The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 26th April 2021:
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government how many asylum seekers they have asked (1) Mears, (2) Serco, and (3) Clearsprings Ready Homes, to provide accommodation for as part of Operation Oak.
Lord Greenhalgh (Con, Home Office): We currently have c8100 people in hotels, with our providers working to procure sufficient accommodation across the UK to exit contingency accommodation and maintain a business as usual operation thereafter.
We require providers to work at pace but have directed them to only procure accommodation which is safe and secure for asylum seekers and the communities in which they live.
We remain committed to working in partnership with local authorities, through the use the Strategic Migration Partnerships to ensure the views of local authorities are included when forward planning.
The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a maximum recommended length of stay for asylum seekers in contingency accommodation before they are offered more suitable long-term accommodation.
Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): There is no maximum recommended length of stay for asylum seekers in contingency accommodation.
The global pandemic and the pause on the cessation of support has meant that the supported population has grown and in order to ensure the health of both asylum seekers and the community in which they live the Home Office has had to use contingency accommodation to avoid destitution.
We would encourage Local Authorities who do not currently house supported asylum seekers, such as Durham, to participate in the asylum dispersal scheme so that we can minimise the length of stay in contingency accommodation
The Church of England in Parliament 
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