Mears Group plc announced that the Home Office has awarded the Group three new contracts to provide accommodation and support for asylum seekers. The new contracts, the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC), replace the existing ones and are on substantially different terms. Mears has been awarded three regions: Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber. The contracts are estimated to deliver revenues in excess of £1.0 billion over their 10 year term. The contracts are part of the way in which the UK Government meets its duty to provide asylum. To deliver the contracts, the Group will draw on its extensive track record of providing housing, housing maintenance and care services all across the UK, with a strong footprint in the regions concerned. The work includes considerable liaison with the relevant local authorities, in which the Group is highly experienced. The contracts also build on the Group's work in housing with the UK Ministry of Defence.