§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the initial sites for possible asylum accommodation centres were identified; which outside consultants were involved in the process; and how much they were paid. [42654]
§ Beverley HughesThe initial sites for accommodation centres were identified through a programme of searches involving major landowners, including other Government Departments, for properties that met a set of criteria. This included looking for sites with the capacity to cater for several hundred residents plus facilities either as new-build552W or conversion, a non-urban location and a reasonable geographical spread beyond the south east of England. This work was supported by property consultants Lambert Smith Hampton and planning consultants CgMs Consulting.
The information relating to fees paid to external consultants cannot be divulged as this is subject to commercial confidentiality.