What are the government's options on asylum seeker accommodation?
Just now Share Save Jack Fenwick Political correspondent Share Save
PA Media
Where to house asylum seekers has become one of the fiercest topics of political debate since last year's general election. Small boat crossings have reached near-record levels and MPs on the Home Affairs Select Committee said the Home Office had squandered billions of pounds of taxpayers' money on asylum accommodation. The estimated cost of the government's 10-year asylum accommodation contracts has more than tripled, from £4.5bn to £15.3bn. Ministers inside the Home Office believe that ultimately this issue can only be solved by increasing removals of failed asylum seekers and deterring people from arriving on small boats in the first place. But while they attempt to implement policies to achieve those aims, the Home Office still has to find somewhere for the tens of thousands of people seeking asylum to stay.
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