To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of the establishment of an asylum seeker reception centre in Newcastle upon Tyne; and what discussions he has had with the Strategic Migration Partnership and Newcastle-upon-Tyne City Council on such a proposal. (318820)

The UK Border Agency is proposing to open initial accommodation for asylum seekers in the North East. Agency staff discussed this proposal with its key partners in the North East in April 2009. These discussions included both the North East Strategic Migration Partnership and the North East Consortium for Asylum Support Services. In addition, the UK Border Agency’s regional director for the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber discussed the proposal with the chief executive, Newcastle city council when they met on 22 February.

UKBA launched a formal competition to provide initial accommodation in the North East with its target providers at the end of December 2009. An invitation to bid was sent to the North East Consortium for Asylum Support Services and the North East Strategic Migration Partnership was notified of the competition in January 2010.