HC Deb 18 April 2002 vol 383 cc1166-7W
Mr. Leigh

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations have taken place with the Ministry of Defence about using Hemswell Cliff as a possible site for an accommodation centre for asylum seekers, [50545]

Angela Eagle

[holding answer 16 April 2002]: The Ministry of Defence is aware of our plans and officials of both Departments are in touch.

Mr. Leigh

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether evaluations of the sites proposed for asylum seekers accommodation centres will be published. [50494]

Angela Eagle

[holding answer 16 April 2002]: The evaluations of the sites will inform site selection, acquisition negotiations and the evaluation of the forthcoming competition. As such, they will be commercially confidential. However, any forthcoming planning notifications will set out the basis on which the particular site was chosen.

Mr. Leigh

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the asylum seekers' accommodation centres in mainland Europe on which he is modelling the proposed centres to be established in the UK. [50495]

Angela Eagle

[holding answer 16 April 2002]: Although the Home Office has recently commissioned research on the reception policies and practice of four European countries, our proposals are not directly based on any particular model.

Mr. Leigh

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks have been made on the services infrastructure at Hemswell Cliff as part of the assessment process to determine whether Hemswell Cliff is a suitable site for an asylum seekers' accommodation centre. [50496]

Angela Eagle

[holding answer 16 April 2002]: No such checks took place prior to the announcement of the potential sites for trial accommodation centres. A range of factors, including the practicability of service provision, will be taken into account at every site before final decisions are made.

Tony Baldry

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 11 February 2002 to the hon. Member for mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff),Official Report, column 57W, on asylum accommodation centres, when he expects to announce the selected locations of the proposed accommodation centres for asylum seekers. [45735]

Angela Eagle

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for mid-Worcestershire (Mr. Luff) on 11 March 2002,Official Report, column 718W.