Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
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 asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester on residents in surrounding communities, in relation to the relevant provisions of the National Planning Policy Framework on crime and the fear of crime.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
No final decision has been taken on the future use of MOD Bicester Site A.
Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, planning requirements, and the impact on local services and communities. This work is informed by engagement with Thames Valley Police and other statutory partners. Relevant planning considerations, including crime and the fear of crime, would be considered through the appropriate planning processes.
If the site is taken forward, it would have security permanently on site supported by CCTV and appropriate access-control arrangements.
The Home Office would continue working closely with police and local partners to assess risks and help protect the safety and wellbeing of local communities, staff and those accommodated on site.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the safety of pedestrians travelling between the proposed asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester and local services by roads without pavements.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
No final decision has been made on whether to use Site A at MoD Bicester for asylum accommodation.
Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, planning requirements, and the impact on local services and communities.
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.
If the site is taken forward, transport arrangements would be considered as part of operational planning and in discussion with relevant local partners.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of policing resources required to support the proposed asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
No final decision has been taken on the future use of MOD Bicester.
Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, planning requirements, and the impact on local services and communities. This work is informed by engagement with Thames Valley Police and other statutory partners.
If the site is taken forward, the Home Office would continue working closely with police and other local partners to assess risks and help protect the safety and wellbeing of local communities, staff and those accommodated on site.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what arrangements will be in place to monitor and respond to safeguarding or public protection concerns arising from the movement of residents of the proposed asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester outside the site.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
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.
All individuals who claim asylum are subject to mandatory identity and security checks, with appropriate action taken where concerns are identified.
The Home Office regularly works in collaboration with police, local authorities and other statutory partners to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully managed and the impact upon the local community is minimised. This includes a comprehensive and ongoing approach to identifying and managing any public protection or safeguarding risks.
If the site is taken forward, the Home Office would continue working closely with local police and partners to assess risks and help protect the safety and wellbeing of local communities, staff and those accommodated on site.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of proposed security arrangements to address potential risks to the safety of local residents using public rights of way, local roads and other public spaces surrounding the proposed asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
No final decision has been taken on the future use of MOD Bicester.
Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, planning requirements, and the impact on local services and communities. This work is informed by engagement with Thames Valley Police and other statutory partners.
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.
The Home Office would continue working closely with local police and partners to assess risks and help protect the safety and wellbeing of local communities, staff and those accommodated on site.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what evidence her Department has considered in assessing the potential impact of the proposed asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester on crime and the fear of crime in surrounding communities.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
No final decision has been taken on the future use of MOD Bicester.
Suitability assessments are ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, planning requirements, and the impact on local services and communities. This work is informed by engagement with Thames Valley Police and other statutory partners.
If the site is taken forward, it would have security permanently on site supported by CCTV and appropriate access-control arrangements.
The Home Office would continue working closely with local police and partners to assess risks and help protect the safety and wellbeing of local communities, staff and those accommodated on site.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Operational Management Plan for the proposed asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester will be completed and assessed before a final decision is made on the use of the site; and whether the plan will be published before any residents are accommodated there.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
No final decision has been made as to whether to use Site A at MOD Bicester for asylum accommodation. Suitability assessments remain ongoing and will consider a range of factors including safety, security, operational deliverability, planning requirements, and the impact on local services and communities.
A detailed Operational Management Plan would be completed following the appointment of the service provider and approved before the site became operational.
Decisions on publication would be considered once the plan had been finalised. Appropriate information on how the site would operate would continue to be made publicly available through published factsheets.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the safety and welfare of staff working at the proposed asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester, including arrangements for lone working and night shifts.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
If MOD Bicester is taken forward, an experienced, specialist provider of asylum accommodation would be appointed to manage the site on behalf of the Home Office. The safety and security of the local community, the staff who work there and those accommodated on the site would be of the utmost importance. The site would have a specialist and experienced provider of security services permanently, supported by CCTV monitoring and access control arrangements.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (i) how many government employees are currently involved in processing asylum claims, and (ii) the average employment cost of each.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
At the end of June 2026, there were 1,935 full-time equivalent (FTE) asylum caseworkers in the Home Office. This information is published in the Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (Immigration and Protection data), under table ASY_05(M). Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (Immigration and Protection data), under table ASY_05(M).
The Home Office does not routinely publish the average employment cost of individual asylum caseworkers. However, information on staff grades and pay is available in the published Home Office Structure and Salaries data. Broader asylum system expenditure, including staffing costs, is published in the Migration Transparency Data.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to publish the Security Management Plan prepared in relation to the proposed asylum accommodation at Site A at MoD Bicester, and if not, what information about the proposed security arrangements will be made publicly available.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
Detailed security plans are not routinely published where disclosure could undermine the effectiveness of the arrangements or create riks to the site, staff, local communities or those accommodated there.
The safety and security of the local community, the staff who work there and those accommodated on the site will be of the utmost importance. There will be a specialist and experienced provider of security services permanently on site 24/7, as well as security systems including CCTV monitoring and recording, if the site is taken forward.
The Home Office would continue working closely with the police, local authorities and other partners to ensure that accommodation sites are successfully managed and the impact upon the local community is minimised.
Appropriate information about the security arrangements would continue to be made publicly available through the MOD Bicester factsheet, planning material and stakeholder engagement.