Written questions by Simmonds.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 September 2025 to Question 71464 on Asylum: Housing, if she will publish the amount allocated to each individual local authority from (a) Grant 7 and (b) Grant 6 programmes for asylum in the 2024-25 financial year.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided in PQ 71464.

What the cost to the public purse was of payments to Stay Belvedere Hotels for asylum accommodation in the last 12 months.

Stay Belvedere Homes Limited (SBHL) was not contracted directly by the Home Office to provide asylum accommodation. They were a subcontractor to Clearsprings Ready Homes until the Home Office asked that SBHL be removed from the supply chain.

With reference to the letter from the Minister for Border Security & Asylum to the Home Affairs Select Committee of 8 October 2025, if she will publish the full specification and services offered under Changing Lives.

Simply Active Group CIC (formerly Changing Lives Limited) is contracted to deliver a structured programme of recreational activities for Service Users at Wethersfield. These activities include three days of on-site sports provision between the hours of 11.00am and 4.00pm. A varied rota of a minimum of four activity sessions per day is provided.Further details related to this contract are publicly available: Recreational Activity Provision - Contracts Finder. The contract has been extended with services now extended to February 2026.

How much her Department has spent on dental care for asylum seekers in hotels in the last year; and whether asylum seekers have access to free dental care.

Information on asylum expenditure is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

How many and what proportion of local authorities provide (a) private and (b) social housing for asylum seekers.

The Home Office continues to work closely with local authorities to manage all the pressures arising from the provision of asylum accommodation including the impact on wider LA obligations and plans.Data, published quarterly, on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release. The data can also be broken down by region and by local authority. Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK

Pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2025, to Question 71461, on Asylum: Housing, what steps do (a) her Department and (b) its contractors follow if a local authority objects to specific asylum accommodation; and if he will set out the (i) circumstances and (ii) criteria that (A) her Department and (B) its contractors may disregard such an objection.

Our contracted providers consult with local authorities on every Dispersal Accommodation bedspace before it is procured with the relevant local authority. If the local authority and provider do not agree, the Home Office reviews it and considers the evidence that the local authority has put forward. This is to ensure procurement is undertaken in a proportionate manner that allows us to consider the impact on local areas.

Pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78583, on Immigration: English Language, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of making it a requirement of anyone being granted asylum to subsequently learn English to continue (a) residing and (b) receiving benefits.

Successfully integrating refugees is a Government priority. The ability to speak and understand English is a key factor in successful integration, allowing refugees to become active contributors to the communities in which they live.The Immigration White Paper set out plans to increase language requirements for most routes to B2 level at settlement stage, as well as the intention to consult on wider settlement reform later this year. These changes will impact the requirements for people who wish to reside in the UK and have access to public funds through settlement.

With reference to the letter from the Minister for Border Security & Asylum to the Home Affairs Select Committee of 8 October 2025, if she will publish each Service User Demand Plan.

The Service User Demand Plans are not published. The Home Office publishes information about asylum seekers across the UK quarterly here Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77304 on Multiple Occupation: Migrants, whether her Department (a) collates data on which individual houses of multiple occupation are used to house asylum seekers and (b) holds data on the number of those HMOs, broken down by local authority.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided in PQ 77304.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71459 on Counter-terrorism: Finance, how much was given to each council in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26.

All Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales receive dedicated support from the Home Office to deliver the Prevent duty effectively and in proportion to the risk and threat.This support includes expertise from a network of region-based Home Office Prevent Advisers who work closely with partners to raise Prevent delivery standards. Prevent Advisers also deliver an annual assurance exercise, assessing the extent to which local authorities are meeting the Prevent duty and identifying areas for further support and improvement.In addition, all local authorities have access to the Preventing Radicalisation Fund. This supports the delivery of targeted Prevent projects, that aim to identify and mitigate local radicalisation risks.Currently, the 28 highest threat areas in England and Wales receive Home Office Prevent funding to help them to go above and beyond the requirements of the Prevent duty. This funding supports the provision of dedicated Prevent posts in these local authorities. Some of these local authorities also receive additional funding to support regional working and share their Prevent expertise with other neighbouring local authorities.The Home Office is projected to provide up to £6,000,000 of funding to local authorities under the Prevent programme for the current financial year 2025-26. This excludes funding for project delivery that is provided through the Prevent Radicalisation Fund.In financial years 2024-25 the Home Office provided £6,008,271.63 of funding to 30 local authorities under the Prevent programme for dedicated Prevent posts.An addition to the funding for dedicated Prevent posts within local authorities, the Home Office provided £2,365,309.72 of funding for Prevent project delivery for all local authorities in the financial year 2024-2025, through the Preventing Radicalisation Fund. For the financial year 2025-2026, the Home Office is projected to provide £1,877,378.99 for Prevent project delivery funding.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 71459 on Counter-terrorism: Finance, how much was allocated to each local authority in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years.

All Local Authorities in England, Scotland and Wales receive dedicated support from the Home Office to deliver the Prevent duty effectively and in proportion to the risk and threat.This support includes expertise from a network of region-based Home Office Prevent Advisers who work closely with partners to raise Prevent delivery standards. Prevent Advisers also deliver an annual assurance exercise, assessing the extent to which local authorities are meeting the Prevent duty and identifying areas for further support and improvement.In addition, all local authorities have access to the Preventing Radicalisation Fund. This supports the delivery of targeted Prevent projects, that aim to identify and mitigate local radicalisation risks.Currently, the 28 highest threat areas in England and Wales receive Home Office Prevent funding to help them to go above and beyond the requirements of the Prevent duty. This funding supports the provision of dedicated Prevent posts in these local authorities. Some of these local authorities also receive additional funding to support regional working and share their Prevent expertise with other neighbouring local authorities.The Home Office is projected to provide up to £6,000,000 of funding to local authorities under the Prevent programme for the current financial year 2025-26. This excludes funding for project delivery that is provided through the Prevent Radicalisation Fund.In financial years 2024-25 the Home Office provided £6,008,271.63 of funding to 30 local authorities under the Prevent programme for dedicated Prevent posts.An addition to the funding for dedicated Prevent posts within local authorities, the Home Office provided £2,365,309.72 of funding for Prevent project delivery for all local authorities in the financial year 2024-2025, through the Preventing Radicalisation Fund. For the financial year 2025-2026, the Home Office is projected to provide £1,877,378.99 for Prevent project delivery funding.

Whether her Department provides support to (a) illegal migrants and (b) asylum seekers to get married.

The Home Office does not provide support to illegal migrants or asylum seekers to get married. General guidance for all persons seeking to marry in the UK can be found at this link Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales: Check if you can get married or form a civil partnership - GOV.UK and Marriages and civil partnerships in England and Wales: If you or your partner are from outside the UK or Ireland - GOV.UK.

How many civil society organisations received Prevent funding in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial years; what the cost of that funding was; and what her Department's budget is for Prevent funding for civil society organisations in the 2025-26 financial year.

It is vital that Prevent is well-equipped to counter the threats that we face and the ideologies that underpin them.Prevent provides funding for all local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland to address radicalisation risks through targeted projectsIn the financial year 2023-24, the Home Office provided £26,294,582.59 in Prevent funding. This includes £2,790,047.15 in project delivery funding to a total of 63 Civil Society Organisations under the Prevent programme.In the financial year 2024-25, the Home Office provided £27,769,727.44 in Prevent funding. This includes £2,365,309.72 in project delivery funding to a total of 52 Civil Society Organisations under the Prevent programme.In the financial year April 2025 – March 2026, the Home Office is projected to provide £28,758,000 in Prevent funding. This includes a projected spend of £1,877,378.99 in project delivery funding to a total of 30 Civil Society Organisations under the Prevent programme.This financial year, we have an allocated budget of £2 million for project funding. The anticipated expenditure for this financial year was £1.8 million, based on the funding bids received from local authorities.

What the total annual expenditure on Prevent was in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial years; and what the budget is for the 2025-26 financial year.

The total Prevent Budget in the 2025/26 financial year is £38,697,583.35 (of which £25,854,619.99 is allocated for Prevent Delivery Unit and £12,942,963.36 for Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).The total Prevent expenditure in the 2024/25 financial year was £36,139,230.25 (of which £26,427,104.62 was spent on Prevent Delivery Unit and £9,712,125.63 spent on Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).The total Prevent expenditure in the 2023/24 financial year was £34,564,419.17 (of which £27,451,332.62 was spent on Prevent Delivery Unit and £7,113,086.55 was spent on Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).There has been no budget allocated, and no expenditure committed for counter-extremism communications for the period requested.

How much funding was allocated to Home Office units responsible for delivering (a) the Prevent strategy and (b) counter-extremism communications in the (i) (A) 2023-24 and (B) 2024-25 financial years and (ii) 2025-26 financial year, broken down by unit.

The total Prevent Budget in the 2025/26 financial year is £38,697,583.35 (of which £25,854,619.99 is allocated for Prevent Delivery Unit and £12,942,963.36 for Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).The total Prevent expenditure in the 2024/25 financial year was £36,139,230.25 (of which £26,427,104.62 was spent on Prevent Delivery Unit and £9,712,125.63 spent on Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).The total Prevent expenditure in the 2023/24 financial year was £34,564,419.17 (of which £27,451,332.62 was spent on Prevent Delivery Unit and £7,113,086.55 was spent on Counter-Radicalisation and Enablers Unit).There has been no budget allocated, and no expenditure committed for counter-extremism communications for the period requested.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of criminal activity linked to candy retail stores.

The Government is committed to ensuring high street businesses such as candy retail stores are not exploited by criminals conducting illicit activity such as money laundering or tax evasion.The Government’s approach to tackling money laundering is set out in the Economic Crime Plan 2 which includes action to disrupt cash-based money laundering and strengthen system wide coordination. The Government, working in partnership with law enforcement and other agencies, is closely monitoring the level of illicit activity in the high street and actively considering whether further systemic interventions are needed to tackle this threat.Operationally, in March 2025, the National Economic Crime Centre in the National Crime Agency, coordinated a three-week crackdown against barbershops and other cash intensive businesses involving 19 different police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units, as well as national agencies including HMRC, Trading Standards and Home Office Immigration Enforcement. In total, 380 premises were visited across the three-week operation, with officers securing freezing orders over bank accounts totalling more than £1m, executing 84 warrants and arrested 35 individuals. Officers also seized more than £40,000 in cash, 200,000 cigarettes, 7,000 packs of tobacco, over 8,000 illegal vapes and two vehicles.This is the first phase of targeted action against criminals and organised crime groups who use high-street businesses to launder criminal monies.

, how many asylum hotels are in operation in each local authority area.

The asylum accommodation estate is provided by Serco, Mears, Clearsprings Ready Homes and CTM. The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

If she will list the name of each contractor who currently provides asylum hotels and accommodation to her Department.

The asylum accommodation estate is provided by Serco, Mears, Clearsprings Ready Homes and CTM. The latest published Immigration Statistics detail the number of supported asylum seekers accommodated in each local authority area. These statistics can be found at Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

Pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2025, to Question 65280, on Asylum: Housing, if she will place the requested information from Question 65280 in the Library of the House in light of the hyperlinks on ContractFinder giving "URL No Longer Exists" errors.

The award notices Asylum Accommodation and Support Contracts are already published and available on Contracts Finder as follows:Wales AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)South AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)North West AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)Midlands & Eastern England AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)North East Yorks & Humber AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)Scotland AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)Northern Ireland AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder(opens in a new tab)Due to changes in Contract management software Schedules are temporarily unavailable. This will be corrected shortly.

What guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on (a) transparency and local scrutiny on how Prevent funding is spent and (b) which organisations receive it.

In 2023, the Home Office updated its assurance process to help ensure that local authorities are delivering their statutory Prevent duty in line with the Prevent duty guidance. This includes assurance of local authorities that receive Prevent funding due to being assessed as having high levels of terrorism threat and risk.The ‘Prevent duty toolkit for local authorities’ outlines eight benchmarks that Prevent delivery is measured against and includes suggested examples of good and best practice.The Home Office works with all local authority Prevent Leads in England, Wales and Scotland to complete a Prevent assurance exercise each year against 7 of the Prevent duty benchmarks. An assurance of the eighth benchmark, Channel, is subject to a separate process (the Channel Annual Assurance Statement).This exercise provides local Prevent Partnerships and the Home Office with assurances that the Prevent duty is being met in proportion to the threat and risk in each area. It also helps to understand where there are gaps in Prevent delivery, to identify and share good practice, and to improve performance and standards.Prevent also funds Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to deliver projects in communities. CSOs in receipt of Prevent funding are required to demonstrate that outcomes they have delivered contribute to Prevent’s overall aim: to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.As a requirement of Prevent funding, every CSO must adhere to best practice principles for programme design, delivery and monitoring and evaluation. All project providers are subject to random project delivery observation from the Home Office, and comprehensive due diligence is completed for all CSOs that receive Prevent funding.The groups we work with are vital partners in protecting society from the dangers of radicalisation, and providing support to people who are being radicalised.