Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to provide (a) local authorities, (b) police and (c) NHS services in Essex details of the funding they will receive in connection with the use of the MOD Wethersfield site for asylum accommodation in the (i) financial year 2023-24 and (ii) next five financial years; and whether she plans to publish details of the funding allocations.

The Home Office has committed substantial funding to help minimise the impact on local communities and services. This includes 24/7 security to reduce the need for police patrols, on-site catering, healthcare and transport provision for those housed on site. Discussions regarding the specific funding arrangements for local authorities and the NHS are ongoing, and a grant policy for police forces impacted by new large sites, including Wethersfield, has been published. The government currently provides £3,500 to local authorities for new and occupied dispersal beds. This £3,500 funding for local authorities will be extended to the sites at Wethersfield.

Ministers have also committed to a health funding package for large sites this financial year. This will cover initial set-up costs for Wethersfield against defined parameters and a tariff will be applied for each occupied bed at the end of the financial year as agreed following consultation with health stakeholders.