The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered. Costs are subject to change depending on numbers being accommodated within the asylum system. The Home Office is currently spending around £8.3m per day on hotel accommodation. Total expenditure on asylum and humanitarian routes is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at HO annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Home Office does not publish a breakdown which disaggregates the cost of financial support and accommodation for asylum seekers and refugees by local authority.

The Home Office endeavours to complete applications as fast as possible.

Following the service of an asylum decision, an individual continues to be an asylum seeker for the purpose of asylum support until the end of the relevant prescribed period, also known as the ‘grace period’ or ‘move on period’. This period is 28 calendar days from when an individual is notified of a decision to accept their asylum claim and grant them leave. There are no current plans to extend this period (of 28 days).

Individuals should make plans to move on from asylum support as soon as they are served their asylum decision. We offer support to all individuals through Migrant Help or their partner organisation in doing this. This includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing.

Decision times will vary by case, as each application is different; we aim to reach a decision as swiftly as possible.

All ODA spending will be in line with the OECD DAC rules relevant to in-donor refugee costs and we will report our spending in the usual way.

Each case will be different so it is difficult to say how long the Home Office will need to decide an individual application for section 95 support, though we do endeavour to complete applications in a timely manner. Once we receive an asylum seeker’s fully completed application from Migrant Help, we prioritise those who are homeless and those who are in initial accommodation.

If an asylum seeker requires an update on their application’s progress, they are encouraged to contact Migrant Help who can request an update from the Home Office. This can be done via their webchat, the ‘raise an issue’ link on their website or by calling their freephone helpline on 0808 8010 503.

It is not appropriate to comment on commercial arrangements with suppliers. All Home Office commercial contracts are designed to ensure best value for taxpayer. The Home Office closely monitors its contractors' performance, including financial results.

Full information on the ‘going rates’ for eligible occupation is published on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-going-rates-for-eligible-occupations.

The Information requested about the Facilitated Return Scheme (FRS) since 2015 is not available from published statistics.

Information on the number of foreign national offenders that were returned from the UK under the Facilitated Return Scheme is available from Table FNO_09 in Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Information on resettlement grants for FNOs departing under the FRS is available from The Facilitated Return Scheme (FRS) (publishing.service.gov.uk).

We are committed to making the funding payments in the fastest manner possible, and while we are exploring options to accelerate this and make a one-off payment by the end of this month, at present we are working on a grant where the payment will be released to during the following quarter of the year in which the bed was first occupied. This payment aligns with those made for each new dispersal bed and a funding instruction will be provided when the grant is live.

The Information requested about the Facilitated Return Scheme since 2015 is not available from published statistics.

Information on the number of foreign national offenders that were returned from the UK under the Facilitated Return Scheme is available from Table FNO_09 in Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

All individuals who receive a positive decision on their asylum claim are eligible to support and accommodation for at least 28 days from when their decision is served.

We offer move on support to all individuals through Migrant Help or their partner organisation in doing this. This includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing.Individuals do not need to wait for their BRP to make a claim for benefits and are encouraged to do so as early as possible, if they require them.

We work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to ensure the right asylum decision data is being shared with local authorities to enable effective planning and to lessen the impact on existing homelessness and rough sleeping pressures. Our accommodation providers are directly working with local authorities to notify them when an individual is due to have their asylum support ended.

We are working with our partners, including Local Authorities, to provide timely notification of key events that impact them. We are working with our SMP to facilitate regional sessions with councils and to share data.

With the passing of the Illegal Migration Act, on 20 July 2023, the government has committed to introducing a cap on the number of people brought to the UK through safe and legal routes each year.

The cap will be determined through consultation with local authorities to understand the UK’s capacity to accommodate and support individuals arriving through safe and legal routes.

The consultation seeks to determine a realistic picture of the capacity that the UK has, to enable the operation of safe and legal routes for protection and ensure these routes form part of a well-managed and sustainable migration system.

As the Prime Minister has stated, as we get a grip on illegal migration, we will be able to bring forward more safe and legal routes.

We do not publish the information you have requested.

We work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) in ensuring individuals can move on from asylum support as smoothly as possible. With DLUHC, we are working to ensure the right asylum decision data is being shared with local authorities to enable effective planning and to lessen the impact on existing homelessness and rough sleeping pressures. Our accommodation providers are also directly working with local authorities to notify them when an individual is due to have their asylum support ended.

Individuals should make plans to move on from asylum support as quickly as possible. We offer move onsupport through Migrant Help or their partner organisation in doing this. This includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing.

The asylum accommodation estate is under huge strain and increasing the ‘move on’ period would exacerbate these pressures. There are no current plans to extend the prescribed period (of 28 days) for how long individuals remain on asylum support once they have received a grant of asylum.

The Illegal Migration publishes statistics published by the Home Office can be found here: Statistics relating to the Illegal Migration Act - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Home Office publishes statistics regarding asylum, which can be found here: Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics regarding the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-referral-mechanism-statistics

The Home Office does not publish data on the specific information you have requested.

All individuals who receive a positive decision on their asylum claim are eligible to support and accommodation for at least 28 days from when their decision is served.

We offer move on support to all individuals through Migrant Help or their partner organisation in doing this. This includes providing advice on accessing the labour market, on applying for Universal Credit and signposting to local authorities for assistance with housing.Individuals do not need to wait for their BRP to make a claim for benefits and are encouraged to do so as early as possible, if they require them.

We work closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to ensure the right asylum decision data is being shared with local authorities to enable effective planning and to lessen the impact on existing homelessness and rough sleeping pressures. Our accommodation providers are directly working with local authorities to notify them when an individual is due to have their asylum support ended.

We are working with our partners, including Local Authorities, to provide timely notification of key events that impact them. We are working with our SMP to facilitate regional sessions with councils and to share data.

There is no general policy to expedite an application for leave to remain if an applicant is in receipt of local authority support. Decisions on expediting cases ahead of the published service standard are made on a case-by-case basis.

Officials and law enforcement work alongside social media companies in the OCC to identify harmful OIC content on their platforms and remove it as quickly as possible. Social media companies are not providing any funding for the centre. Funding for the Online Capability Centre is provided as part of Project Invigor. In December 2023, as part of the Prime Minister's Ten Point Plan, it was announced that the funding available for Project Invigor was to be doubled for the next two financial years (2023-24 and 2024-25) Officials and law enforcement will work alongside social media companies in the OCC and continue with engagement (similar to the Social Media Action Plan) to identify harmful OIC content on the companies platforms and work together to proactively remove it as quickly as possible.

Under contractual arrangements Home Office has Mitie Care & Custod provides, toys and games are for children in Short-Term Holding Facilities (STHF).

All local authorities are under a mandatory duty to comply with the National Transfer Scheme, ensuring all local authorities play a part in caring for unaccompanied children and that responsibility is fairly distributed across the UK.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to protect all children.

The UK and Türkiye are close strategic partners and have agreed to enhance cooperation on tackling the illegal movement of migrants. This covers close engagement and support in numerous areas, and we are bolstering our resources, for example to enable collaboration on joint law enforcement operations to disrupt the criminal gangs who are facilitating and profiting from illegal journeys. As a cooperative initiative in development it is not possible to set out the parameters or extent of UK funding, but any financial support offered will be agreed with our partners, and focused in areas that will bolster our effectiveness in tackling this shared challenge.

Anyone with no right to be in the UK and whose appeal rights are exhausted is expected to leave the UK. Those who can return home but refuse to do so will face enforced removal, including Turkish nationals.