Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Department's Accounting Officer has reviewed proposals for Site A at MoD Bicester against the principles of Managing Public Money.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

No decision has been made in respect of the use of MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.  Due diligence and assurance work for all proposed large sites including Bicester is still ongoing.

This includes assessing accurate costings. Once complete, business cases and approvals will be sought and details published in the normal way for all Major Government Programmes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what lessons from the operation of existing large asylum accommodation sites have been applied to the assessment of proposals for the use of Site A at MoD Bicester.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

No final decision has been made as to whether to use MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

The Home Office keeps the asylum estate under regular review, including learning from previous proposals and existing accommodation sites, to ensure any future accommodation is suitable.

We will draw on lessons learned from previous assessment work and our other more recently successful large site stand ups to ensure a more robust, transparent, and informed approach. This will include strengthened engagement with local partners, alongside ensuring that appropriate infrastructure, services and operational arrangements are in place.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has reviewed whether the proposed use of Site A at MoD Bicester continues to meet the criteria for an Urgent Crown Development following the submission of the application on 2 September 2026.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

No final decision has been made as to whether to use MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

The Home Office has submitted an Urgent Crown Development application to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in relation to the proposed use of MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation.  Planning forms part of the wider feasibility and due diligence work for MOD Bicester. The Urgent Crown Development route does not predetermine the outcome, nor does it lessen the scrutiny applied to the proposal.

The proposal remains subject to the planning process, wider due diligence, and all relevant assessments and approvals. Decisions on the planning application are being made independently by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what procurement activity has been undertaken in relation to the potential operation of asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

No final decision has been made as to whether to use MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation and no contractual agreements have been awarded to run or use the site for asylum accommodation. The site remains subject to ongoing feasibility, planning, design, assurance and governance processes.

Throughout the development of potential accommodation sites, information is managed in accordance with normal government requirements, including obligations relating to security, commercial sensitivity, policy development and procurement activity where applicable.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to confirm the maximum number of service users that her department proposes will be accommodated at MOD Bicester (A-site).

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

No final decision has been made as to whether to use MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

The planning application seeks temporary planning permission for a phased development accommodating up to 1,256 people, together with the necessary welfare, security and site infrastructure.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration her Department has given to withdrawing the Urgent Crown Development application for Site A at MoD Bicester and pursuing the proposal through the Crown Development procedure instead.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

No final decision has been made as to whether to use MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

The Home Office has submitted an Urgent Crown Development application to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in relation to the proposed use of MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

The Urgent Crown Development route does not predetermine the outcome, nor does it lessen the scrutiny applied to the proposal.

The proposal remains subject to the planning process, wider due diligence, and all relevant assessments and approvals. Decisions on the planning application are being made independently by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the current expected date is for Site A at MoD Bicester to become operational as asylum accommodation.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

No final decision has been made as to whether to use MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, planning requirement and the impact on local services and communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the value for money of the proposed use of Site A at MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation; and what alternative options were considered as part of that assessment.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

No final decision has been made as to whether to use MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

All large sites used for asylum accommodation are part of the Asylum Accommodation Programme which is part of the Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) and, as such are required to publish Accounting Officer Advice summaries on Gov.UK, with the most recent having been published in November 2025.

We have improved our understanding of project costings by referencing actuals from previous sites such as Wethersfield, enabling more accurate budgeting and financial planning.

We are confident that the level of due diligence carried out on sites has improved, and that value for money assessments take place at the appropriate stage.

Decisions on the use of alternative asylum accommodation sites are made on a site-by-site basis.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the modelling used by her Department in assessing future demand for immigration detention places, including projected occupancy on the expansion of Campsfield and Haslar Immigration Removal Centres, by category of detainee.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is strengthening immigration enforcement and increasing the removal of those with no right to remain in the UK. We will always seek to remove foreign criminals and other immigration offenders at the earliest possible opportunity and investment in Campsfield and Haslar immigration removal centres (IRCs) is essential to provide the capacity and resilience needed to support this work.

Campsfield and Haslar IRCs will accommodate adult men, including time-served foreign national offenders and other immigration offenders, while arrangements are made for their removal from the UK. Once complete, the two sites will provide a combined capacity of 1,000 beds.

We are committed to securing value for money for the taxpayer across the immigration removal estate. The Department ran a competitive procurement through aCrown Commercial Service framework as the most efficient and timely delivery route for expansion of Campsfield. Value for money was assessed through the competition, including assessment of delivery efficiency, supplier innovation and flexibility, which formed part of the weighted evaluation criteria.

The Home Office does not routinely publish modelling that underpins policy and operational decision-making, including modelling used to assess future demand for immigration detention.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, to publish the assessment on which her Department based it's statement with regards to the expansion of Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre that the investment will deliver "value for money for the taxpayer".

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is strengthening immigration enforcement and increasing the removal of those with no right to remain in the UK. We will always seek to remove foreign criminals and other immigration offenders at the earliest possible opportunity and investment in Campsfield and Haslar immigration removal centres (IRCs) is essential to provide the capacity and resilience needed to support this work.

Campsfield and Haslar IRCs will accommodate adult men, including time-served foreign national offenders and other immigration offenders, while arrangements are made for their removal from the UK. Once complete, the two sites will provide a combined capacity of 1,000 beds.

We are committed to securing value for money for the taxpayer across the immigration removal estate. The Department ran a competitive procurement through aCrown Commercial Service framework as the most efficient and timely delivery route for expansion of Campsfield. Value for money was assessed through the competition, including assessment of delivery efficiency, supplier innovation and flexibility, which formed part of the weighted evaluation criteria.

The Home Office does not routinely publish modelling that underpins policy and operational decision-making, including modelling used to assess future demand for immigration detention.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what business cases or other internal approvals are required before a final decision can be made on proposals to use Site A at MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation; and whether any such approvals have yet been obtained.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)

No decision has been made on the use of MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

The role of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in this process relates to planning matters.

Decisions on the suitability of sites for asylum accommodation, including any associated business case, assessments and internal approvals, are a matter for the Home Office.

The Home Office continues to assess the suitability of the site, taking into account factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, planning requirements, and impacts on local services and communities.

As no final decision has been taken, the Home Office's assessment and governance processes remain ongoing and no final approvals have been obtained in relation to any decision on the use of the site.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to answer Question 26825 tabled by the hon. Member for Bicester and Woodstock on 2 September 2026.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

UIN 26825 was transferred to the Cabinet Office for answer.

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