Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the steps necessary to prevent future covid-19 outbreaks at Napier Barracks.

The accommodation has been adapted to ensure social distancing can be maintained and occupancy in dormitories is limited to ensure a minimum distance between beds of at least two metres.

This is complemented by a range of additional safety measures including increased cleaning, availability of personal cleaning products and hand sanitisers, lateral flow tests for all residents three times a week and a track and trace system. Our service providers have robust plans in place to minimise the risk of an outbreak of COVID-19 and an action plan should a COVID-19 outbreak occur.

We have established links to the appropriate leads from the local authority, PHE and statutory bodies and are committed to working with them to support the people we accommodate and the wider community. Regular Multi-Agency Forums are held to ensure concerns are understood, so issues are managed and resolved accordingly.