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.

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.