MP for South Pembrokeshire and Welsh secretary of state Simon Hart has told his constituents that he has made a repeated request to the Welsh Government in finding alternative accommodation for asylum seekers currently residing at Penally camp, to hasten the closure of the facility.

In a letter to Wales’ Deputy Minister, Mr. Hart has suggested that if the Welsh Government are able to assist with a process of finding sufficient dispersal accommodation places, then this may enable the closure of the Penally camp, which was repurposed back in September of last year by the Home Office as an asylum seekers accommodation centre, earlier than expected.

In correspondence sent out to local residents on Friday (February 5) updating them on the latest news regarding the village camp, Mr. Hart explained: “As you know I wrote to Welsh Government just before Christmas requesting its support in providing alternative accommodation for the occupants with a view to getting the camp closed as soon as possible.

“I was disappointed that Welsh Government replied saying it could not help, despite its ‘Nation of Sanctuary’ policy plan to: ‘Provide coordination and leadership in relation to the resettlement and integration of refugees and asylum seekers in Wales.’

“As you can see, we have now made a repeated request to the Welsh Government to support us in finding alternative accommodation for asylum seekers, in line with their own policy, and in doing so hasten the closure of Penally camp.

“I appreciate that it is the Home Office that took the initial decision and that we all want outcomes rather than discussions, but we will be able to achieve these more quickly if we can work together to find alternatives,” he continued.

The Home Office stated last month that they intend to move all of the asylum seekers at Penally Camp into “suitable dispersed accommodation as soon as reasonably practical” with an inspection by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration into the the use of hotels and barracks as contingency asylum accommodation now underway which will remain open until February 19.

Mr. Hart’s letter that he sent jointly with the Home Office minister for immigration Chris Philp MP to Welsh Government’s Deputy Minister and Chief Whip Jane Hutt MS, is as follows:

‘As you will know, our primary concern during the current global pandemic has been to ensure that we always meet our statutory obligation to support and accommodate asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute. This has meant the need to use contingency accommodation, including hotels and more recently two Ministry of Defence (MOD) sites, including Penally Training Camp.

‘You have raised several concerns about Penally being unsuitable. The Government takes the safety and wellbeing of the asylum seekers we accommodate very seriously and is committed to ensuring everyone is treated humanely and with the dignity they deserve and we do not accept that the accommodation is in any way inhumane.

‘It was, until recently used by the MOD and British Armed Service Personnel and as with all the accommodation in use it is safe, habitable, fit for purpose and correctly equipped in line with existing asylum accommodation standards contractual requirements. It has also been adapted to ensure social distancing can be maintained.

‘You asked Chris about the outcome of the Human Applications review. The Home Office is currently considering the report’s recommendations and remains committed to providing you with a copy once that consideration is complete.

‘As mentioned at our meeting we will also hold round tables with stakeholders to discuss the recommendations, actions taken and proposed next steps. An invite will be with your officials in due course.

‘The MOD gave permission for Penally to be used for 12 months, but we have always been clear that we will only use the site for as long as is necessary and will keep its use under review. There is a continued need for the site at this time.

‘As we discussed, one of the challenges in the asylum system continues to be the availability of sufficient dispersal accommodation to ensure that we are able to move people from their initial accommodation within a reasonable timeframe. I welcomed your commitment at our meeting on December 1 to exploring wider dispersal options with Local Authorities in Wales.

‘If you are able to assist with this process and as a consequence consent is forthcoming from Welsh local authorities for 400-500 Dispersed Accommodation places (which the Home Office procures and pays for), then this may enable the closure of Penally earlier than would otherwise be the case (although precise timings will be subject to operational circumstances).

‘I am here talking about Local Authority consent for 400-500 permanent Dispersed Accommodation places, and not temporary hotel places (for which the Home Office does not need consent).

‘We are not in any way suggesting a transfer of responsibility from the UK Government to the Welsh Government. We recognise that asylum is a reserved matter. But we do, at present, seek the consent of local authorities everywhere in the UK before setting up dispersed accommodation. The limited number of local authorities, including in Wales, to consent to being dispersal areas, alongside some limitations local authorities have put in place, has meant that we currently have insufficient dispersal accommodation and therefore need to use sites like Penally and hotels.

‘We would be very grateful for your assistance to help us get consent from Welsh local authorities for dispersed accommodation in their areas. This would provide us with sufficient accommodation to allow the early closure of Penally.

‘Your letter says that the Welsh Government’s interest is primarily in accommodation for refugees and not asylum seekers, drawing a distinction between the two. I note that your ‘Nation of Sanctuary - Refugee and Asylum Seeker Plan’ dated January 2019 makes multiple references to asylum seekers (indeed the title of the document itself refers expressly to asylum seekers). Action 6 on page 33 is that the Welsh Government will: “Provide coordination and leadership in relation to the resettlement and integration of refugees and asylum seekers in Wales.”

‘It is precisely this leadership that we are now asking you to provide to help us obtain local authority consent for more dispersed accommodation in Wales.

‘Whilst recognising your strong desire to see the use of Penally discontinued, balanced with our need to ensure there is always sufficient capacity in the system; this could only happen if there were clear alternatives in place.

‘Objecting to the use of Penally, whilst failing to help us identify suitable alternative provision, would signal an unwillingness on the part of the Welsh Government to accommodate asylum seekers which would be at variance with your stated position of Wales as a place of sanctuary.

‘For that reason, I would welcome an update on progress of your discussions with Welsh local authorities, following our discussion on this topic on 1 December.

‘My officials will continue to work with your officials on this matter and I hope that we can find a mutually agreeable solution in respect of the provision of initial and dispersal asylum accommodation in Wales.’