Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 14 February (HL2168), whether they will now answer the question put; namely, what assessment they have made of the findings of the report Ghettoised and traumatised: the experiences of men held in quasi-detention in Wethersfield, published by the Helen Bamber Foundation and Humans for Rights Network on 15 December 2023, and their implications for housing asylum seekers at MDP Wethersfield.

The Home Office dispute the findings of the report. Many of the points raised in the report are factually incorrect and the report has not been written following an ‘inspection’ or visit of the site to gain first-hand experience/evidence/knowledge.

The site at Wethersfield provides safe and secure non detained accommodation for asylum seekers who are free to come and go.

The welfare of asylum seekers is our utmost priority. The Home Office ensures that accommodation provided is adequate and meets the regulatory standards. The Home Office assesses an individual’s suitability to reside at the sites and only accommodates single adult males who are considered suitable to reside there. Guidance on the suitability criteria used can be found here: Allocation of accommodation.

An allocation policy and suitability criteria will ensure that no one is housed in accommodation that does not suit them or their needs. If, during their stay, it emerges that an asylum seeker is no longer suitable for the site, they will be moved to different accommodation. The service provider who is running the site on behalf of the Home Office is responsible for the safeguarding of migrants. Our service providers are experienced in managing asylum seeker accommodation in an orderly and secure manner.

The Home Office operates a Safeguarding Hub to support vulnerable individuals. Both the Home Office and its accommodation providers have robust processes in place to ensure that where someone is at risk, they are referred to the appropriate statutory agencies of the police, NHS, and social services, to promote appropriate safeguarding interventions.

As well as making safeguarding referrals to the appropriate statutory agencies, other actions include attendance at adult protection meetings with the police, and the Home Office liaise with external and internal partners to share information. The statutory agencies retain responsibility for all decisions on intervention activity.

All asylum seekers in the UK may contact Migrant Help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year if they need help, advice, or guidance; that includes raising issues relating to safeguarding.