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Written question asked by Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain) on Friday, 26 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 30 June 2026. It was answered by Alex Norris (Labour) on Monday, 6 July 2026 on behalf of the Home Office.

Asylum: Telephone Services

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information her Department holds on the average call answering times for asylum helplines; and what performance requirements are set for call handling times with contractors.

Answer

Migrant Help holds the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility contract. Details of the contract, including KPIs, can be found on the Contracts Finder at: AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder.

The Refugee Council is contracted to provide the independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service. Details of the contract, including KPIs, can be found on the Contracts Finder at: Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder. The published Contracts Finder notice for this contract reflects the original award and end date. However, the contract has subsequently been extended to December 2026, with provision for a further extension to March 2027.

The Home Office has a rigorous performance management regime for its contractor in this case the average call answering times are tracked and measured against contractual provisions.

The Cabinet Office publishes performance data for KPIs on the government’s most important contracts, which can be found at: Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts - GOV.UK.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
13662
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Asylum Standards Telephone services
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk