Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the 2020-21 budget is for housing illegal migrants. (77354)
Tabled on: 18 November 2021
Answer:
Tom Pursglove:
Accommodation costs are commercially confidential; therefore, the Home Office does not publish this information.
The answer was submitted on 24 Nov 2021 at 15:42.
December 1, 2021
How can it be commercially confidential when it is taxpayers money.
More mealy mouthed rubbish from the Home Office which is encouraging the boat people.
I hope you get a resounding thrashing on Thursday.
December 1, 2021
So a leading MP from the ruling Party in Government is told ‘mind your own business’.
December 1, 2021
Nothing to hide there then – move along.
Just imagine what you think it might be and treble it and you won’t be far off.
December 1, 2021
Then treble that number again for the added cost of Home Office management, staff and resource
December 2, 2021
+1
December 1, 2021
You’ve been fobbed off, mate. Individual hotel costs may be confidential, but clearly the Government budget isn’t. They are concerned that taxpayers may be angry if they see the cost of this process to which no consent has been asked or given.
December 1, 2021
Indeed. Biggest scandal going. Why aren’t they being deported?
December 2, 2021
Human Rights Act and the lawyers. We will never solve this problem whilst we remain with the Human Rights Act and the ECHR. Never.
December 2, 2021
Germany, like several other countries, deports many times the number than does the UK for failed applications.
It is in ECHR like 45 other countries including Russia and Turkey, and HRA only mirrors that.
What is the difference?
Could it just be, that using desperate people in a cynical political game – aided by their privately-owned media – is actually beneath the main parties there, unlike here?
December 2, 2021
I don’t follow your logic NHL
You say Germany deports many more people than the UK
Then you have a go at the UK for being desperate to deport people.
December 2, 2021
We created and held these rights in the UK centuries before, NHL
It just depends if you feel a foreign court should have the final say over us.
I don’t
December 2, 2021
If only a government with an 80 seat majority could alter legislation?
December 2, 2021
+1
December 2, 2021
How would you like it altered?
Read up on what your fourteen rights are under ECHR, and tell us which you want to lose?
That might give us some insight.
December 3, 2021
Who said give up rights NHL?
It would be nice to have our own Parliament and Courts be supreme.
December 2, 2021
+1
December 1, 2021
Why so? Anyone can call a hotel and ask for their rates. If the government have negotiated a discount, fair enough. If they are paying over the odds, who cares? It’s only taxpayers’ money.
December 2, 2021
Beresford:
I agree. The truth is, they know the Public would be outraged, if they knew the true cost. This is my money, and the money of every taxpayer. Even though Iām a pensioner, the HMRC wants to know about every penny of my income.
Hundreds are coming into this Country daily, and the people who pay for it have no say. If we murmur, we are accused of āracismā and lack of sympathy. I suppose we are expected to āknow our placeā!
Iām fed up to the teeth with it myself, and I know I am far from alone.
December 2, 2021
Indeed you are not alone CG.
December 2, 2021
beresford – you are right. No comment from JR, as usual.
December 1, 2021
So taxpayers aren’t allowed to know how much of their money is being spent on what. Perhaps our income should be Commercially Confidential from the taxman!
This *we’ll take your cash and won’t tell you where we spend it* won’t end well. It really does become theft at that stage by any moral yardstick.
December 1, 2021
This government makes Prince John Sheriff of Nottingham look like a teddy bear
December 2, 2021
I heard that the US lawyers on the Assange case are paid by UK taxpayers – is this correct JR?
December 2, 2021
It just doesn’t stop – millions here millions there
December 1, 2021
Government deviousness. Sir John asked what the budget figure was, not the actual cost. Pursglove should not be allowed to get away with not answering the question. But they get away with such as this all the time and it seems nothing can be or is done. In any case the whole answer stinks and is full of fakery. The fact that Pursglove thinks we the people should not know is disgusting and typical of government arrogance.
December 1, 2021
*Typical of Tory arrogance.
December 1, 2021
The Prangwizard :
Agreed.
I have asked this question to my MP, but of course I received no answer – not even “we’re not telling you!”
December 1, 2021
Ha!
Shy about owning up to the truth!
Ā£200 per room per night.
December 1, 2021
Oh dear what a stupid answer, just imagine the worst, and then treble it !
Lets say Ā£300 per day per person, plus all of the overheads of government departments involved !
Probably Ā£1,000 per day per person.
December 1, 2021
So much for Freedom Of Information.
Stand by to see it basically scrapped in all areas by these secretive authoritarians.
December 1, 2021
another non answer from the government
so much for parliamentary scrutiny
December 1, 2021
‘Commercially confidential’.
An utter cop out of an answer to hide the true costs from the Taxpayer.
Is it any wonder we don’t trust the Government on dealing with this issue?
It has been reported in the media that the costs of dealing with illegal migration exceed Ā£1 BILLION per year.
I also question why it is right that largely economic migrants (if you are paying a people smuggler Ā£1000’s to come here, then sorry you are not genuine in my book) to these shores are given four star hotel accommodation, whilst there are many British born homeless on the streets whom do not get this same treatment. Talk about double standards.
Look after others before your own, seems to be the Government’s mentality.
December 1, 2021
The MP for Corby needs to reconsider his reply as it was clearly and deliberately evasive and answered a question that had not been asked.
But then again, that probably puts him in good stead for promotion in this coercive and deceitful government.
December 1, 2021
But… the Home Office is not a commercial organisation.
Ask them to try again. Raise their failures with the minister responsible.
December 1, 2021
The answer in unreasonable and not acceptable. Fire him.
Public money demands public oversight and full transparency.
December 1, 2021
To the penny we can find out how much the taxpayer has spent on nuclear submarines & nuclear weaponsā¦.but we canāt be told the cost of a hotel room
This isnāt a point of order issue; itās a resignation (canāt be associated with this government) issue
December 2, 2021
Indeed, Ā£8,647 every minute of 2020, Ā£4.46bn just to maintain the stock of nuclear weapons and its delivery system in good shape.
December 1, 2021
This is a quite outrageous and offensive response as it is deceitful and disrespectful in the extreme. You were not asking for individual budgets but merely a global total. To provide that information would give NO indication whatsoever as to the amount paid to individual accommodation providers.
So the minister LIED to you by claiming that his refusal to reply was due to commercial confidentiality. This seems to have been a written, and not an oral, reply, but is there no action you can take to get this liar sacked, or at least disciplined? Lying to am MP must surely be punished.
December 1, 2021
Who the hell do they think they are? How dare they keep this information from the taxpayer, what are they hiding?
December 2, 2021
They are hiding a bloody big number and one that’s getting bigger all the time. Just by being secretive tells us it’s unacceptable.
December 1, 2021
The Home Office confirmed the number in hotels as 15,000
All found a discounted average cost of a room would be Ā£100
Thatās 1.5 million per day x 365 days in a year = Ā£547,500,000
A cool half a billion pounds of taxpayers money ā¦and thatās just the accommodation costs
December 1, 2021
It is the not-fit-for-purpose Home Office so prudence suggests your half billion Ā£ figure should be at least doubled.
How many patrol boats and other resources would a billion Ā£ a year buy to prevent the arrival of illegals?
December 2, 2021
glen cullen :
āThe Home Office confirmed the number in hotels as 15,000ā
This may be correct, I do not know, but it must be a far bigger figure currently being HOUSED by the countryās taxpayers as nearly 24,000 have already arrived this year alone.
The total cost will be even bigger still as it will include food, Ā£40/week spending money and free healthcare.
December 2, 2021
Following a question at committee a couple of weeks ago they reported 15,000 immigrants staying in hotels….I am sure you’re correct in that there are a greater many in ‘other’ accomodation
December 1, 2021
Accommodation costs are commercially confidential
That is a silly and insulting response, its not his money but our (the taxpayers) money. Thinking they can spend it and not allow it to be scrutinised illustrates everything that is wrong with this Government
December 2, 2021
This govt. is catching up fast if not exceeding the corruption of the US govt. I suppose the UK govt. is obliged to be corrupt as it is scared of the US applying pressure on it. Even Switzerland runs scared of the US as exemplified by them cow towing to the US pressure in not sending crowdfunded ventilation units to Cuba. The US just loves people. Italy also has bowed to US pressure.
The US Blinken and most other US spokespeople seem to be Russian assets as their stupid statements make the US a laughing stock which Putin must love.
JR – why has the US/UK extradition treaty not been scrapped? Are you not pressing for it or you don’t care?
December 1, 2021
The Question and Answer should be on the front page of every Tory supporting paper tomorrow. These people need shaming into answering.
December 1, 2021
Is this another one of those inane situations, like in Parliament, where you ask a question – get a half answer – and are then unable to respond. If you can respond presumably it will be along the lines of: “I asked what the budget is – not what the accommodation costs being paid are.”
December 2, 2021
Can JR offer any proof that he has followed up on inadequate answers at any time and what the results were? If so, JR, give us some links.
Reply Of course I follow up in conversations which are not available as links!
December 1, 2021
You should complain about that non-answer, absolutely outrageous. This cowardly, useless government canāt handle anything. We will never escape COVID 19 as they are too slavish to lefty public opinion.
Zorro
December 1, 2021
Must be at least Ā£100 per room per night which would be the accommodation cost for a care home.
I know which one I would rather my taxes were used for.
Thank you for enquiring Sir John
December 1, 2021
Concur…well done SirJ
December 1, 2021
This is a contemptuous response to who should be a parliamentary colleague. He should say “owing to my obligation not to embarrass the government, I decline to give an answer”.
December 1, 2021
Well the amount of money it is costing should be published, together with details of how long it takes to process their claim. I would like to see a plan to ensure all claims are dealt with within 3 months and individuals not eligible to be here swiftly deported straight away. Home office needs to employ more foot soldiers to do the work instead of just contemplating how to deal with it. Happy to offer my services to organise the Government if required – you certainly need it!
December 1, 2021
The Blob are colluding with the Minister, really defensive, must be huge dinero’s and hence huge embarrassment to HMG. Border control, er no… this is one of the many manifesto pledges which have been trashed. I imagine the soon to occur 2 by-elections will either show very angry and disappointed tories or they will just decline to turn out….
The men in suits yet?
December 2, 2021
Rhoddas, I think we need other men in suits, for the absent men in suits.
December 1, 2021
You can be assured even the true costs of everything from Channel taxi service, concierge services, interpreters, full time support services, full board and lodging will be unknown nationwide by anyone being political dynamite. Even if known Labour would say it’s not enough. Those in the red wall areas would be livid. Boris still sits right hoping no one asks this. Would Andrew Marr ever ask or any MSM?
December 1, 2021
Boris sits tight, praying …
December 2, 2021
…and what of the social costs to our customs, traditions and community
December 2, 2021
glen cullen – it is said that the migrants are coming for a better life but does that include those already living here?
December 2, 2021
The Government’s official advice to immigrants is that they will be housed in hotels with Ā£35 a week until their asylum applications are processed and – wait furrit – that if their asylum application fails their Ā£35 a week will be withdrawn only if they refuse the accommodation that is offered to them.
Madness.
F***ing madness.
December 2, 2021
I concurr with your anger NLA.
December 2, 2021
Agree – utter madness
December 2, 2021
If their application fails conclusively, then they should be deported, and there would be no reason under ECHR for them not to be.
Their application would have succeeded otherwise.
If there were some covid19 travel restriction, or granted right to appeal preventing this, then that would be a separate matter entirely.
December 2, 2021
Then they move onto a long appeals process which can take years.
That isnt “granted”, it is their legal right.
Then after these years have passed they now have partners or anchor babies and thus the right to family life.
Surely you know all this NHL?
December 2, 2021
The appeals processes and criterions could be changed at any time by Act Of Parliament even if your claim were true – which it generally is not.
People are granted leave to appeal where appropriate.
December 2, 2021
Wrong
As you say yourself the ECHR has supremacy and our Courts interpret their judgements as being right.
Hence right to family life as loosely interpretated by our Courts.
December 3, 2021
ECHR are quite clear that a right to family life is NOT absolute, and that countries may deport criminals.
They made this clear for Russia, some years ago now.
UK judges have been criticised for not following precedent, and hence bringing ECHR into disrepute.
But hey, denying that makes an excuse to rob 67 million of all of their human rights, so let’s carry on doing that eh?
As I say, how come Germany etc. don’t have these problems?
December 3, 2021
Nonsense again NHL
There are many cases of deportation being overturned because of the ruling of the European courts on the right to family life.
Don’t be a denier.
PS
Love your claim to rights based on the interpretation of Russian courts
Hilarious
December 2, 2021
The answer is that there is no budget and that these costs will be allowed to crowd out other budget items or (worse) will be added to Government ‘borrowing’ (money printing).
I see that the Chancellor is insisting he is a low tax Tory. Some evidence would be nice.
December 2, 2021
Appalling, and imo misleading Parliament as this is tax payers money. A bit like refusing to disclose how much money is spent on HS2!
December 2, 2021
Your question is profoundly ignorant. There is nothing illegal about being migrant.
Reply There are people who come here with no permission to live and work here.
December 2, 2021
Gary Megson :
āYour question is profoundly ignorant. There is nothing illegal about being migrant.ā
You are correct, there is nothing illegal about being a migrant.
However, as Sir John correctly says the illegality arises from arriving without documentation and without permission.
Only a fool or a fifth columnist would believe that anyone of the 8 billion people in the world can live in any country they fancy.
It also needs to be understood that just because people may be wishing to leave their own country and come to ours for economic reasons or because they are suffering from intolerance in their own country does NOT mean they are then willing to accept our laws, culture and customs or happy to integrate into our society and make a contribution.
December 2, 2021
The home office FOI department refuses to release a telephone number for their FOI department.
December 3, 2021
As the populations of Scotland Wales and Ulster have barely moved up in the last fiffty years whilst Englands has gone Norgth of fifteen Million in that time, is it not time that immigration quotas should be linked to the Barnett Formula?