Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the living conditions for refugees being housed at the former army barracks at Penally.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the asylum system has faced significant pressures and it has become necessary to use additional temporary accommodation to ensure the Home Office can continue to meet all of its statutory obligations.

Penally Training Camp is temporary, contingency accommodation whilst we continue to address the issues putting pressure on the asylum system. The site was previously used by our armed forces and provides safe, suitable and warm accommodation in line with existing contractual requirements for asylum accommodation.

Most recently we asked an independent health and safety consultancy, Human Applications to carry out a rapid review of a number of asylum accommodation sites including Penally. The Home Office is reviewing the recommendations of the review and will seek to publish a summary of the recommendations. We will also hold round tables with stakeholders to discuss the recommendations, actions taken and proposed next steps.

We continue to work closely with our provider and partners to identify opportunities for enhancement, as we do across our entire accommodation estate.