Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to protect the health and wellbeing of asylum seekers at Napier Barracks, Kent.

Refugees, asylum seekers and refused asylum seekers can register for and receive primary care free of charge in the same way as any other patient in any nation of the UK.

The Home Office has worked closely with the Clinical Commissioning Group in Kent to ensure that arrangements are in place for asylum seekers to access health care as required.

We work closely with our accommodation providers to ensure that all asylum seekers in supported accommodation are aware of, and have access to, Migrant Help’s helpline. This service is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, if service users need help, advice or guidance, including signposting to relevant mental and medical health services.

Following a fire at Napier Barracks our service providers worked quickly to ensure that the fire damaged area was sealed off the rest of the accommodation was safe and secure for our service providers, that power was provided via generators and meals continued to be provided.

We keep arrangements at Napier Barracks under regular review working in partnership with local and national health and public health officials