‘Stop making profit’ from asylum seekers
Political Correspondent ASYLUM seekers should not be housed by private firms making profit out of “humiliating and degrading” services, according to a Glasgow MSP.
Patrick Harvie, Green MSP, wants the Scottish Government to submit a public sector bid for the accommodation and support service tender for asylum seekers.
Mr Harvie said the current level of services are unacceptable and with a new contract to cover the next 10 years soon to be agreed, he wants profit to be removed from the situation in Scotland.
Glasgow is home to the vast majority of asylum seekers in Scotland and the current contract is delivered by private contractor Serco, awarded by the Home Office.
It has been criticised as housing people in substandard flats
A past report by the Scottish Refugee Council found people living in flats with inadequate heating or hot water, properties that were filthy or infested, and families having to share accommodation with strangers.
Mr Harvie said Scotland should take a lead and take the contract into public or third sector control.
He said: “No-one should be satisfied with the current level of provision of asylum accommodation and support services. Among many others, the UK’s Home Affairs Committee has condemned the level of provision that is offered by multinational corporations on a for-profit basis under the current contract.”
The next contract will last 10 years, worth £4billion across the UK and around half a billion pounds in Scotland.
Mr Harvie added: “Accommodation and support for people seeking asylum, often from extremely distressing situations, must be provided to a standard we can be proud of as a welcoming nation. The UK Government wants a cut-price and inadequate service because it wants a system that humiliates and degrades people.”
Equalities Secretary Angela Constance said the Scottish government agreed that profit should not be the motivation for providing services to asylum seekers.
She said: “For the avoidance of doubt, the Scottish Government has always made it clear that the provision of asylum accommodation and support should be led by the third sector or the public sector and not by those who have profit as a motive.”