Chris Pursues Answers About Asylum In Portland Port
Christopher Chope Conservative, Christchurch
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2023 to Question 181795 on Asylum: Portland, for what reason she has not provided specific information requested in response to parts (a) to (i) of that question.
Robert Jenrick The Minister for Immigration
Those accommodated on the barge in Portland will already be in the asylum system, having been through initial screening and checks. They will have had their fingerprints and identities recorded by the Home Office as part of robust security checks prior to going aboard.
Those being accommodated are likely to come from various countries, and already in the asylum system, having been through initial screening and checks. They will be non-detained. It will be managed by a specialist and experienced provider, which has a strong track record of providing this kind of accommodation. We will continue to work closely with the councils, communities, and key local partners to manage any impact in Dorset. If someone is late returning from a visit off the vessel, they will be contacted to ascertain their whereabouts.
The provision of an accommodation barge at Portland Port will provide the capacity for a maximum of 506 asylum seekers. The vessel will contain multiple occupancy rooms that are an appropriate size for the number of occupants in the appropriate space standard. The vessel will always remain in line with marine industry safety regulations and meet all statutory requirements.
There will be adequate accommodation, catering, laundry, facilities to support their well-being and transport to and from the Port into the local community. The site at Portland and is designed to be as self-sufficient as possible, in order to minimise the impact on the local community. Legal representatives will be allowed, though any entry into and or movement through the port is controlled by the security provider.
We will assess individual’s suitability to reside at Portland, appropriate procedures will be in place to prevent the spread of infectious disease, which is being considered by the Multi Agency Forum health subgroup.
All information regarding the Bibby Stockholm vessel in Portland can be found on the asylum accommodation factsheet found here: Portland_Factsheet_050423.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk).
- ENDS - #184264
To read the previous referred Written Answer please CLICK HERE
- ENDS -
