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Written question asked by Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party) on Monday, 23 November 2020, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 26 November 2020 (named day). It was answered by Chris Philp (Conservative) on Thursday, 26 November 2020 on behalf of the Home Office.

Asylum: Napier Barracks

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effect on operational transparency of the use of confidentiality agreements issued to volunteers by the contractors running immigration detention operations at the Napier Barracks in Folkestone on behalf of her Department.

Answer

We have worked closely with our accommodation provider Clearsprings Ready Homes and stakeholders to ensure the Napier site is safe and secure.

Asylum seekers are not being detained at Napier Barracks; it is temporary contingency initial asylum accommodation.

There is no secrecy about our use of Napier as asylum accommodation, but privacy of individuals must be maintained. The accommodation itself is entirely adequate for its purpose, with the same standards applied as for other asylum accommodation. We are taking great care to ensure that we provide safe, secure accommodation and that everyone has access to the support they need. This includes providing asylum seekers with privacy and confidentiality as would be expected for those seeking sanctuary in the UK where it would be damaging for their identities to be revealed.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
119296
Session
2019-21
Subjects
Disclosure of information Contracts Asylum Temporary accommodation Voluntary work Napier Barracks Folkestone
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk