Written Question · S6W-18718 · Session 6
What consultation it has had with (a) the Home Office and (b) Scottish local authorities, regarding ships, barges or vessels being used in …
The question
To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it has had with (a) the Home Office and (b) Scottish local authorities, regarding ships, barges or vessels being used in Scotland in 2023 to accommodate people seeking asylum, and whether it will publish any relevant correspondence.
The answer
Asylum and immigration are entirely reserved to the UK Parliament and are handled by the Home Office, including provision of asylum accommodation for people who would otherwise be destitute while waiting for an asylum decision from the Home Office.
The Scottish Government has regular discussions with the Home Office and local authority representatives about asylum accommodation, including different types of contingency accommodation. We have been consistently clear that people seeking asylum should be accommodated in communities, with access to the essential support and services they need. The Scottish Government supports widening dispersal in principle, but believes that participation by local authorities should be voluntary. Funding for local authorities, introduced for the first time in 2022, is a positive step but this needs to be a long term commitment to make asylum dispersal more attractive and enable better support for people seeking asylum as well as local communities. Improved partnership working, data and information sharing are also needed. The Scottish Government is clear that the Home Office must engage with local authorities and COSLA on these matters.
As part of the UK Government’s plans to pursue alternative accommodation sites, the UK Immigration Minister spoke to Scottish Government and COSLA on 25 May.
In that meeting the Scottish Government was very clear that hotels and other forms of temporary accommodation, including vessels, are not suitable for people seeking asylum. It is not comparable to use for displaced people from Ukraine or other groups supported in temporary accommodation, because of fundamental differences in the rights and agency of people seeking asylum. While people are waiting for a decision on their asylum application they are restricted from working and have no recourse to public funds – a policy which prevents access to most mainstream benefits.
The Scottish Government was also clear that if the Home Office were to impose a vessel in Scotland they must: undertake a detailed risk assessment and engagement through the Asylum Partnership Board and local service providers in Scotland; fully engage the relevant local authority in this work; and that suitable funding is provided for local authorities and services to ensure that essential services are in place, people are supported appropriately and any impact on local services is minimal.
There are no current plans to publish correspondence in order to prevent substantial prejudice of relations between administrations and in the interest of maintaining the effective conduct of public affairs.
The Scottish Government has regular discussions with the Home Office and local authority representatives about asylum accommodation, including different types of contingency accommodation. We have been consistently clear that people seeking asylum should be accommodated in communities, with access to the essential support and services they need. The Scottish Government supports widening dispersal in principle, but believes that participation by local authorities should be voluntary. Funding for local authorities, introduced for the first time in 2022, is a positive step but this needs to be a long term commitment to make asylum dispersal more attractive and enable better support for people seeking asylum as well as local communities. Improved partnership working, data and information sharing are also needed. The Scottish Government is clear that the Home Office must engage with local authorities and COSLA on these matters.
As part of the UK Government’s plans to pursue alternative accommodation sites, the UK Immigration Minister spoke to Scottish Government and COSLA on 25 May.
In that meeting the Scottish Government was very clear that hotels and other forms of temporary accommodation, including vessels, are not suitable for people seeking asylum. It is not comparable to use for displaced people from Ukraine or other groups supported in temporary accommodation, because of fundamental differences in the rights and agency of people seeking asylum. While people are waiting for a decision on their asylum application they are restricted from working and have no recourse to public funds – a policy which prevents access to most mainstream benefits.
The Scottish Government was also clear that if the Home Office were to impose a vessel in Scotland they must: undertake a detailed risk assessment and engagement through the Asylum Partnership Board and local service providers in Scotland; fully engage the relevant local authority in this work; and that suitable funding is provided for local authorities and services to ensure that essential services are in place, people are supported appropriately and any impact on local services is minimal.
There are no current plans to publish correspondence in order to prevent substantial prejudice of relations between administrations and in the interest of maintaining the effective conduct of public affairs.
In the Official Report
No contribution in the Official Report cites S6W-18718 by reference.