Written questions by Lowe.

Whether bidders for contracts above £50 million are required to disclose executive pay, profit margins and anticipated rates of return.

Where Home Office Commercial use Key Subcontractors to deliver critical services, controls are in place to test their financial health throughout the life of the contract and performance monitored through KPIs.The Home Office Commercial Assurance Board provides independent assurance for all procurement and Contracts above £10m.The Commercial Assurance Board undertakes an assessment and approval at key stages of the commercial lifecycle (Strategic Outline case, outline business case and full business case) before the Contract is awarded.Assurance and assessment of commercial and legal risks, value for money, compliance with regulations and how Social Value will be delivered in the Contracts is completed ahead of Contract Award.Home Office commercial undertake a robust financial assessment of all Bidders financial health and viability to deliver contracts as part of the financial evaluation in procurements over £50m and these principles apply to all procurements.For high value and complex contracts, Bidders are requested to provide a competed FVRA (Financial Viability Risk Assessment) which includes profitability ratios, debt ratios, liquidity ratios and solvency ratios. If Bidders are unable to meet the required thresholds, then they are removed from the procurement process.Other information required would only be available at a disproportionate cost.

What due diligence processes her Department undertakes before awarding contracts valued above £10 million.

Where Home Office Commercial use Key Subcontractors to deliver critical services, controls are in place to test their financial health throughout the life of the contract and performance monitored through KPIs.The Home Office Commercial Assurance Board provides independent assurance for all procurement and Contracts above £10m.The Commercial Assurance Board undertakes an assessment and approval at key stages of the commercial lifecycle (Strategic Outline case, outline business case and full business case) before the Contract is awarded.Assurance and assessment of commercial and legal risks, value for money, compliance with regulations and how Social Value will be delivered in the Contracts is completed ahead of Contract Award.Home Office commercial undertake a robust financial assessment of all Bidders financial health and viability to deliver contracts as part of the financial evaluation in procurements over £50m and these principles apply to all procurements.For high value and complex contracts, Bidders are requested to provide a competed FVRA (Financial Viability Risk Assessment) which includes profitability ratios, debt ratios, liquidity ratios and solvency ratios. If Bidders are unable to meet the required thresholds, then they are removed from the procurement process.Other information required would only be available at a disproportionate cost.

What proportion of her Department's major contracts are delivered via subcontractors; and what controls exist to ensure accountability for subcontracted delivery.

Where Home Office Commercial use Key Subcontractors to deliver critical services, controls are in place to test their financial health throughout the life of the contract and performance monitored through KPIs.The Home Office Commercial Assurance Board provides independent assurance for all procurement and Contracts above £10m.The Commercial Assurance Board undertakes an assessment and approval at key stages of the commercial lifecycle (Strategic Outline case, outline business case and full business case) before the Contract is awarded.Assurance and assessment of commercial and legal risks, value for money, compliance with regulations and how Social Value will be delivered in the Contracts is completed ahead of Contract Award.Home Office commercial undertake a robust financial assessment of all Bidders financial health and viability to deliver contracts as part of the financial evaluation in procurements over £50m and these principles apply to all procurements.For high value and complex contracts, Bidders are requested to provide a competed FVRA (Financial Viability Risk Assessment) which includes profitability ratios, debt ratios, liquidity ratios and solvency ratios. If Bidders are unable to meet the required thresholds, then they are removed from the procurement process.Other information required would only be available at a disproportionate cost.

What the value, annual spend to date and forecast annual spend are for the contract entitled Support Payment Card held with Prepaid Financial Services Limited with contract start date 27 February 2021; and what the per-transaction and per-card cost structure is.

The total contract value is publicly available at: Support Payment Card - Contracts FinderInformation on spend to date, forecast spending and the per-transaction and per-card cost structure is commercially sensitive.

Who signs off asylum related contracts in her Department.

Internal Home Office Commercial approvals are required before awarding contracts. In addition, Cabinet Office Spend Controls approvals are also required.The guidance for Cabinet Office Spend Controls applies to commercial activities with a value of £20 million or more and is published on GOV.UK under Commercial Spend Controls (version 7).

How many penalty deductions, service credits and contractual remedies have been applied to suppliers under the Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract series since 1 March 2019 by supplier and year.

The Department has recovered £74 million in the current financial year through profit-share repayments and service credits – the largest restitution since the contracts were mobilised.The information requested on how many penalty deductions, service credits and contractual remedies have been applied to suppliers under the Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract (AASC) series since 1 March 2019, broken down by supplier and by year, is considered commercially sensitive.Regular disclosure of such detailed contractual performance data would prejudice the commercial interests of both the Home Office and its suppliers. For this reason, the Department does not routinely publicly release this information.

How many asylum seekers there are by (a) day and (b) month of birth.

The Home Office does not currently publish data on the dates of birth of asylum seekers.The Home Office publishes data on asylum by age group in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2025.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

What proportion of asylum seeker dates of birth are recorded as 1 January.

The Home Office does not currently publish data on the dates of birth of asylum seekers.The Home Office publishes data on asylum by age group in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. The latest data relates to the year ending September 2025.Official statistics published by the Home Office are kept under review in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics, taking into account a number of factors including user needs, the resources required to compile the statistics, as well as quality and availability of data. These reviews allow us to balance the production of our regular statistics whilst developing new statistics for future release.

What the cost was of providing accommodation in hotels and other contingency accommodation to illegal migrants in 2025.

We do not report and hold data at this granularity, including by method of arrival, and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.The Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract (AASC) Requirements below gives a detailed breakdown of all the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of this can be found here: http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the: Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

How many and what proportion of her Department's asylum accommodation contract terms and schedules relating to services and unit costs were redacted; and on what grounds those redactions were made.

The Home Office’s asylum contracts are publicly available on Contracts Finder. Copies of the contracts, including redactions, are available at the below links.Commercially sensitive information (including pricing details) and information related to performance management of services (including service credits) are redacted to allow the Home Office to obtain maximum value during the lifetime of its contracts.The Home Office has no current plans to publish any further information related to its asylum contracts, other than the information already publicly available.Information on the requested contracts is available below:Serco - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder Mears - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder CRH - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder CTM -CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder, Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder PFS - Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder thebigword Group Limited - Language Services - Translation & Interpretation - Contracts Finder VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder

What the cost was of services provided (a) within and (b) alongside hotel accommodation in 2025 by provider and contract.

We do not report and hold data at this granularity, including by method of arrival, and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.The Asylum Accommodation and Support Contract (AASC) Requirements below gives a detailed breakdown of all the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of this can be found here: http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the: Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

Whether her Department plans to publish in full the service specifications, unit prices, and key performance indicators attached to asylum accommodation contracts that operated in 2025.

The Home Office’s asylum contracts are publicly available on Contracts Finder. Copies of the contracts, including redactions, are available at the below links.Commercially sensitive information (including pricing details) and information related to performance management of services (including service credits) are redacted to allow the Home Office to obtain maximum value during the lifetime of its contracts.The Home Office has no current plans to publish any further information related to its asylum contracts, other than the information already publicly available.Information on the requested contracts is available below:Serco - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NW - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract MEE - Contracts Finder Mears - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NEYH - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Scotland - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract NI - Contracts Finder CRH - AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract Wales - Contracts Finder, AASC - Asylum Accommodation & Support Services Contract South - Contracts Finder CTM -CCTM22A01 Provision of Bridging Accommodation and Travel Services Contract - Contracts Finder, Contract for the Provision of Asylum Accommodation and Travel Services - Contracts Finder PFS - Support Payment Card - Contracts Finder Migrant Help - AIRE - Advice Issue Reporting and Elligibility - Contracts Finder Mitie Limited - Provision of Security Services at Home Office Contingency Accommodation - Contracts Finder British Refugee Council - Independent Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children (UASCs) Support Service - Contracts Finder thebigword Group Limited - Language Services - Translation & Interpretation - Contracts Finder VF Services (UK) Limited - Contract for the provision of Home Office and Asylum Interviews - Contracts Finder

What the spend was on private healthcare services provided to illegal migrants housed in hotels and other accommodation in 2025.

Healthcare for asylum seekers in Home Office accommodation including hotels and large, former military, sites is provided through the NHS in line with national guidance for newly arrived migrants.

How much her Department spent on (a) laundry services, including contracted laundries, (b) on-site services and (c) reimbursements by (i) supplier and (ii) accommodation site type in 2025.

We do not report and hold data at this granularity and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

How much her Department spent on (a) recreational activities, (b) leisure provision and (c) community engagement activities for migrants who arrived in the UK illegally by (i) provider and (ii) type of activity in 2025.

The Home Office holds a contract with Changing Lives Ltd, now operating as Simply Active Group CIC, for the provision of a structured programme of recreational activity at Wethersfield. The contract commenced on 26 August 2024 and is scheduled to end on 19 February 2026.The original contract can be viewed on Contracts Finder: Recreational Activity Provision - Contracts Finder.The Home Office does not pay its Accommodation Providers to deliver recreational activities across the estate.

What steps her Department took in 2025 to help support scrutiny by (a) the Public Accounts Committee and (b) other hon. Members of the (i) costs and (ii) service content of asylum accommodation contracts; and whether any data was withheld.

The Home Office has published details of the AASC contracts, including the Statement of Requirements which gives a detailed breakdown of all the services to be undertaken by our accommodation providers and to the standards we expect. Full details of this can be found here: http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2018-1112/AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdfInformation on asylum expenditure is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts.In addition, the Home Office and Ministers have provided written and oral evidence about asylum support and accommodation to the Home Affairs Select Committee and to the Public Accounts Committee - copies and transcripts are available from the Committees’ websites.Data and information related to commercially sensitive information, performance management and other confidential aspects of the contracts and services are withheld to protect the commercial and legal position of the Home Office and its contracted Providers.

How much her Department spent on security provision at hotels and other accommodation sites housing migrants who arrived in the UK illegally by contractor, region, and cost per site in 2025.

We do not report and hold data at this granularity and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

How much her Department spent on (a) food provision, by dietary requirement and (b) catering by (i) supplier and (ii) cost per person per day for migrants who arrived in the UK illegally who are housed in (A) hotels and (B) other accommodation sites in 2025.

We do not report and hold data at this granularity and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

How much her Department spent on cleaning, maintenance and repair services at hotel and contingency accommodation sites by supplier and cost per (a) room and (b) site in 2025.

We do not report and hold data at this granularity and would only be obtainable at disproportionate cost.The Home Office publishes information on asylum expenditure in the Home Office annual report and accounts: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK.

How many hotels and other accommodation sites were used for illegal migrant accommodation in 2025; and what the average occupancy was across those sites.

At its peak under the previous government, around 400 hotels were used to accommodate asylum seekers – costing £9 million per day. That figure is now under 200 - the government remains committed no longer using hotels to accommodate asylum seekers by the end of this Parliament.The Home Office does not publish data on the utilisation of asylum accommodation. We aim to utilise our estate as fully as possible, however, as with all types of accommodation properties may be temporarily vacant for a variety of operational reasons, including the need for maintenance or refurbishment work, or while awaiting allocation to new occupants following the departure of previous residents.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.