Written question asked by Phil Woolas (Labour) on Thursday, 8 July 2010, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 July 2010. It was answered by Damian Green (Conservative) on Tuesday, 13 July 2010 on behalf of the Home Office.

Asylum: Housing

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans her Department has to assess the market for new providers of asylum accommodation services for the purposes of achieving greater flexibility and value for money.

Answer: The current contracts which provide asylum accommodation services are due to expire during 2011. A programme to address the replacement of these services was initiated in July 2009. The programme has carried out a full and detailed analysis of the accommodation market, which has included 40 face to face meetings with prospective suppliers. This will help identify the potential for creating commercial solutions that will allow UKBA to achieve greater flexibility and value for money.

Secondary information