Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether additional funding will be provided to (a) local authorities, (b) the NHS and (c) the police in connection with the operation of the Wethersfield asylum site.

The Home Office has committed substantial funding to help minimise the impact on local communities and services. This includes 24/7 security, on-site catering, basic healthcare and transport provision for those accomodated on site. Discussions regarding the specific funding arrangements for local authorities and the NHS are ongoing, and a grant policy for police forces impacted by new large sites, including Wethersfield, has been published. The government currently provides £3,500 to local authorities for new and occupied dispersal beds. This £3,500 funding for local authorities will be extended to the sites at Wethersfield.