Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether measures and mechanisms are in place for the new Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner to assess whether the views and concerns of women, families and frontline staff are being reflected in trust-level maternity and neonatal decision-making and service provision.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Government has announced that we will appoint the first ever Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner. This was one of Baroness Amos’ urgent actions from her national maternity and neonatal investigation final report. We accept that this is a crucial first step for us in overseeing systemic improvement to care and outcomes and earning back the trust of women and families.

The independent commissioner will have a crucial role in holding the system to account to deliver improvements in maternity and neonatal care, ensuring women’s voices are at the heart of everything we do. The scope and responsibilities of this role will be discussed urgently with the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce in the coming weeks.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what powers and responsibilities the new Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner will have to improve accountability and organisational culture within NHS trusts.

Answered by Preet Kaur Gill

The Government has announced that we will appoint the first ever Maternity and Neonatal Commissioner. This was one of Baroness Amos’ urgent actions from her national maternity and neonatal investigation final report. We accept that this is a crucial first step for us in overseeing systemic improvement to care and outcomes and earning back the trust of women and families.

The independent commissioner will have a crucial role in holding the system to account to deliver improvements in maternity and neonatal care, ensuring women’s voices are at the heart of everything we do. The scope and responsibilities of this role will be discussed urgently with the National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce in the coming weeks.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the proposed use of MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

No decision has been made in respect of the use of MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

The Home Office has engaged regularly with the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the proposed use of the site. Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, and planning requirements and the impact on local services and communities.

The department will continue to engage regularly with all statutory partners if plans are to be progressed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the cost of preparing, operating and securing MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

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 in the normal way and details published in the normal way for all Government Major Programmes.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether consultation was undertaken with Cherwell District Council, Oxfordshire County Council, Thames Valley Police and local NHS bodies prior to the decision to proceed with the use of MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

No decision has been made in respect of the use of MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

The Home Office has engaged regularly with the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the proposed use of the site. Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, and planning requirements and the impact on local services and communities.

The department will continue to engage regularly with all statutory partners if plans are to be progressed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the accessibility of MoD Bicester to amenities, public transport, healthcare, legal advice and asylum support services.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

No decision has been made in respect of the use of MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

The Home Office has engaged regularly with the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the proposed use of the site. Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, and planning requirements and the impact on local services and communities.

The department will continue to engage regularly with all statutory partners if plans are to be progressed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what alternative sites were considered before MoD Bicester was selected for asylum accommodation and what criteria were used to compare those sites.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

No decision has been made in respect of the use of MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

The Home Office has engaged regularly with the Secretary of State for Defence regarding the proposed use of the site. Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, and planning requirements and the impact on local services and communities.

The department will continue to engage regularly with all statutory partners if plans are to be progressed.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact on the security and operation of HMP Bullingdon of proposals to use Site A at MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Answered by Jake Richards - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service has not yet conducted an assessment concerning the repurposing of MoD Bicester (Site A). HMPPS will work with the Home Office to identify any potential implications for HMP Bullingdon and ensure mitigations are in place, if required.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department was first informed of proposals to use MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence has been working with our colleagues in the Home Office to support the closure of asylum hotels for some time.

The Ministry of Defence was first informed of proposals to use MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation in November 2025.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether contracts have been awarded to companies to undertake assessments of Site A at MoD Bicester in preparation for using it as an asylum centre.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This is a matter for the Home Office, not the Ministry of Defence, as they have responsibility for setting up and running asylum accommodation on MOD sites.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any service personnel, MoD staff or MoD contractors have been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements with respect to proposals to use MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

No non-disclosure agreements have been signed by MOD staff, contractors or service personnel with respect to proposals to use MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to monitor entry to and exit from Site A at MoD Bicester by residents and visitors under proposals to use MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

No final decision has been made on whether to use Site A MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation. Due diligence and assurance work for all proposed large sites, including Bicester, is ongoing. Should the site be taken forward, appropriate arrangements for the safe and secure operation of the site, including arrangements relating to access and egress, would be put in place and overseen by the Home Office and its contracted service providers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed use of Site A at MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation on public rights of way and public access routes in the vicinity of the site.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

No final decision has been made on whether to use Site A MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Due diligence and assurance work for all proposed large sites including Bicester is still ongoing. This work considers a range of factors relevant to the suitability and operation of a site. Any proposal would be subject to the relevant planning and approval processes, through which potential impacts on the local area, including public rights of way and public access routes would be considered before any final decision is taken.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any assessment undertaken in relation to the proposed use of Site A at MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation has identified the presence of asbestos or other contaminants.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

No final decision has been made on whether to use Site A MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation. Due diligence and assurance work for all proposed large sites including Bicester is still ongoing.

The Home Office will manage any asbestos on site adhering to the ‘Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012’ and the associated Approved Code Of Practice (L143 ACOPS).

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department made of the potential impact of the proposed use of MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation on Service Personnel, their families and Defence activity at the site.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

A robust assessment process was undertaken for MOD sites considered for use by the Home Office, including MOD Bicester, which considered a range of factors, including the impact on service personnel, their families, cadets, training and defence outputs. The assessment process also considered the cumulative impact on those areas, alongside the site-specific considerations. The assessment for MOD Bicester was that the impacts could be mitigated by relocating the equipment and activities that are currently on that site to other parts of the defence estate.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what screening, safeguarding and risk-assessment procedures will be applied before individuals seeking asylum are accommodated at Site A at MoD Bicester.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

No final decision has been made regarding the use of Site A at MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation, and no final decision will be taken until the necessary assessments, planning permissions and approvals have been completed and properly considered.

When a person claims asylum, the Home Office conducts mandatory identity and security checks. The biographic and biometric data are checked against relevant Home Office systems and police criminality databases including domestic and international data so we can establish whether the person is a threat to public safety and supports appropriate referrals to statutory agencies where required. The asylum screening part of the process is based on an interview aimed at establishing: any vulnerabilities, any threat to the UK/UK interest, their journey to/history in the UK and the basis of their claim.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of its ability to safely manage and operate asylum accommodation for up to 1,250 residents at Site A at MoD Bicester.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

No final decision has been made on whether to use Site A MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation. Due diligence and assurance work for all proposed large sites including Bicester is still ongoing. This work is informed by experience gained from operating existing large asylum accommodation sites and the lessons learned from those sites. Should the proposal proceed, the Home Office would work with an experienced accommodation provider and relevant local partners to ensure appropriate arrangements are in place for the safe and effective operation of the site.

Any decision to proceed would be subject to completion of the necessary assessments, approvals and planning process.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information relating to criminal convictions, safeguarding concerns or other relevant risk factors will be routinely shared with Thames Valley Police in respect of individuals prior to their accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

No final decision has been made on whether to use Site A MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

If the site is taken forward mandatory security checks will be conducted on all people seeking asylum through linking their biometric data to immigration, security, and criminality databases. The Home Office works closely with police and other statutory partners to identify and manage safeguarding and public protection concerns, and information is shared where appropriate and in accordance with legal and operational requirements.

The Home Office will continue to engage with Thames Valley Police whilst assessments continue.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what factors were taken into account in deciding that the proposed asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester should accommodate single adult males between the ages of 18 and 65.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Decisions on potential accommodation sites are made on a site-by-site basis following appropriate assessment of factors including safety, suitability, operational feasibility and the local context.

The proposed accommodation model for MoD Bicester reflects the operational requirements of the asylum accommodation system and the profile of those currently requiring accommodation. Single adult males make up the majority of people seeking asylum who require accommodation support from the Home Office.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on what date (a) Oxfordshire County Council, (b) Cherwell District Council, (c) Thames Valley Police, (d) local NHS bodies and (e) other local public authorities were first informed of proposals to use Site A at MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.

Answered by Alex Norris - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

The Home Office engaged with local stakeholders regarding the proposed use of MoD Bicester prior to any public announcement. Engagement with Chief Executives of Oxfordshire County Council and Cherwell District Council took place on 25 June 2026. Engagement with Thames Valley Police took place on 18 June 2026. Engagement with relevant local NHS bodies is being taken forward as part of the wider operational planning and local partner engagement for the proposal.

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Abolition of Healthwatch

NHS maternity services

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