\nplanning by the Home Office\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n
The quote above offers an indication of the root cause
\nof the catalogue of failures outlined in the report. Home Office staff rarely
\nvisited the sites, and left matters to inadequate private sector contractors.
\nThe staff were mostly fine with the residents \u2013 they just lacked the skills,
\ntraining, management, and infrastructure to run the facilities decently. An
\nunanswered question is why this has been allowed to occur and continue despite
\nrepeated reports of failings. <\/p>\n
The document published on Monday 8th March<\/a> by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration and Her Majesty\u2019s Inspectorate of Prisons offers a \u201chigh-level overview\u201d of their inspection, with a detailed full report to follow. It investigates two sites \u2013 Napier Barracks near Folkestone and Penally Camp near Tenby. The Penally site is clearly unpleasant and unsuitable but is fortunate to be compared with Napier Barracks, which appears to be extraordinary in the scale of its failings. <\/p>\n The report itself is composed of clear and simple 197 people infected with Covid-19<\/strong><\/p>\n These camps were setup during the Covid-19 pandemic. Residents In Napier an outbreak eventually affecting 197 people The Home Secretary and the Home Office Permanent Secretary gave evidence<\/a> to Parliament about this last month where they claimed that the Public Health recommendations were \u201cfollowed to the letter\u201d and \u201cat every stage\u201d. The inspectors report however states that the recomendations were NOT put in place before the sites opened. Moreover, the report states that in Napier Barracks as soon as one person was infected, a large-scale outbreak \u201cwas virtually inevitable\u201d, as the public health recommendations around isolating cases and bubbling were unworkable. <\/p>\n In evidence to Parliament, the Home Secretary did not There has been no evidence that disobedient \u201cmingling\u201d Mental health<\/strong><\/p>\n Every resident of Napier Barracks who was surveyed reported depression, with a third indicating suicidal thoughts. Those who were at high risk of self-harm were placed in an \u201cisolation block\u201d that was considered unfit for human habitation. The picture of the room\/cell is horrific.<\/p>\n Residents had little information about what was happening to them. They did not know why they had been moved to the camp, nor did they know when they would leave. Although up until the Covid outbreak residents were allowed to leave the site, many did not wish to, as they faced intimidation by protesters and other members of the public who did not want the camps opened. This problem was exacerbated by the Home Office\u2019s lack of collaboration with local people and service providers when the sites were set up.<\/p>\n It is not hard to see why mental health deteriorated. Why put people in camps?<\/strong><\/p>\n There is a narrative that the camps were necessary due There is also a claim that this accommodation was \u2018good However, the barracks were never designed for long-term stays \u2013 they were for units on training and exercises \u2013 and they last housed \u201cbrave soldiers\u201d 15 years ago. The inspectors were absolutely clear how unfit they were to house anyone today, describing the accommodation as \u201cimpoverished, run-down and unsuitable for long-term accommodation\u201d.<\/p>\n Asylum seekers \u201cnot analogous\u201d to UK citizens<\/strong><\/p>\n The Home Office has yet to publish its Equality Impact Who is my neighbour?<\/strong><\/p>\n I believe asylum seekers are analogous to UK citizens. In both cases, a story is being told about them by Both groups can be treated appallingly \u2013 while many parts of society look on with approval. For both groups the descriptor \u201cgenuine\u201d is used partly to admit that the cheat story isn\u2019t always the case, but mainly to ensure we are reminded that they are from a group that is not to be trusted. Both groups lack power and money and are easy scapegoats for wider problems in our society. <\/p>\n Both groups are made up of people struggling against circumstances that those who distort their story can barely imagine. Both groups consist of people who are made in the image of God, who deserve the dignity, respect and truthfulness that implies. Any Church true to the life of Jesus Christ has no choice but to stand alongside both groups.<\/p>\n Further Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n Destitution, Discrimination and Distrust; the web of the hostile environment<\/a> \u2013 Churches report examining the UK\u2019s hostile environment immigration policy and its human consequences.<\/p>\n <!– The report into the conditions at Napier Barracks, a former army base where asylum seekers are now detained, makes appalling reading. The Government\u2019s own inspectors set out how asylum seekers are still being forced into unsafe, unclean and unfit accommodation. It … Continue reading
\nbullet points and I strongly recommend you read them. If you find the official
\nlanguage difficult to engage with \u2013 just imagine it an inspector\u2019s report of
\nsomewhere your child or parent will be forced to live. I can only highlight a
\nfew of the bullet points here.<\/p>\n
\nwere housed in dormitories with beds placed close together separated only by short
\npartitions and curtains. Facilities for eating and washing were shared. Public health
\nauthorities expressed the obvious concerns about Covid safety and made
\nrecommendations. <\/p>\n
\noccurred. Residents \u2013 correctly \u2013 believed they were not safe. Those who tried
\nto leave were prevented and at least one was forcibly returned by the Police.
\nSome chose to sleep outside at night in January in an attempt to protect
\nthemselves. <\/p>\n![](\"http:\/\/www.jointpublicissues.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Living-accomodation-1024x576.jpg\")
Picture Credit Independent Chief Inspector of Borders & Immigration <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\nmention any failings in the strategy of opening dormitory accommodation during
\na pandemic nor any or weaknesses in their Covid safety regime. Instead she
\ndiscussed the infectious nature of the virus and suggested that rule-breaking
\nby the residents was to blame, saying \u201cpeople do mingle\u2026 people were also not
\nfollowing the rules\u201d. <\/p>\n
\nwas a cause of viral spread. However given the nature of the accommodation it
\nis clear that any instruction not to \u201cmingle\u201d would be both ineffective at
\npreventing the spread of Covid-19 and impossible to obey. (The report includes pictures, so you can
\njudge for yourself).<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/967384\/Isolation_room2__Napier_Barracks._17_February_2021.jpg\")
\nIndeed, in February when an asylum seeker sought an injunction<\/a>
\nto be moved from Napier Barracks, the presiding judge granting the injunction stated
\nthat the case had painted a \u201cpowerful picture\u201d of how \u201cprolonged indefinite
\naccommodation at Napier Barracks has injuriously affected (the claimant\u2019s)
\nmental health\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nto Covid or an influx of new asylum seekers. However the report makes clear
\nthat the people housed in these camps were moved there not from boats or arriving
\nplanes, but from other accommodation in the UK. <\/p>\n
\nenough for the army\u2019 so it should be good enough for asylum seekers. For
\nexample, the Home
\nSecretary Priti Patel said<\/a>, \u201cThis site has previously accommodated our
\nbrave soldiers and army personnel. It is an insult to say that it is not good
\nenough for these individuals.\u201d <\/p>\n
\nAssessment for using these sites, despite being requested to do so by the Home
\nAffairs Select Committee.<\/a> Leaked copies<\/a> indicate that the Home
\nOffice argues that asylum seekers are \u201cnot analogous\u201d to UK residents in need
\nof housing. Therefore, asylum seekers cannot be seen to be treated as well as UK
\nresidents or it will \u201cundermine public confidence in the asylum system\u201d. In a
\ncountry with more than 1.7 million UK born citizens experiencing destitution<\/a>
\neach year, being seen to treat people worse than that is a low bar to slither
\nunder. <\/p>\n
\nI read the inspectors report, the newspaper
\nreports eager to blame asylum seekers<\/a> for the camp\u2019s problems,
\nand the evidence given to Parliament, and I see close analogies with UK
\ncitizens who need help from the benefits system.<\/p>\n
\nothers who do not have their best interests at heart. The story is \u2018Asylum
\nseekers aren\u2019t fleeing persecution, they are out to cheat the system\u2019; \u2018Benefits
\nclaimants aren\u2019t in need, they are lazy and playing the system\u2019.<\/p>\n
\n–>
\nSource<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"