The Cabinet Office carried out a due diligence exercise prior to the announcement of Lord Mandelson’s role as His Majesty's Ambassador to the United States as documented in the response to the Humble Address published on 11 March 2026.

The Cabinet Office has responsibility for security vetting policy and the UK Security Vetting (UKSV) organisation is based in the Cabinet Office. UKSV carried out the national security vetting for Lord Mandelson in January 2025, although the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office sponsored this clearance and made the decision. The Cabinet Office officials involvement in the security vetting process is documented in the second Humble Address tranche published in the House on 1 June 2026.

Central guidance was issued in 2023 on Using Non-Corporate Communication Channels for Government Business, which is available on GOV.UK.

Where the Home Office needs to utilise Dispersed Accommodation, it does so in accordance with the principle of Full Dispersal, which was announced in 2022 to ensure that asylum seekers were more fairly distributed across the United Kingdom.

This will reduce our reliance on hotels in the short term whilst we continue our work to fix the broken asylum system, increasing decision making, reducing the supported population and removing people with no right to be here.

The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK.

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK.

The Home Office checks all small boat arrivals against a range of secure systems. These include internal databases, law enforcement records, biometric verification platforms and immigration history systems.

Biometrics and biographic details taken are checked and compared against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases, including domestic and international data to establish whether the person is a threat to public safety.

Timings for the returns of results can vary, some systems provide instant access due to direct integration and others require third party intervention. Overall, we aim to receive results within 24-hours.

All security checks are completed before any individual is bailed from Manston.

When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office conducts mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are routinely checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.

When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office conducts mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are routinely checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.

This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain. We took immediate action to resolve that chaos by restarting asylum processing, establishing the new Border Security Command to tackle the people-smuggling gangs, cracking down on illegal working across the country, and increasing the return and removal of people with no right to be here.

Since the General Election, there has been a net increase of six hotels in use across the UK; however, ten are scheduled for closure by the end of March 2025. It remains our absolute commitment to end the use of hotels over time, as part of our reduction in overall asylum accommodation costs. In the interim, we are also continuing to increase our operational activity against smuggling gangs and illegal working, and we have increased returns to their highest level since 2018, with 16,400 people removed in the first six months this government was in charge.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab).

The safety and wellbeing of the local communities in which asylum accommodation is located is of paramount importance. When an individual claims asylum, the Home Office will conduct mandatory identity, criminality and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data. The Home Office works in collaboration with local authorities and key stakeholders to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully managed and the impact upon the local community is minimised.

For the safety and security of those we accommodate and our staff, the Home Office does not comment publicly on sites which may or may not be utilised to accommodate asylum seekers. Should a decision be made to use a site then the local MP will be notified in writing.

Data on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, including hotels, and by local authority can be found within the Asy_D11 tab for our most recent statistics release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).

The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts at Home Office annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab).

The Government sets the regulatory structure within which local licensing authorities license the private hire vehicle (PHV) and taxi sector. The primary function of licensing authorities is to ensure that the sector is safe, including defining the criteria that must be met when deciding whether a person is 'fit and proper' to hold a licence.

The Immigration Act 2016 introduced a legal responsibility on licensing authorities not to issue licences in the PHV and taxi sector to those individuals who are disqualified from holding a licence due to their immigration status. Therefore, all licensing authorities in the UK are required to carry out right to work checks during the licence application process to ensure applicants are not disqualified from holding a licence due to their immigration status. The check must be performed when the applicant applies for a licence, or applies to renew or extend their licence, whether for the full statutory term or for a lesser period.

For the safety, security and wellbeing of staff and those being accommodated, the Home Office does not comment publicly on individual accommodation sites.

When a person claims asylum, the Home Office conducts mandatory identity and security checks. Biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data.

Data on the number of asylum seekers in receipt of support by nationality, support type, accommodation type, and UK region can be found within the Asy_D09 tab for our most recent stats release: Immigration system statistics data tables - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)(opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab).