Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the publication of site inspection findings by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of waiving the 1 per cent threshold requirement for special grant funding for policing costs relating to the temporary asylum accommodation sites at Penally training camp and Napier barracks.

All police forces should have reasonable contingency within their budgets for unplanned or unexpected events, but in some cases we recognise that these events may place force finances under additional pressure, and in those instances the Police and Crime Commissioner may apply for additional funding through the Police Special Grant. Any force applying for Special Grant funding must meet the criteria set out in the published guidance.

We continue to work closely with the local police forces at Penally training camp and Napier barracks, and have provided £2.5m of funding to Dyfed Powys and £1m to Kent police for costs incurred to date.

The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration announced an inspection of contingency asylum accommodation on 25 January 2021. The department acknowledges the ICIBI’s decision to publish on 8 March the initial findings from site visits to Napier Barracks and Penally. The ICIBI’s inspection continues and a full inspection report will follow. The duration of the inspection is a matter for the ICIBI and upon its conclusion, following standard procedure set out in the UK Borders Act 2007, the Department will issue a formal response alongside the inspection report as it is laid before Parliament and published on Gov.UK.