
Home Office
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15 Conclusion Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Home Office significantly delayed recouping excess profits from asylum accommodation providers.
It is extremely disappointing that the Home Office only appears to have started the process for recouping excess profits from accommodation providers in 2024. Accommodation providers told us they had tens of millions waiting to be returned to the Home … Read more
Government Response
The government deflects the conclusion about its failure to recoup excess profits from accommodation providers by discussing its strategy for dispersal accommodation, national allocation plans, and exiting hotels.
Home Office
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16 Conclusion Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Conclude recouping excess profits from past years and establish annual audit process.
The Home Office should conclude the process of recouping excess profits for past years as quickly as possible and set out the amounts that have been returned to the department by contract providers. The Home Office should put in place … Read more
Government Response
The government's response deflects the recommendation to recoup excess profits and implement an annual audit process for profit share, instead focusing on its current and future procurement strategies for dispersed asylum accommodation and engagement with local authorities.
Home Office
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17 Conclusion Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Home Office contract design allows providers to make excessive profits from asylum accommodation.
Despite provider profit margins being at the lower end of the Home Office’s original estimate, the way the profit share clause was designed means that as the value of the contracts has increased, providers have been able to make significantly … Read more
Government Response
The government deflects the conclusion regarding its failure to implement mechanisms preventing excessive provider profits, instead discussing its indexing model for dispersed accommodation, a pilot program for move-on periods, and data sharing guidance.
Home Office
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18 Conclusion Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Ensure future profit share clauses account for cash value of profits, not just margins.
The Home Office should ensure that profit share clauses in future contracts take account of not just profit margins but also the cash value of profits, so that contract providers cannot benefit so substantially from increased demand for and changes … Read more
Government Response
The government deflects the recommendation to ensure future contracts include profit share clauses that account for the cash value of profits, by discussing its engagement with local authorities and communities regarding asylum accommodation and efforts to combat misinformation.
Home Office
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19 Conclusion Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Hold providers accountable for inadequate asylum accommodation and strengthen contract oversight.
The quality of accommodation is highly variable across the country. While there is clearly accommodation of an acceptable standard, too many asylum seekers continue to be placed in accommodation that is inadequate or deeply unsuitable. The accommodation asylum seekers are … Read more
Government Response
The government deflects the recommendation to improve variable accommodation quality and strengthen performance management of providers, by focusing on its strategy to exit all asylum hotels and deliver a range of alternative accommodation sites.
Home Office
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26 Conclusion Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
AIRE service lacks follow-up mechanisms, creating accountability gap for complaints
Migrant Help is not contracted to follow up on or monitor issues and does not have sight of the response from providers and the Home Office. This creates a significant gap in accountability. We recognise the value of enabling asylum … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the need to review future delivery options for the AIRE service, stating it is currently reviewing performance frameworks and contract scope, and examining alternative approaches as part of future asylum contract development.
Home Office
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27 Conclusion Deferred
4th Report – The Home Office's man…
Centralised asylum accommodation issue reporting may not be optimal for all services
While we recognise the value of having an independent, national reporting mechanism for issues with asylum accommodation, we are not convinced that all elements of this service should be delivered through a centralised system. It was therefore encouraging to hear … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges challenges with solely local AIRE service delivery but recognizes the need to review future delivery options, stating it is currently reviewing performance frameworks and contract scope to inform future asylum contract models.
Home Office
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Government Response AI assessment · 46 of 22 classified
Accepted 11
Accepted in Part 6
Acknowledged 12
Deferred 13
Not Addressed 1
Rejected 3
Total 22 recs + 24 conclusions
Correspondence 6 letters
22 Jan 2026 To committee Letter from Minister for Border Security relating to Stay Belvedere Hotels Ltd 15.01.2026
Parliament page
11 Nov 2025 To committee Letter from the Minister for Border Security and Asylum regarding asylum accommodation 10.11.2025
Parliament page
14 Oct 2025 From the Minister for Border Security & Asylum relating to Asylum accommodation 08.10.2025
Parliament page
14 Oct 2025 From committee Letter to the Minister for Border Security and Asylum re asylum accommodation 01.07.2025
Parliament page
1 Jul 2025 To committee Letter from the Minister for Border Security & Asylum on Asylum Accommodation following the evidence session on 10 June 25.06.2025
Parliament page
29 Apr 2025 To committee Letter from the Chief Executive of the Refugee Council on asylum accommodation 14.04.2025
Parliament page