Asked by: Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department plan to take to screen asylum seeks accommodated on a barge in Portland Port.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All asylum seekers who arrive in United Kingdom are subject to robust security checks at Manston. Additionally, the Home Office provides 24/7 health facilities at Manston, including trained medical staff and a doctor for all those on site and people are taken to hospital for further care if needed and all asylum seekers undergo a health check upon arrival.
The Home Office will assess an individual's suitability to reside at Portland prior to placement there and will continue to assess each person's suitability at regular intervals whilst on the vessel.
Asked by: Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of housing asylum seekers at Portland Port on local public services.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We are working closely with key local stakeholders, including local authorities, Dorset Police and NHS to develop bespoke plans that minimise the impact on local services. We have made clear that additional funding will be made available as appropriate to support these plans.
Asked by: Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take with Cabinet colleagues for the provision of healthcare for asylum seekers accommodated on a vessel in Portland Port, in the context of existing levels of healthcare capacity in (a) Portland and (b) Weymouth.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
For all asylum accommodation sites we consider the impact on the local service, and this includes the NHS. We will provide basic healthcare on site to limit pressure on local services. These plans are being actively discussed and considered with key stakeholders and local partners through the Multi-Agency-Forum.
Asked by: Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has made an assessment of the risk of the migrants on the barge in Portland Port being forced into (a) modern slavery, (b) drug activity and (c) other crimes.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
A specialist and experienced security provider will be working to ensure the site is run in an orderly manner with limited impact on the local community.
We are also working closely with local police forces to ensure appropriate security arrangements are in place.
Upon arrival, all asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to confirm their identity and to link it to their biometric details for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks. These checks are critical to the delivery of a safe and secure immigration system.
The safety and security of the local communities, asylum seekers on site and staff are of the utmost importance to the Home Office.
Asked by: Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that the migrants on the barge in Portland Port do not engage with local criminals.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
A specialist and experienced security provider will be working on site 24/7. We are also working closely with the local police force to ensure appropriate security arrangements are in place. The safety and security of the local communities, asylum seekers on site and staff are of the utmost importance to the Home Office.
Asked by: Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of hours a day migrants will remain on the barge in Portland Port; whether those migrants will be required to be on the barge overnight; and what steps her Department plans to take when a migrant does not return to the barge at an appointed time.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Asylum seekers accommodated in large accommodation sites will be non-detained. The site is self-contained with essential living needs provided on site, although those living at the site would be free to come and go. If an asylum seeker were not back on site by 11pm a call would be made to the individual to establish their whereabouts.
The vessel will be managed an experienced accommodation provider, under contractual terms agreed with the Home Office. The same supplier has safely and successfully managed two vessels for Ukrainian refugees for the Scottish Government over the past year.
Asked by: Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seeks will be initially accommodated on the barge in Portland Port when it opens; and what her Department's planned timescale is to fill the total number of spaces.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The provision of an accommodation barge at Portland Port will provide capacity for a maximum of 506 asylum seekers. There will be a phased programme of embarkation to ensure the site is run effectively, with as minimal impact on the local community as possible.
Asked by: Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she plans to take to help resource the policing of potential protests outside Portland Port; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of housing asylum seekers at the port on local communities in (a) Weymouth and (b) Portland.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The safety and security of the local communities, those asylum seekers on the sites and the staff are of the utmost importance.
To ensure security forms an integral part of the proposed site, a specialist security provider will be working on site 24/7. We are also working closely with the local police force to ensure appropriate security arrangements are in place.
Asked by: Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local authority will be responsible for housing people who successfully apply for asylum in the UK after being accommodated on a vessel in Portland Port.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
All asylum seekers will have entered the asylum process.
Asked by: Richard Drax (Conservative - South Dorset)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to begin housing asylum seekers in Portland Port; and whether her Department holds data on the (a) country of origin, (b) age and (c) asylum process status of the people planned to be housed in the port.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Every resident at Manston undergoes security checks and screening for health issues. Treatment is given where appropriate. We will assess an individual’s suitability to reside at Portland prior to placement there and continue to assess each person’s suitability at regular intervals whilst on the vessel.
The cohort will be single adult males who have undergone health and security checks at Manston. The cohort will be mixed nationalities that reflect the nationalities arriving in the UK and claiming asylum. They will all have entered the asylum process.