Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her statement of 22 November 2021 on Channel crossings in small boats, what plans she has for the role of the military in building accommodation centres for people seeking asylum; and what estimate she has made of the cost of using the military for that purpose.

We have a statutory obligation to provide support to destitute asylum seekers. Under the Nationality and Borders Bill, we intend to end the use of hotels and introduce accommodation centres for these individuals. The use of accommodation centres will build on the existing asylum estate and will enable asylum claims to be handled more expediently and facilitate the removal of those whose application has been refused or deemed as inadmissible.

This government is committed to the objectives set out in the New Plan for Immigration and we are exploring with all Government Departments, the role that they can play in enabling the Home Office to meet this urgent need.