§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has collected from local authorities about the allocation of properties to asylum seekers and refugees; and how many representations he has received from local authorities about the provision of housing for refugees and asylum seekers. [3669]
§ Mr. ClappisonMy Department does not collect information from local authorities about the allocation of properties to asylum seekers and refugees. My hon. Friend the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Urban Regeneration has received a request from the Association of London Government to discuss housing for asylum seekers.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many applicants for political asylum qualified for housing and housing benefits in the last year for which figures are available. [3667]
§ Mr. ClappisonThe only available data relate to asylum seekers seeking housing under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1985.
In the year ending June 1995, 2,190 households which had applied under these provisions in England were found to be registered as asylum seekers with the Home Office. Local authorities have a duty to provide temporary accommodation for these households until their asylum application is resolved.
Over the same period, 930 of the households which local authorities accepted for rehousing under the homelessness provisions of the Housing Act 1985 were former asylum seekers.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many properties(a) by local authorities and (b) by Government Departments are currently vacant in the United Kingdom; and what percentage of vacant dwellings were made available to refugees and asylum seekers during the past 12 months. [3668]
§ Mr. ClappisonI will write to the hon. Member about the numbers of vacant dwellings in England when the analysis of the data reported by local authorities on their 1995 housing investment programme returns is complete. No data are collected centrally on vacant dwellings made available to refugees or asylum seekers.
13WThe information on vacant dwellings relating to Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland is a matter for the Secretaries of State for Wales, for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.
§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what was the cost of providing temporary accommodation for applicants for political asylum in the last year for which figures are available. [3674]
§ Mr. ClappisonThis information is not held centrally.