Additional Home Office related questions
Questions were received around which organisation funds the accommodation of asylum seekers. This is a Home Office function and includes the provision of the Aspen card that asylum seekers receive (a preloaded card with a small amount of money per week). F&HDC do not pay to house asylum seekers. It is not F&HDC’s responsibility to run the facilities at Dover and Manston.
Questions were received around numbers of asylum seekers housed in various locations, as well as demographics of the asylum seeker population. This is data held by the Home Office.
The Home Office contracts out the running of hotels and Napier Barracks to organisations such as Clearsprings, and their role includes ensuring safety of the site and residents, and all day to day running of the accommodation including any support needed for service users.
It is recognised that Kent is at the forefront of arrivals and all Kent leaders have written to the Home Office expressing concern over the impact on Kent including capacity issues and the need for further dispersal. The government is currently preparing a national dispersal strategy which will enable a fairer distribution of asylum seekers nationally. All key agency partners together with F&HDC have a seat at the regional South East dispersal meetings.
Questions around harassment were also raised and the community safety response covers these, but it is important that anyone experiencing harassment reports incidents to the Police.
Other issues raised for the Home Office covered the paid employment for migrants – this can’t be done until asylum claims have been heard; public awareness of reasons for coming to the UK and the opportunity to utilise skills that the migrants may have. The issues are of national importance and the Home Office are looking at strategies to address this.