Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government under what circumstances would an absconding process be triggered when a person is held at (1) the Napier Barracks in Folkestone, and (2) the Penally Barracks in South Pembrokeshire; and what are the consequences of that process being implemented.

Napier and Penally Barracks are accommodation centres and not detention centres. The people who are supported there are able to leave the site and complete a register when leaving or entering.

The Home Office has established absconder policies and procedures for use across the asylum accommodation estate which we will apply in Napier and Penally.

If applicants leave the site on their own accord, for more than one day, without having obtained agreement, the Provider shall notify the Home Office with written confirmation of the unauthorised absence using the relevant part of the Service Commission Form.

The Home Office will look into the unauthorised absence by contacting the applicant or their representatives by telephone to determine whether they have moved to an alternative address.

If no contact is made the absconder’s details will be circulated on the Police National Computer (PNC) database by the PNC team. The PNC team will forward details of absconder notifications to the National Absconder Tracing Team (NATT)

The NATT is responsible for initiating tracing action on all absconders, with the exception of Criminal Casework (CC) absconders. Absconder tracing will be prioritised for removable cases, highest harm cases, vulnerable adults and missing children. On identifying a new address, NATT will make a tasking referral to the relevant Immigration Compliance and Enforcement (ICE) team for further action

The majority of the people we house abide by the conditions of their support and life in the United Kingdom and significant incidents are rare.

All asylum seekers moving to Napier and Penally will have security checks on arrival in the United Kingdom, and health screening. In addition, further checks will be conducted prior to arrival on site to ensure that they are suitable for transfer from their previous accommodation. Anyone arriving at this site will have already been in quarantine for 14 days, as per public health guidance.

The safety and wellbeing of those we support, and the local communities are paramount. The Home Office will continue to work closely with the police and other authorities in preparing for and managing the impacts of these processes, with a clear focus on the welfare and wellbeing of both those on sites and local residents.