FOI/202600517206 · FOI · not held
Costs associated with asylum support: FOI release
Information requested
1. Any data on the number of failed asylum seekers who become destitute and require support from Scottish public services.
2. Estimated costs to local councils and the Scottish Government of supporting this group.
Response
1. Any data on the number of failed asylum seekers who become destitute and require support from Scottish public services.
While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
Asylum and immigration are matters reserved to the UK Parliament and handled by the Home Office. This includes provision of asylum support and accommodation / decisions relating to asylum applications / restriction to accessing public funds (NRPF status)/ the design and operation of UK refugee resettlement programmes.
The Scottish Government does not hold data that quantifies how many refused asylum seekers in Scotland become destitute and draw on public services. Instead, there is available evidence is drawn from a combination of local authority surveys, service-use data and third sector research. Together, these sources provide an indication of scale, but not a definitive figure.
https://migrationscotland.org.uk/policyarea/policy-context/cosla-survey-of-local-authority-nrpf-support/.
2. Estimated costs to local councils and the Scottish Government of supporting this group.
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. The Scottish Government does not hold the information as this would be a matter for Local Authorities to monitor.
We are aware of estimated costs to local councils that were published by COSLA and showed Scottish local authorities spent at least £8.3 million in 2022/23 supporting households with No Recourse to Public Funds.
However, this has dropped to £5.4 million in the survey’s most recent calculations (2024/5). This group includes households with refused asylum seekers, alongside other individuals who are unable to access public funds due to their immigration status.
For more specific, statistical information, you may be able to find the specific data you are looking for if you enquire through the Home Office general enquiries on GOV.UK and mark it as a statistics enquiry.
Alternatively, you may wish to seek the information directly from Local Authorities or COSLA.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Detected exemption language
This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested. This is a formal notice under section 17(1) of FOISA that the Scottish Government does not have the information you have requested.
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