THE HOME Office has swerved requests to publish a review into asylum accommodation in Glasgow.
Home Secretary Priti Patel and Matthew Rycroft CBE, Permanent Secretary at the Home Office were asked about the report during a session of the Home Affairs committee earlier today
It is the second time the department has been asked by the Committee to share the internal review into the situation for asylum seekers in Glasgow, following reports of squalid living arrangements and substandard food being provided during the pandemic.
Several asylum seekers are reported to have taken their own lives in the shabby accommodations.
Stuart McDonald, SNP MP asked Mr Rycroft about the report, however he said only that such documents were not routinely shared.
Mr McDonald also asked about evidence for other types of accomodation, including the use of military barracks which has been roundly criticsed for being substandard.
READ MORE: Home Office under fire for ignoring refugees' 'appalling' accommodation problems
He said: "We've received a lot of evidence that the military barracks are in disgraceful conditions, and there are wider problems with contingency accommodation.
"So I just want to dig down into what the Home Office relies on when it disputes that evidence. For example... an equality impact assessment about the use of barracks, which is featured in the newspapers, is that publicly available?
"There was an independent review of asylum accommodation carried out I think possibly by Human Applications... is that going to be shared with the committee or published?
"And a review of what happened in Glasgow, is that going to be published as well because that's something that the committee is asked to see previously?"
Stuart McDonald MP
Mr Rycroft said the department "takes our statutory obligations extremely seriously."
He added: "We have a statutory obligation to provide accommodation for all asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute in this country and we do provide that.
"And we have a variety of different ways of providing that accommodation, whether it is through what we call dispersal accommodation, or some of the contingency accommodation which, which includes hotels, former student accommodation, or in two cases, former military barracks. And let me say that both the two barracks in question have recently housed members of the British Armed Forces."
READ MORE: Asylum seeker describes ‘unbearable’ conditions at Kent military barracks
On the independent review documents, Mr Rycroft replied that the department did not "routinely publish" such information and it would have to be assessed on a "case-by-case basis".
He added: "It was private advice to help us back at the time when we were setting up this additional asylum accommodation."
On the Glasgow review, he added: "Well, same answer. We can have a look at it, case by case. We wouldn't routinely make these things public because they are our private advice."
Home Secretary Priti Patel
The MP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth also asked the Home Secretary if she would rule out using military barracks as accommodation for asylum seekers, however she refused to do so and said barracks had been used by serving military personnel until recently.
Ms Patel said: "This isn't about closing military barracks, I think we should look at this within the context of government estate and government accommodation, and it is right that we look at government estate and government accommodation as potential contingency and accommodation for asylum seekers.
"I think the public would expect that. This isn't just about an automatic default position to move people in to hotels."
Asylum seekers on a sleep-out protest at Napier Barracks in Folkestone, Kent (Care4Calais/PA)
Mr McDonald responded: "I think the public will be horrified that you appear to be saying that you're going to continue using military barracks to accommodate asylum seekers and yet we aren't getting any information or justification for that. No evidence is provided. I can't believe this is not part of the plan to close military barracks accommodation."
Ms Patel said: "Well, the accommodation, as the Permanent Secretary has said already this morning...This is military accommodation that has housed our servicemen and women, and it's housed our servicemen and women recently."
Closing the exchange, the MP added: "If you were to put military personnel there now, then its you that's insulting our servicemen. Not folk who criticise it."
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