The Department for Transport has not been consulted by the Home Office on the potential road safety implications of proposals to accommodate asylum seekers at MoD Bicester.

Local traffic management, including consideration of impacts on local roads such as the B4011, is a matter for the relevant local highway authority, Oxfordshire County Council. It would be for the Home Office, as the lead department for the proposals, to engage with the appropriate local authorities and other relevant bodies as necessary.

Our landmark UK-France returns deal means we can send those who arrive on small boats straight back to France – striking at the heart of the gangs’ business model. This has seen us deport more than 1,000 illegal migrants from British soil.

The UK-France returns arrangement remains a pilot scheme and has been extended until October 2026, allowing it to be further scaled and tested over the peak summer period. There is no single silver bullet to end small boat crossings, and this pilot is only one element of our partnership with France, within our wider strategy. I continue to work with my European counterparts to build a comprehensive approach to control migration between the EU and the UK.

The Government takes the welfare and safety of those in its care seriously. Each case considered under the pilot is assessed on an individual basis, including consideration of safeguarding, vulnerability and suitability for removal. Appropriate safeguards are in place, and individuals are able to make representations before any removal takes place.

Where an individual is detained, the suitability of ongoing detention is regularly reviewed, and where there is no legal barrier, removal will proceed.

Individuals are not removed to France where their age is in dispute, given the terms of the Treaty sets out those removed will be individuals who have been determined to be an adult. Removing minors to France is explicitly prohibited under Article 4(2)(d) of the Agreement.

We will continue to work with French authorities to ensure swift, lawful processing under the Agreement and to maintain public safety. We are continuously monitoring and evaluating our pilot, alongside the procedures in place to deliver it.

The Government recognises Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) as a national priority and remains committed to reducing incidents through policing, prevention, and safeguarding measures. If the site is taken forward, the safety and security of local communities, staff and those accommodated on site would be of the utmost importance, with appropriate security arrangements developed in close engagement with local police and partners.

Q8

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Lincoln Jopp (Spelthorne) (Con):

Last Thursday, a man was arrested in Laleham in my constituency. He had been approaching children at the primary school, having been warned by the police not to do so. He was taken into police custody and, after further examination, detained under the Mental Health Act. Unbelievably, he was living in an unlicensed house in multiple occupation, supported by the Home Office, a stone’s throw from the primary school. What I would like to know, Prime Minister, is: who is responsible for the risk assessment that put him there? Was it the Home Office, or was it Spelthorne borough council? Who screwed up? Who can I hold accountable?

I thank the hon. Member for his question. As he will appreciate, there is a live police investigation, and I know that the Minister for Border Security and Asylum is looking closely at the case; obviously, I can provide the hon. Member with any further information as that emerges. I reassure him that all accommodation must meet contractual standards, and the Home Office works with the police to manage all sites safely. Local authorities are consulted prior to any accommodation being procured and can object to any proposal. When there is strong evidence that a site is not suitable, it will not be proceeded with.

In accordance with the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, the Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide destitute asylum seekers with accommodation and subsistence support whilst their application for asylum is being considered.

We are committed to ensuring that destitute asylum seekers are housed in safe, secure and suitable accommodation, and that they are treated with dignity while their asylum claim is considered.

The site has been assessed as safe, legal and compliant for use as asylum accommodation, and all accommodation must meet contractual standards and be safe, fit for purpose and properly equipped.

Initial engagement with Police Scotland and Highland Council on the proposed use of Cameron Barracks to accommodate asylum seekers took place in early October 2025. Engagement with Police Scotland, Highland Council and other statutory partners continues regularly via an Operational Working Group and through bi-lateral conversations.

As we have previously confirmed to all partners, the safety and security of local communities around the site, the staff who work there and those accommodated on the site are of the utmost importance, and a specialist and experienced provider of security services would be permanently on site 24/7 if the site were to be used as asylum accommodation.

If the site were to be used as asylum accommodation, we would work closely and routinely with Police Scotland Highlands Division to ensure appropriate security arrangements were in place for the safety and security of the asylum seekers and the wider community.

If the Home Office decides to proceed with using Cameron Barracks as asylum accommodation, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) would not be involved in the day to day running or security of the site. Any decisions regarding military police or other MOD activity in the surrounding area are solely for the MOD, and it would not be appropriate for the Home Office to comment on their operational posture.

The Home Office expects the highest standards of cleanliness, safety and hygiene in all asylum accommodation and holds providers to account through the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services (AASC) contracts.

Contractual expectations are set out in the AASC Statement of Requirements (Schedule 2) which requires accommodation providers and their landlords to ensure that properties are safe, habitable and fit for purpose at all times, including meeting standards on cleanliness, hygiene, repairs and health and safety compliance.

Monitoring of accommodation standards is carried out through Home Office contract management and assurance activity, including inspections and performance reporting against contractual requirements.

Reporting routes are available to asylum seekers through the Advice, Issue Reporting and Eligibility (AIRE) service, delivered by Migrant Help, which allows issues or complaints relating to accommodation to be raised.

Investigation and resolution of complaints are managed by the Home Office once issues are escalated by Migrant Help. Providers are required to investigate concerns promptly, take remedial action within contractual timescales, and report outcomes to the Home Office.

Independent customer satisfaction and assurance activity further informs performance management and continuous improvement.

The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Home Office expects the highest standards from accommodation providers. A detailed breakdown of all of the services to be undertaken by accommodation providers and the standards we expect can be found in the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC) Statement of Requirements: AASC_-_Schedule_2_-_Statement_of_Requirements.pdf

All Accommodation must comply with the relevant standards for Accommodation defined in Annex B, and the rules relating to sharing and relocations defined in Annex C of this Schedule 2.

The AASC contracts include robust mechanisms for incentivising the provider to deliver on the contractual requirements set out therein. The Home Office also employs a dedicated contract assurance team whose conduct property inspections and assurance reviews.

The Government is determined to fix the issue of mistaken releases and ensure the public is properly protected.

We are focused on fixing release and discharge processes and have already brought in the strongest ever release checks with more direct senior accountability. Going further, we have established a new Justice Performance Board to provide a comprehensive view of prison and criminal court performance including releases in error. Dame Lynne Owens is conducting an independent review to identify what further action we can take.

A team of data scientists are reviewing releases in error to gain a clear picture of what is going wrong and as part of crucial improvements to court processes, an Urgent Warrant Query Unit is being set up, staffed by court experts, so prisons can get urgent answers on what sentences have been imposed. A digital rapid response unit has already been in HMP Wandsworth to use cutting-edge technology in place of manual systems and reduce the potential for human error. These are our initial steps and we will continue to take action to stop these errors and continue the existing close co-operation that exists between the Ministry of Justice, the Home Office and the police.

On the issue of public notification when a foreign national offender is released from custody, decisions about public statements rest with the police.

When engaging with the National Asylum Stakeholder Forum (NASF) and Strategic Engagement Group (SEG), minutes are taken at these meetings. There are no criteria defining ‘constructive dialogue’ with NGOs.

A list of non-governmental organisations who attended NASF and SEG since January 2023 is provided below:

Micro Rainbow

The No Accommodation Network (NACCOM)

British Red Cross

Refugee Action

Asylum Matters

Scottish Refugee Council

Refugee Council

Asylum Support Appeals Project (ASAP)

Freedom from Torture

Rainbow Migration

Helen Bamber Foundation

Migrant Help

Immigration Law Practitioners Network (ILPA)

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

No formal risk assessment has been undertaken. The disclosure of meeting records is handled in the usual way taking into account the wider Home Office risk assessment framework, disclosure and data protection provisions, and, where applicable, Freedom of Information guidance.

The Home Office publishes Freedom of Information (FOI) performance data, including the number of times exemptions under sections 36 and 38 of the FOI Act have been applied. This information is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

Establishing whether these exemptions were applied for reasons relating to asylum policy or stakeholder engagement could only be obtained for the purposes of this question at disproportionate cost.

Tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a top priority for this Government and our manifesto included the mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade.

The Home Office will also go further than before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halve violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published this year.

The Home Office works carefully to ensure that the needs and vulnerabilities of those residing in asylum accommodation are identified and considered, including those needs related to mental health and trauma and will use every tool available to target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence wherever it occurs, including in asylum accommodation.

This government also state our commitment to a gender sensitive asylum system and that we carefully consider the vulnerabilities of all those in our care, which includes previous trauma.