Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the advice from Public Health England about the use of dormitory accommodation at Napier Barracks and its suitability for use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Napier is providing safe, coronavirus (COVID-19)-compliant conditions, in line with the law and Public Health England (PHE) guidance on social distancing requirements, including recommendations when using dormitories. The accommodation has been adapted to ensure social distancing can be maintained and occupancy in dormitories is limited to ensure a minimum distance between beds of at least two metres.

This is complemented by a range of additional safety measures including increased cleaning, availability of personal cleaning products and hand sanitisers, twice weekly lateral flow tests for all residents, staff and visitors and a track and trace system. Our service providers have robust plans in place to minimise the risk of an outbreak of COVID-19 and an action plan should a COVID-19 outbreak occur.

We have established links to the appropriate leads from the local authority, PHE and statutory bodies and are committed to working with them to support the people who we accommodate and the communities where they live. Regular Multi-Agency Forums are held to ensure concerns are understood, so issues are managed and resolved accordingly.