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Asylum Seekers Accommodation and Safeguarding
07 November 2022
Lead MP
Robert Jenrick
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Asylum & RefugeesEmploymentForeign Affairs
Other Contributors: 50
At a Glance
Robert Jenrick raised concerns about asylum seekers accommodation and safeguarding in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Minister emphasised the strain on the UK's asylum system due to the global migration crisis, highlighting efforts with French authorities to prevent crossings and disrupt people smugglers. He stated that over 29,000 crossings have been prevented this year, and more than 1,000 boats destroyed. The Manston processing facility has seen a significant reduction in numbers from 4,000 to under 1,600, with placements made at other accommodation centres. He acknowledged the need for continued focus on addressing illegal migration to ensure a fair asylum system.
Roger Gale
Con
Herne Bay and Sandwich
Question
Thanked the Minister for efforts to reduce overcrowding at Manston and confirmed his belief that it should remain a processing centre, not accommodation. He asked if temporary facilities would be dismantled and requested additional accommodation ahead of an expected spike in November.
Minister reply
The Minister praised the Shadow's work and confirmed Manston’s role as a processing facility rather than permanent accommodation. Temporary structures will likely remain due to potential future increases but he assures not turning it into long-term housing. The government plans buffer accommodation for swift movement of arrivals from Manston.
Stephen Kinnock
Lab
Aberafan Maesteg
Question
Critiqued the Home Secretary's handling of asylum seekers, noting a backlog and legal advice ignored, leading to overcrowding at Manston. Asked about missing children and adherence to legal advice.
Minister reply
The Minister defended the government’s actions, stating Labour failed to manage illegal immigration in 2010. He highlighted improvements made by bringing over 30 hotels online for asylum seeker accommodation and reducing numbers at Manston from 4,000 to under 1,600.
Craig Mackinlay
Con
South West Hampshire
Question
The Minister will be well aware that previous student accommodation at Canterbury Christchurch University—86 rooms—has been taken up by a company called Clearsprings, one of many outsourced companies around the country. The Home Office must get involved when these large sites are selected.
Minister reply
My hon. Friend and I were in contact about this issue over the weekend. We need to ensure Manston operates legally, take into account safeguarding, local impact, disorder potential, community pressure, and tourist hotspots. Our third priority is moving away from hotel strategy altogether.
Stuart McDonald
SNP
Glasgow South West
Question
Surely we have now reached the point where the Home Office can no longer be left responsible for the safety of those children. Hundreds are missing and thousands more are stuck in hotels outside the child protection system.
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman is wrong to suggest that the UK Government pressurise any individual to falsely identify as a child; it's the people smugglers who do that. We have changed the law to address this issue and put in place financial packages for foster carers.
James Daly
Con
Rhondda
Question
The question is not how many hotels we can book, but how we can stop the increasing number of migrants coming across the channel. What about an agreement that allowed Germany to deport Albanians who did not arrive with a valid residence permit?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend raises an important point. We have now negotiated a return agreement with Albania and 1,000 Albanians have already been returned home under that. I want to see a fast track where Albanians are processed quickly and swiftly returned home.
Diana R. Johnson
Lab
Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
Question
Tomorrow, the Home Affairs Committee will visit Manston on its second visit. Can the Minister explain to the House the legal basis for detaining individuals at Manston for longer than 24 hours?
Minister reply
The law is clear that we should not detain individuals at sites such as Manston for longer than 24 hours, but there are competing legal duties on Ministers. Another legal duty is our duty not to leave individuals destitute.
Lee Anderson
Reform
Ashfield
Question
When I hear talk of sourcing housing and getting extra hotel spaces for illegal immigrants, it leaves a bitter taste in my throat. Five thousand people in Ashfield want to secure council housing but cannot get it.
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is right that we should be guided by our common desire for decency and hard-headed common sense when sourcing accommodation for migrants.
Stella Creasy
Lab Co-op
Walthamstow
Question
Inquires about the sexual assault of children in hotels and requests for details on incidents, action taken, and safeguarding measures.
Minister reply
Affirms responsibility to children but emphasises financial support for accommodation at up to £500 per night. Urges local authorities to take more unaccompanied children into good-quality local authority accommodation or foster care.
Question
Asks about measures to surge Home Office processing capacity and address backlogs.
Minister reply
Pilots an approach in Leeds to increase decision making from 1.5 decisions per week to up to four per week, aiming to streamline the process.
Diane Abbott
Ind
Hackney North and Stoke Newington
Question
Queries about conditions at Manston and safeguarding of unaccompanied children.
Minister reply
States no unaccompanied children should be at Manston, they are moved to specialist hotels. Conditions have improved but acknowledges the need for better accommodation like foster care.
Question
Raises concerns about hotels housing asylum seekers in her constituency and requests a timetable for their closure.
Minister reply
Acknowledges issues and looks forward to discussing them further, emphasising the need to exit hotels as quickly as possible.
Christine Jardine
Lib Dem
Edinburgh West
Question
Asks for assurance that speed of decision-making will not compromise efficiency or fairness.
Minister reply
Assures the House that standards of decision making will be upheld but aims to make more decisions efficiently.
Question
Inquires about urgent legislation to address loopholes exploited by people smugglers and economic migrants, and hotel use concerns.
Minister reply
Reviews changes to the law, particularly the modern slavery framework, which is being abused but may be revised.
Florence Eshalomi
Lab Co-op
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Question
Asks about additional recruitment within the Home Office for asylum claim processing.
Minister reply
Confirms 1,000 caseworkers have been recruited with plans to recruit an additional 500.
Question
Requests assurance that steps are being taken to address asylum claim processing speed and impact on tourism.
Minister reply
Ensures hotels avoid tourist hotspots, aims for a fair and robust asylum system moving forward.
Jeremy Corbyn
Ind
Islington North
Question
Will the Minister confirm that to seek asylum is a perfectly legal thing within international law and, therefore, UK law? He also inquired about the Council of Europe report on pushbacks across Europe and asked if Britain would not be involved in sea-bound pushbacks towards France.
Minister reply
The UK upholds its international obligations regarding asylum seekers. The Minister confirmed that Britain is not involved in pushbacks at sea but acknowledged issues with large numbers of individuals coming to the UK from other safe countries.
Question
He raised concerns about a new asylum centre being opened without proper consultation and asked for a meeting to discuss how such decisions can be reviewed and reversed.
Minister reply
The Minister agreed to meet the MP to discuss the issue. He also committed to ensuring that all MPs and local authorities are informed ahead of time of any new facilities.
Sarah Owen
Lab
Luton North
Question
She criticised recent incidents involving asylum seekers at Manston camp, Victoria station, and child refugees being sexually assaulted, asking how these shameful examples would be rectified.
Minister reply
The Minister defended the actions of Border Force personnel and highlighted that 30% of those crossing from France come from Albania, a safe country. He emphasised the need to distinguish between genuine asylum seekers and others.
Question
Concerned about asylum seekers being dropped off at Victoria coach station in her constituency without proper support.
Minister reply
The Minister acknowledged an issue with a miscommunication that left individuals at Victoria station but assured the MP that they were later taken to hotels and cared for appropriately.
Clapham and Brixton Hill
Question
She raised concerns about the conditions in hotels housing refugees and asylum seekers, describing them as dire with issues like overcrowding, poor food quality, and bedbug infestations.
Minister reply
The Minister suggested bringing specific allegations to him for investigation but generally reassured that accommodation meets standards. He emphasised the need to deter illegal immigration without compromising on decency.
Question
He expressed concerns about safeguarding citizens living near hotels housing asylum seekers.
Minister reply
The Minister assured constituents are being screened for safety and counter-terrorism police are present. He stressed the importance of judiciously choosing accommodation to avoid risks.
Helen Hayes
Lab
Dulwich and West Norwood
Question
She highlighted issues with missing children, school placements, and sexual assaults against children in Home Office accommodation.
Minister reply
The Minister offered to look into specific allegations but urged MPs to encourage local authorities to take more children into their care.
Damian Green
Con
Ashford
Question
My right hon. Friend will know of my deep unease about the use of a hotel in Ashford, which has been opened recently, as part of the dispersal from Manston, so I was pleased to hear him say that he wants to exit from hotel use altogether. That would be a welcome step forward. In the transition period before he can achieve that, will he ensure that the Home Office takes more account in the future than it has in the past of the relative level of pressure on public services, such as health and education, in different parts of the country of coping with extra demand from asylum seekers?
Minister reply
My right hon. Friend makes a number of important points. Part of our plan to exit the hotels is to ensure a fair dispersal around the country. That means every local authority in all parts of the United Kingdom stepping up and playing its part. If we do that then no area should be disproportionately affected. My right hon. Friend represents an area that has borne the greatest burden, and it is absolutely right that we work together to find ways to alleviate the pressure on Kent wherever we can.
South Shields
Question
Can the Minister explain what discussions have been held with the Children’s Commissioner regarding this Government’s staggering levels of child neglect? Can he also say why the commissioner has not been encouraged to use her statutory powers to visit Manston and the hotels concerned to speak directly with the children there?
Minister reply
It is up to the Children’s Commissioner to determine her own schedule. As far as I am aware, she has not requested to visit Manston. I have no objection to her doing so, but that is entirely a matter for her. I object to the suggestion that the UK Government are being inhumane towards children.
Paul Maynard
Lib Dem
Blackpool North and Cleveleys
Question
The Home Office is accommodating 400 asylum seekers in the Metropole Hotel in the centre of Blackpool in my constituency. It lies in Claremont, the fourth most deprived ward in the country—an area with a host of social problems and a difficult history of child sexual exploitation. Those problems were pointed out by me and the council when the hotel was first commissioned by the Home Office. Those issues have not changed, and dispersal from the hotel has been slow. I welcome the fact that the Minister is going to exit the strategy of using hotels, but will he make sure that the Metropole is the first hotel that he exits?
Minister reply
Having worked with my hon. Friend on a range of issues, I know how deeply and thoughtfully he addresses the issues in Blackpool. I appreciate that Blackpool is one of the areas that has borne a disproportionate burden from this issue for a long time, so if there is a way to ensure that individuals are dispersed from Blackpool more swiftly than from other parts of the country, I am happy to look into that.
Battersea
Question
The unsafe conditions and overcrowding at Manston have been totally unacceptable, but the serious allegations of assault on our children are beyond unacceptable. We also learned last week that people seeking asylum were dropped off in Victoria, London. We know that the Home Secretary is out of her depth and failing on this, but will the Minister say how many children were left unaccompanied last week? More importantly, given the scale of the crisis, is it not time that we had an independent investigation that can look into this serious issue and robustly report back on the ongoing challenges that face the Home Office?
Minister reply
As far as I am aware, the small group of individuals who were left at Victoria station were all adults. There were no children, but I will happily stand corrected and write to the hon. Lady if I am mistaken. Unaccompanied children are coming to the country and we are doing everything that we can to support them.
Edward Leigh
Con
Gainsborough
Question
This whole situation is a farce. There were recent reports that illegal migrants were being put up in a luxury rural hotel—a former stately home near Grantham—that normally charges £400 a night. Surely the easier and quicker that we make this whole process, the more people will come, especially since it is a complete pushover, with a large number of young Albanian men claiming modern slavery, which is ridiculous. Will the Minister confirm that the solution is to repeal the Human Rights Act, get out of the European refugee convention and repeal the Modern Slavery Act 2015, so that people can be detained when they arrive for being involved in an illegal activity and then deported?
Minister reply
I, too, was disturbed to see images of the Stoke Rochford Hall Hotel, which is a luxurious setting and not the kind of hotel in which we want to see individuals being accommodated. We want to see decent but commonsensical treatment that does not create a further pull factor to the UK.
Stephen Flynn
SNP
Aberdeen South
Question
Contrary to some of the dangerous, disgusting, dog-whistle, right-wing rhetoric emanating from some members of the Conservative party, asylum seekers are people and we should judge ourselves on how we treat our fellow man. In that regard, the Minister will be aware that many people in hotels in Aberdeen have been in that situation for well in excess of a year, waiting for their asylum applications to be processed. When can we expect that particular issue to be resolved?
Minister reply
As I said in answer to an earlier question, we are working hard now to accelerate decision making so that individuals can either be granted asylum or be removed from the country.
Miriam Cates
Con
Barnsley Central
Question
The town of Stocksbridge in my constituency is awaiting final confirmation of £24 million of Government funding through our town deal. That £24 million will be a transformational sum for Stocksbridge, but it equates to just four days of taxpayer expenditure on hotel accommodation for people who have arrived illegally in the UK. Does my right hon. Friend agree that as well as being a complex security and humanitarian issue both for the public and for genuine asylum seekers, the small boats crisis also represents a serious financial issue in these difficult economic times? Can he expand on his previous answer about how the Government will move away from the expensive hotel model?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend and I have spent many happy hours in Stocksbridge and I want to see the Government investing even more in her community. She is right to say that it is an unconscionable waste of taxpayers’ money to be spending over £2 billion per year on hotel accommodation.
Kevin Brennan
Lab
Cardiff West
Question
I was not quite clear what the Minister meant in his response earlier to the Chair of the Select Committee, my right hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull North (Dame Diana Johnson). Is it his position that the Government acted legally in detaining migrants at Manston for more than 24 hours?
Minister reply
The Government’s objective is to ensure that nobody stays at Manston for more than 24 hours, but we have to balance up competing legal duties. We also have to be cognisant of the fact that not everything is within our control when we deal with this situation.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Question
Our former Labour colleague Chris Mullin is one of the most thoughtful left-wingers I know. Would the Minister take a moment or two to have a look at his article in the press today and commend it to people on both sides of the House, given that even he feels it necessary to conclude that “uncontrolled migration risks bringing down our fragile social systems”?
Minister reply
I read the former Member’s article in The Daily Telegraph, and he made a number of important points. Above all, he made the point that public concern about the level of migration to this country—in particular, illegal immigration—is very high and has continued to be high in recent years. If we are to be democrats, we have to listen to that and take action accordingly. We on this side of the House believe in secure borders and controlled migration, and we are concerned about the straining of community tensions and the fabric of communities if we do not take action accordingly.
Hayes and Harlington
Question
I wish to raise the situation in Harmondsworth detention centre in my constituency after the events at the weekend. I am grateful to the Minister for the call that we had over the weekend. My understanding from what he told me yesterday is that Harmondsworth has now been decanted.
Minister reply
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for those suggestions; I will bear them in mind. I respectfully disagree about whether those individuals who are destined to be removed from the UK, particularly foreign national offenders, should be in institutions such as the immigration removal centre in his constituency.
Question
My constituents are becoming sick and tired of this ridiculous narrative of economic migrants somehow being mistreated at Manston. The fact of the matter is that after a short time at the processing centre, these economic migrants will receive free food and free accommodation in hotels—something that my constituents, who are paying for all this, can only dream of.
Minister reply
It is important that we recognise what the United Kingdom is actually doing. The vast majority of those who arrive at Manston have literally had their life saved by the UK. We should be clear about how we are meeting our obligations as a country—in fact, we are going far beyond our neighbours. My hon. Friend is right, though, that those standards of decency and humanity must be matched by hard-headed common sense.
Clive Efford
Lab
Eltham
Question
In an exchange last week relating to the situation at Manston, the Home Secretary told the House: ‘I have never ignored legal advice.’—[Official Report, 31 October 2022; Vol. 721, c. 639.] Has the Minister been briefed, seen any information in his Department or been told by any colleagues any information that would show that that was not a correct statement to this House?
Minister reply
I have no reason to believe that the Home Secretary has misled the House. The Home Secretary was advised that we needed to procure more hotels, and we have procured more hotels—dozens of further hotels, so that thousands of migrants were able to leave Manston over the course of this week alone.
Question
This issue is important to my Guildford constituents and important to me. Does my right hon. Friend agree that by controlling illegal immigration we can ensure that we have the capacity and the facilities to offer safe and legal routes for vulnerable people across the world, as we have done for people in Ukraine, Hong Kong, Syria and Afghanistan?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. The work that has been done over the past year by this Government, supported by local authorities and tens of thousands of our fellow citizens, to help people from Ukraine, Afghanistan, Hong Kong and elsewhere to find safety and, in some cases, a new life in the UK is something of which we should all be proud.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
I thank the Minister for his answers to the questions, which are difficult and complex. Tensions are rising as the temperatures are dropping in the United Kingdom, and the Government are intending to pay out large amounts of money for heating, but I am concerned that ill feeling towards migrants is growing as people mistake legal asylum-seeking for illegal immigration.
Minister reply
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: the UK wants to be a big-hearted country that welcomes those in need to our shores, but we must ensure that those who come here illegally for economic migration or other purposes are removed as swiftly as possible, because it brings the whole system into disrepute and makes it impossible for us to treat people who deserve our care in the way that we would want to see.
Question
One of the locations hosting migrants in my constituency is the Fownes Hotel, and notwithstanding the fact that I expressed concerns about its suitability, I was particularly concerned to hear from my council about a number of children being taken into care from that location. My right hon. Friend mentioned an incentive package for councils.
Minister reply
I will certainly ensure that local authorities are better communicated with about the location of children to their area and the support that the Government are making available. I am holding a teleconference later this week with all local authority chief executives and leaders to listen to their views and to advise them of our steps.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
Question
Inhumane centres and overcrowded, let alone unsafe hotels are no place to put these very vulnerable families. In light of the success of the Homes for Ukraine scheme, why will the Home Office Minister not undertake to have a homes for refugees and asylum seekers scheme, so that people can be settled in communities, supported and kept safe?
Minister reply
There is already a community sponsorship scheme available for community groups that want to bring refugees to the United Kingdom and care for them appropriately. I would like to see more community groups take part in that, and if there are ways in which we can simplify it and ensure its success, I would be happy to do so.
Question
I appreciate the challenge that my right hon. Friend and the Department are facing, but we can solve the problem of accommodation by stopping illegal entry into this country in the first place. Therefore, will he please, on behalf of my very frustrated constituents, leave no stone unturned in finding a solution to this problem and stopping illegal entry?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is right that we have been debating the symptoms of the problem today, rather than the cause, which is the sheer quantity of individuals crossing the channel illegally. We will tackle that on multiple fronts, whether through the National Crime Agency and our security and policing resources ensuring that we bear down on the criminal gangs, by gathering the best possible intelligence on the continent diplomatically with France, Albania and other partner countries, or ensuring that how we treat people in this country, while decent and appropriate, does not produce a further draw to the UK.
Patrick Grady
SNP
North Glasgow
Question
Suggests that the Government could save money by extending the right to work for asylum seekers, arguing it would make them more self-sufficient and address labour shortages.
Minister reply
Responded by emphasising the importance of not creating further 'pull factors' to discourage illegal migration into the UK.
Rachel Maclean
Con
Redditch
Question
Expresses concern over modern slavery laws being abused for economic migrants and calls for a review to ensure it is fit for purpose.
Minister reply
Agreed that there are instances of abuse in the use of modern slavery legislation by young males from countries like Albania, who claim asylum before claiming under modern slavery laws. The Government intends to review this issue.
Andrew Slaughter
Lab
Hammersmith and Fulham
Question
Asked why the Government did not abandon asylum seekers in Manston rather than keep them for weeks, questioning whether legal advice was published.
Minister reply
Clarified that it is not standard practice to publish legal advice but assured that individuals at sites like Manston are treated decently and humanely under 24 hours unless exceptional reasons exist. He mentioned addressing the aftermath of a terrorist incident as well.
Jack Brereton
Con
Congleton
Question
Asked the Minister to look into measures to ensure that other parts of the country help provide accommodation for refugees, pointing out Stoke-on-Trent’s significant burden.
Minister reply
Acknowledged the historical imbalance in accommodating migrants and mentioned a new dispersal strategy aimed at more equitable distribution.
Ronnie Cowan
SNP
Clydebank and Milngavie
Question
Stressed the importance of engaging local authorities before implementing new policies to avoid fuelling intolerance.
Minister reply
Agreed that communication with local authorities is crucial, promising better engagement moving forward.
Marco Longhi
Con
North West Durham
Question
Asked why the Government cannot take similar measures as Italy to protect borders and people from foreign criminal gangs.
Minister reply
Confirmed that they will protect borders by enforcing law, working with allies, and considering legal changes if needed.
Horsham
Question
Compared the treatment of illegal immigrants in the UK to conditions elsewhere in Europe and questioned the Opposition’s stance on accommodation standards.
Minister reply
Asserted that UK standards surpass those of other countries, emphasising a balance between treating individuals decently and considering taxpayer value.
Tom Hunt
Con
St Ives
Question
Asked for clarity about the Rwanda policy implementation timeline and how the new Bill of Rights could support it.
Minister reply
Confirmed that deterrence is a key part of their approach, with legal action pending on the Rwanda policy. Implementation will proceed when possible.
Danny Kruger
Reform
East Wiltshire
Question
Suggested prioritising legitimate routes for asylum seekers and ensuring that illegal entrants face detention and deportation.
Minister reply
Agreed with the principles of prioritising safe and legal routes through resettlement schemes like Homes for Ukraine.
Question
During my brief tenure this summer as the Minister for tackling illegal migration, I visited Manston. Does my right hon. Friend agree that the staff working at Manston deserve our praise for the excellent care and attention they give in their work, particularly as it often takes place in very challenging circumstances?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for his important short service commission this summer. We are very grateful for the work he did. He is right to say that the staff at Manston have behaved heroically. I was hugely impressed by the Border Force officers I met, the contractors, the cooks, the armed forces personnel and my Home Office officials. They have moved heaven and earth over the course of the past week to ensure that that site is returned to a safe and legal method of operation. They have always treated people with great care and courtesy, and we should all be proud of that.
Shadow Comment
Roger Gale
Shadow Comment
The Shadow Minister thanked the Minister for his efforts in reducing overcrowding at Manston, praising staff under difficult circumstances. He asked the Minister to confirm that Manston is intended as a processing centre rather than accommodation, suggesting temporary facilities be dismantled, and requested assurance of additional accommodation ahead of an expected spike in November.
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