Clause 15 - Support for destitute asylum-seeker
Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Bill
10:00 am
Ms Angela Eagle (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office; Wallasey, Labour)
I accept the hon. Gentleman's desire, which we all share, for plain English in legislation. I am not sure whether we always manage to produce plain English, and I suspect that he has found an example of where have not. It might be reasonable to conclude from subsection (3)(a) that there will be a choice of whether to go into NASS accommodation or an accommodation centre, but there will not be. The accommodation allocation procedures will not involve asylum seekers being able to choose, just as there is no choice in the current system. The criteria used will include, for example, the port of arrival. Clearly, I shall pass his comments to parliamentary counsel.