Asylum Seekers Provision of Housing and Government Grants for such

The request was partially successful.

Dear Portsmouth City Council,

Please provide deatils of the number of asylum seekers, on a year by year basis from 2003 to date, who have been housed by Portsmouth City Council. Please also provide details on a year by year basis of the grants received from Central Government by Portsmouth City Council for provision of this housing. Format for providing this data.

2003 - No. Asylum Seekers. - Amount. Central Government Grant

through to last year of full data 2010.

Yours faithfully,

James Haggar

Harding, Peter, Portsmouth City Council

1 Attachment

[1]logo_engCustomer, Community and Democratic
Services                                           

Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AL

Telephone:         023 9268 8482

Fax:                        023 9284 1327

                                                                                                               

Reference: FOI2011726

 

Dear James Haggar

 

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT 2000 - INFORMATION REQUEST ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

 

Thank you for your request for information received on 1^st November 2011

 

Your request is being considered and, subject to the points made below,
you will receive the information requested as promptly as possible within
the statutory timescale of 20 working days as defined by the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

 

If we need to obtain more information from you in order to understand what
information you require, we will contact you. If this is the case, the 20
days time limit will not commence until your request has been clarified.

 

The Act defines a number of exemptions that may prevent release of certain
information.  The City Council will consider whether any of these
exemptions apply and, where required by the Act, whether it is in the
public interest to release the information.  If we have to make a public
interest test, the 20 day time limit might be extended. We will inform you
if the time scale has to be extended and if any information is withheld
and of your rights of appeal.

 

The City Council would like to make you aware that disclosure of
information obtained through FOIA is a disclosure into the public domain.

 

The City Council’s standard approach is to provide the information in the
form in which we hold it.  If you require alternative formats, e.g. audio,
large print, etc. or a different language, please let me know and we will
provide it if reasonably practicable to do so. If your request is a
question and we do not hold the answer in recorded form we will try and
provide an answer where we are able unless it requires the creation of new
information.

There may be a fee payable for this information request and we will send
you a Fees Notice if this is the case. Any fee must be paid before the
request is provided.  The time between the issue of the Fees Notice and
receipt of payment is excluded from the calculation of the 20 working day
time limit.

 

Any personal information you provide in relation to this request will only
be used for the purposes of processing your request for information.

 

If you have any queries or concerns then please contact the Corporate
Information Governance Officer at Portsmouth City Council, Civic Offices,
Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2AL, telephone 023 9268 8482,
e-mail [email address].

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Peter Harding

Corporate Information Governance Officer

(please note my working days are Monday,Tuesday all day & Wednesday am)

Portsmouth City Council Civic Offices Guildhall Square Portsmouth PO1 2AL

023 9268 8482

Email: [2][Portsmouth City Council request email]

Website: [3]www.portsmouth.gov.uk

If you are submitting a request for information under the Freedom of
Information Act, please send it to the FoI team at
<[4]mailto:[email address]>

 

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References

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2. mailto:[Portsmouth City Council request email]
3. http://www.portsmouth.gov.uk/
4. mailto:[email address]
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Dear Harding, Peter,

You are now out of time for replying to my FOI request and therefore in breach of the law.

Yours sincerely,

James Haggar

Harding, Peter, Portsmouth City Council

Thank you for your mail. I am currently out of officeuntil 12th December.
If your mail is urgent please send to [Portsmouth City Council request email] or alternatievly contact Sue Beresford on 023 9268 8459 or Helen Magri .
Thank you Peter Harding Corporate Infromation Governance Officer Portsmouth City Council

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Dear Harding, Peter,

Please pass my former communication, therefore to your Deputy, Helen Magri, for urgent action.

Yours sincerely,

James Haggar

FoI, Portsmouth City Council

1 Attachment

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|[1]logo_engInformation Governance |  |
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|             Customer, Community and Democratic Services | |
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|  | |
| | |
|Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AL | |
| | |
|Telephone:    023 9268 8482 | |
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| Fax:                023 9284 1327 | |
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Our Ref: FOI2011726

Date: 02/12/2011

 

Dear Mr James Haggar,

 

Regarding your Freedom of Information request relating to Asylum Seekers
with regret we are indeed late in providing our response to you.

 

Once we receive the Information from  Social Services next week I will
send our response on to you. 

 

In the meantime, please accept our sincere apologies and we shall be in
touch again very soon.

Thank you.

 

 

If you have any queries or concerns then please contact the Corporate
Information Governance Officer at Portsmouth City Council, Civic Offices,
Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2AL, telephone 023 9268 8482,
e-mail [email address].

 

 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Helen Magri

 

 

 

Corporate Information Governance Officer.
                                                                 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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FoI, Portsmouth City Council

1 Attachment

[1]logo_engFOI Customer, Community and Democratic
Services                            

Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AL

Telephone:    023 9268 8482

Fax:                023 9284 1327

 

Our Ref: FOI2011726

 

Date: 06/12/2011

Dear James Haggar,

                                   

INFORMATION REQUEST –

 

Thank you for your request for information received on 01/11/2011, which
was considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. 

 

In accordance with the Act, Portsmouth City Council confirms it holds the
following information and explanation from our Social Care Service as
follows:

 

 

     Please provide deatils of the number of asylum seekers, on a year
 by year basis from 2003 to date, who have been housed by Portsmouth
 City Council. Please also provide details on a year by year basis of the
grants received from Central Government by Portsmouth City  Council for
provision of this housing. Format for providing this  data.

 

     2003 - No. Asylum Seekers. - Amount. Central Government Grant
through to last year of full data 2010.

 

 

 

NIL

Portsmouth City Council do not House Asylum Seekers. The following Extract
has been provided by our Housing Options Team from the relevant Guidance
Codes for Local Authorities:- 

 

Asylum seekers

9.11.  Asylum seekers will almost always be persons subject to immigration
control.

Asylum seekers who are persons subject to immigration control and whose
claim for asylum was made after 2 April 2000 are not eligible for
assistance under Part 7 of the 1996 Housing Act. Some asylum seekers whose
claim for asylum was made before 3 April 2000 would be eligible for
assistance under Part 7 in certain limited circumstances, but the number
of persons who fall in these classes is likely to be very small (if any).
Annex 9 provides guidance on the limited categories of asylum seekers
eligible for assistance under Part 7 of the 1996 Housing Act.

9.12.  Under s 186 of the 1996 Act, an asylum seeker who would otherwise
be eligible for assistance under the Eligibility Regulations, will be
ineligible, if he or she has any accommodation available in the UK for his
or her occupation, however temporary.

 

Portsmouth City Council does however have responsibility of “care” for
children who are asylum seekers. Therefore any Children, under the age of
16 years, who are Asylum Seekers, are placed with foster carers. Young
people over the age of 16 years are not always placed in foster care as
other types of accommodation can be considered.  As for all LAC, we
consider accommodation needs as part of their overall care/pathway
planning.  This is not determined by the UASC grant and accommodation is
not considered in terms of finance, but in terms of the needs of the young
people.

 

Once UASC young people receive status or withdraw asylum claims they no
longer qualify for the UASC grant, but we still have a duty to accommodate
until 18 years.  Once they turn 18 years, if they don't have status (are
still asylum seekers) and cannot claim benefits, we also still retain a
duty to accommodate/support under the Care leavers legal framework.

 

As they are Children and not adults they are not "housed" as such, but
cared for and the grant provides for this care - which may mean that it is
not easy, if possible, to split the grant income between elements to
separately identify accommodation costs. To add, this information would
probably be better sought from the Home Office who make the grants and
would therefore probably have the information more readily available.

 

Please also provide details on a year by year basis of the grants received
from Central Government by Portsmouth City Council for provision of this
housing. Format for providing this data.   2003 - No. Asylum Seekers. -
Amount. Central Government Grant  through to last year of full data 2010.

 

Grant claims for the last few years which provide the following
information:

 

Year                Nos @ 31st March               Govt Grant [for
accommodation & subsistence]

2010/11          15                                            £392,718

2009/10          15                                            £380,348

2008/09          18                                            £279,537

2007/08          12                                            £226,984

2006/07          14                                            £231,488

 

Prior to this date the format appears to have been different involving
Adults & Families as well as Unaccompanied Children, but not readily
identifying numbers or differentiating the grant elements to exclude the
administrative element therefore difficult to provide in the format held.

 

 

Thank you.

 

Under the Re- Use of Public Sector Information Regulations 2005 (SI
2005/1515) the supplied information may not be re-used without obtaining
the permission of Portsmouth City Council.

Portsmouth City Council in complying with their statutory duty under
sections 1 and 11 of the Freedom of Information Act to release the
enclosed information, will not breach the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988. However, the rights of the copyright holder of the enclosed
information will continue to be protected by the law.  If you wish to use
this information, you may require approval or licence from the copyright
holder.

 

You have the right to appeal against this decision or to complain about
our treatment of your request.  If you wish to do so, please set out in
writing your grounds of complaint and send to the Corporate Information
Governance Officer at Portsmouth City Council, Civic Offices, Guildhall
Square, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO1 2AL, telephone 023 9268 8482, e-mail

[2][email address].

Should you be dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaints decision you
may wish to follow the Portsmouth City Council’s Compliments and
Complaints procedure which can be found on the Portsmouth City Council
website or by contacting the Civic Offices.

 

Once these processes have been exhausted you have a further right of
appeal to the Information Commissioner at:

 

Further information is also available from the Information Commissioner
at:

Information Commissioner's Office

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire

SK9 5AF

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

[3]www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

 

Helen Magri

Corporate Information Governance Officer

 

 

 

 

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Dear FoI,

Thank you for your response. I do not understand the final paragraph of the response:

'Prior to this date the format appears....to provide in the format held.'

It is unitelligible. Please explain in plain english, exactly what you mean by this, and explain exactly why you cannot provide this information. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

James Haggar

FoI, Portsmouth City Council

Dear Mr Haggar,
Thank you for your enquiry to which I have asked the officer for an explanation and waiting on the response.
I will be in touch again soon and Thank you for your patience.

FOI Team
Portsmouth City Council

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FoI, Portsmouth City Council

Dear Mr Haggar,
Regarding your FOI request final paragraph I have now received further explanation from Social Care as follows:

From 2006/7 the Local Authority has only been responsible for unaccompanied asylum seeking children. Grant claims have identified the number of supported children and the grant allocation has been separated between "accommodation & Subsistence" and administrative grant - allowing us to provide the information on accommodation costs that we have.

Prior to 2006/7 the claims related to adults, families and children, not just children, and the grant was not separated out into its component parts. Consequently the "accommodation and subsistence" costs were not readily identified as previously.

Given that the claims would not provide the accommodation cost information, have been archived and would have been dealt with by another section of the Council, we have not attempted to recover the information on numbers alone for the period prior to 2006/7.

It is suggested that this information would be better sourced from the Home Office and UK Border Agency.

Thank you.

Kind Regards
FOI Team - Customer, Community and Democratic Services
Portsmouth City Council
Civic Offices
Guildhall Square
Portsmouth

[Portsmouth City Council request email]
023 92688459

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