Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact on the welfare of military families living in accommodation next to the Cameron Barracks, in light of the site now being used as asylum accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, NHS, Police, and other local partners – via an Operational Working Group in addition to bi-lateral conversations.
Safety and security of residents, staff and the neighbouring community will remain central to any decisions. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate, and compliant with planning regulations.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what formal process has been followed regarding the change of use of the Cameron Barracks.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, NHS, Police, and other local partners – via an Operational Working Group in addition to bi-lateral conversations.
Safety and security of residents, staff and the neighbouring community will remain central to any decisions. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate, and compliant with planning regulations.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the cost of providing recreational activities and health services to asylum seekers at the Cameron barracks.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, NHS, Police, and other local partners – via an Operational Working Group in addition to bi-lateral conversations.
Safety and security of residents, staff and the neighbouring community will remain central to any decisions. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate, and compliant with planning regulations.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to engage with local communities in Inverness, in light of the decision to use the Cameron barracks as asylum accommodation.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, NHS, Police, and other local partners – via an Operational Working Group in addition to bi-lateral conversations.
Safety and security of residents, staff and the neighbouring community will remain central to any decisions. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate, and compliant with planning regulations.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether asylum seekers at the Cameron barracks will have access to publicly-funded therapists.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Consideration of this site is ongoing and any final decision to utilise any site for the intended purposes will be made once the relevant factors have been properly considered.
The Home Office continues to engage regularly with representatives from the local authority, NHS, Police, and other local partners – via an Operational Working Group in addition to bi-lateral conversations.
Safety and security of residents, staff and the neighbouring community will remain central to any decisions. We will ensure that any development is safe, appropriate, and compliant with planning regulations.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has received any legal notices, pre-action correspondence and letters before action from Wealden District Council on the proposed use of the Crowborough Training Camp.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office has received a Planning Contravention Notice from Wealden District Council regarding Crowborough. We have not received any pre-action protocol letters or letters before action from Wealden District Council.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will publish the minutes of meetings between her Department and Wealden District Council on the proposed use of the Crowborough Training Camp to accommodate asylum seekers.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office engages regularly with Wealden District Council regarding Crowborough Training Camp. The department does not routinely publish minutes of such meetings.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when asylum seekers are expected to be accommodated at the Crowborough Training Camp.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
We are continuing to assess the feasibility of the Crowborough site. No final decision has been made, and as such no arrival date for service users has been confirmed.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the security services on the monitoring of foreign offenders who may be crossing the Channel to avoid justice for crimes they have committed in other European countries.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
We have launched the Border Security Command (BSC) whose work is imperative not only to stop criminals from entering the UK via small boats in the first place but to stop anyone from making these dangerous journeys. This is why the BSC is working with partners internationally to tackle and disrupt organised immigration crime gangs.
All individuals arriving in the UK via small boats undergo a comprehensive screening process. This is designed to gather key information about each person, including any indicators of criminality.
As part of this process, the Home Office collects biometric data—such as facial images and fingerprints—to verify identity. These biometrics are checked against Home Office systems and other law enforcement databases, including Interpol’s wanted list. This enables us to identify individuals, assess whether they pose a risk to public safety, and determine any breaches of immigration law. These checks are essential to maintaining a secure, fair, and effective immigration system.
In line with the Refugee Convention, refugee status will be denied to those who have committed serious crimes, pose a danger to the community, or present a threat to national security.
For further details on security checks during the asylum screening process, please refer to: Screening and routing
This process also ensures that individuals who should not be granted bail are identified promptly.
I am unable to comment specifically on discussions with the Security Service given that, for reasons for national security, it has been a long-standing position that the Government does not comment on intelligence matters.
Asked by: Chris Philp (Conservative - Croydon South)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the decision on whether to use Crowborough Training Camp to accommodate asylum seekers will be taken; by whom the decision will be taken; and what is is the mechanism for taking that decision.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
It remains our intention to use Crowborough Training Camp to accommodateasylum seekers, subject to the outcome of feasibility assessments. We areconfident that the level of due diligence carried out on alternativeaccommodation sites has improved, and we ensure that the relevantapprovals and assessments take place at the appropriate stage.The Home Office has been engaging with statutory partners for Crowborough,including Health, Police and Fire Rescue, on this proposal and will work withlocal authority and cross-government media teams to ensure ongoingcoordination and alignment to deliver consistent messaging and rapidresponse to emerging issues. Multi- Agency Forums chaired by Home Officewith key delivery partners will take place at least fortnightly pre-delivery, aswell as post go-live and we are working closely with key stakeholdersincluding local health partners to minimise the impact on the local community.Regarding Community and Equality Impact Assessments, assessments willbe carried out as part of the standard process for alternative sites and will bepublished as appropriate