Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Short-term Holding Facility Rules 2018, what arrangements are in place to ensure food provided at Manston Short-term Holding Facility is varied, nutritionally balanced and must where practicable meet all religious, dietary, cultural and medical needs.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Manston Initial Triage and Processing Centre has been stood up as a critical infrastructure to enable criminal, identity and immigration background checks on migrants illegally crossing the Channel and collate their initial asylum claims away from the Port of Dover.
Accommodation on site is provided by a mix of existing barrack blocks converted for this purpose and marquees erected as emergency accommodation once the number of migrants crossing demanded the rapid expansion of capacity. Seven of these marquees are certified as holding rooms under the Short-Term Holding Facility rules.
There are no extant plans with the Local Authorities for the installation or building of any permanent structures on site. However, it is our aim to continuously improve the quality of accommodation to provide adequate response to the needs of those crossing the channel.
A laundry service is provided by the contractors on site. Washing machines are available on site for use by families.
Food is provided for everyone being held at Manston. As the number of crossings has increased, resulting in longer stays whilst onward accommodation is sourced, the Home Office has continued to engage with contractors to ensure the food provision meets this changing need – including increasing the variety of food available and ensuring that it meets each individual’s needs.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Short-term Holding Facility Rules 2018, what recent certification has been issued by the Secretary of State to certify that sleeping accommodation at Manston Short-term Holding Facility contains is adequately (a) sized, (b) lit, (c) heated, (d) ventilated and fitted for health.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Manston Initial Triage and Processing Centre has been stood up as a critical infrastructure to enable criminal, identity and immigration background checks on migrants illegally crossing the Channel and collate their initial asylum claims away from the Port of Dover.
Accommodation on site is provided by a mix of existing barrack blocks converted for this purpose and marquees erected as emergency accommodation once the number of migrants crossing demanded the rapid expansion of capacity. Seven of these marquees are certified as holding rooms under the Short-Term Holding Facility rules.
There are no extant plans with the Local Authorities for the installation or building of any permanent structures on site. However, it is our aim to continuously improve the quality of accommodation to provide adequate response to the needs of those crossing the channel.
A laundry service is provided by the contractors on site. Washing machines are available on site for use by families.
Food is provided for everyone being held at Manston. As the number of crossings has increased, resulting in longer stays whilst onward accommodation is sourced, the Home Office has continued to engage with contractors to ensure the food provision meets this changing need – including increasing the variety of food available and ensuring that it meets each individual’s needs.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is taking steps to replace tent and marquee accommodation with hardened accommodation at Manston Short-term Holding Facility in winter 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Manston Initial Triage and Processing Centre has been stood up as a critical infrastructure to enable criminal, identity and immigration background checks on migrants illegally crossing the Channel and collate their initial asylum claims away from the Port of Dover.
Accommodation on site is provided by a mix of existing barrack blocks converted for this purpose and marquees erected as emergency accommodation once the number of migrants crossing demanded the rapid expansion of capacity. Seven of these marquees are certified as holding rooms under the Short-Term Holding Facility rules.
There are no extant plans with the Local Authorities for the installation or building of any permanent structures on site. However, it is our aim to continuously improve the quality of accommodation to provide adequate response to the needs of those crossing the channel.
A laundry service is provided by the contractors on site. Washing machines are available on site for use by families.
Food is provided for everyone being held at Manston. As the number of crossings has increased, resulting in longer stays whilst onward accommodation is sourced, the Home Office has continued to engage with contractors to ensure the food provision meets this changing need – including increasing the variety of food available and ensuring that it meets each individual’s needs.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) toilets, (b) showers and baths and (c) washing machines and other laundry facilities were available for use by detainees at Manston Short-term Holding Facility as of 27 October 2022.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Manston Initial Triage and Processing Centre has been stood up as a critical infrastructure to enable criminal, identity and immigration background checks on migrants illegally crossing the Channel and collate their initial asylum claims away from the Port of Dover.
Accommodation on site is provided by a mix of existing barrack blocks converted for this purpose and marquees erected as emergency accommodation once the number of migrants crossing demanded the rapid expansion of capacity. Seven of these marquees are certified as holding rooms under the Short-Term Holding Facility rules.
There are no extant plans with the Local Authorities for the installation or building of any permanent structures on site. However, it is our aim to continuously improve the quality of accommodation to provide adequate response to the needs of those crossing the channel.
A laundry service is provided by the contractors on site. Washing machines are available on site for use by families.
Food is provided for everyone being held at Manston. As the number of crossings has increased, resulting in longer stays whilst onward accommodation is sourced, the Home Office has continued to engage with contractors to ensure the food provision meets this changing need – including increasing the variety of food available and ensuring that it meets each individual’s needs.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral evidence given by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration at the Home Affairs Select Committee hearing of 26 October, what steps she is taking to speed up publication of Inspectorate reports.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Secretary will meet the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration as soon as reasonably possible. The Minister for Immigration will meet the ICIBI on 3 November, while bilateral meetings with senior officials continue regularly.
The department has a ministerial commitment to lay ICIBI inspection reports before Parliament within eight weeks of receipt where possible. This excludes periods of parliamentary recess as both Houses must be sitting for ICIBI reports to be laid. The department takes every inspection report seriously and considers the findings and recommendations carefully. This can sometimes mean the publication process extends beyond eight weeks.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the oral evidence given by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration at the Home Affairs Select Committee hearing of 26 October, when she will meet with the Chief Inspector.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Home Secretary will meet the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration as soon as reasonably possible. The Minister for Immigration will meet the ICIBI on 3 November, while bilateral meetings with senior officials continue regularly.
The department has a ministerial commitment to lay ICIBI inspection reports before Parliament within eight weeks of receipt where possible. This excludes periods of parliamentary recess as both Houses must be sitting for ICIBI reports to be laid. The department takes every inspection report seriously and considers the findings and recommendations carefully. This can sometimes mean the publication process extends beyond eight weeks.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming police complaints processes to ensure that complaints against a police officer are handled by a police professional standards department outside of their force.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The most serious misconduct allegations must be referred immediately by forces to the IOPC for consideration and investigation at the IOPC’s discretion. The Government has undertaken to review the effectiveness of the IOPC later this year. The Home Affairs Committee published its own assessment of police conduct and complaints in March 2022. The Government has said in response that it will review the impact of its 2020 reforms in line with post legislative scrutiny guidance.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) establishing a single independent body with oversight of the police disciplinary system and (b) other reforms to police disciplinary processes.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The most serious misconduct allegations must be referred immediately by forces to the IOPC for consideration and investigation at the IOPC’s discretion. The Government has undertaken to review the effectiveness of the IOPC later this year. The Home Affairs Committee published its own assessment of police conduct and complaints in March 2022. The Government has said in response that it will review the impact of its 2020 reforms in line with post legislative scrutiny guidance.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether there are processes to (a) periodically review and (b) ensure uniformity of procedure for dealing with complaints across professional standards departments of police forces.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The most serious misconduct allegations must be referred immediately by forces to the IOPC for consideration and investigation at the IOPC’s discretion. The Government has undertaken to review the effectiveness of the IOPC later this year. The Home Affairs Committee published its own assessment of police conduct and complaints in March 2022. The Government has said in response that it will review the impact of its 2020 reforms in line with post legislative scrutiny guidance.