Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Home Office has had with the Association of Directors of Public Health in the last six months about notifiable diseases at the Western Jet Foil and Manston Processing Centres; and what was the outcome of any such discussions.

The Home Office has regular engagement with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on matters of communicable and notifiable diseases detected at Western Jetfoil and Manston.

Directors of Public Health do attend operational asylum accommodation meetings relating specifically to health, either in person or through representatives. These are multi-agency forums, where any issues or concerns around the management of infectious diseases in asylum accommodation can be discussed. However, the collaborative approach to managing communicable diseases within the context of Manston and Western Jetfoil and reducing the risk of their spreading is led by UKHSA and supported by the Home Office.

The Home Office and DLUHC 2nd Permanent Secretary wrote to Directors of Public Health, outlining the Home Office's ongoing programme of work to limit the spread of infectious diseases in hotels.