Napier Barracks could house asylum seekers for "another couple of years"
The Government may be considering using Napier Barracks to house asylum seekers for "another couple of years", MPs and peers have heard.
Lawyers told a parliamentary inquiry that the Barracks could be used beyond September, after its initial use was thought to be temporary.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Immigration Detention heard evidence on Thursday from legal and medical professionals who have worked with people staying at the barracks, after it launched an inquiry into the Home Office's use of such sites amid concerns over living conditions.
Sue Willman, a solicitor at Deighton Pierce Glynn Law, told the politicians:
"We have heard that the Government plan to extend use of the barracks beyond September, which is something we are very concerned about, that they're continuing to use it for another couple of years."
She urged them to seek "further clarification" on this amid suggestions that portable cabins may be moved to the site from an immigration detention centre as part of plans for future use.
Nearly 200 people at the barracks in Folkestone, Kent, contracted Covid-19 during a major outbreak earlier this year.
In April the Home Office declared the outbreak was over and insisted asylum seekers were staying in "safe, suitable, Covid-compliant conditions".
But this month senior health officials said it is still "difficult to envisage" the site being considered Covid-safe.
It came after six asylum seekers previously housed there won a legal challenge against the Government as a High Court judge ruled their accommodation was inadequate.
The Home Office faced renewed calls to shut the site in the aftermath of the ruling, but instead insisted "significant improvements" have been made.
But the inquiry heard that it so far appears unclear as to what those improvements are.
Home Secretary Priti Patel and immigration minister Chris Philp have both defended the use of such sites in the past, suggesting they were suitable because they had been previously used for military personnel.