I understand that you have concerns regarding the conditions of these facilities, and I agree that all those arriving at these facilities must be treated with respect and kindness by staff. As you may be aware, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons recently published a report into short term holding facilities, where it found that this was the case.

The Government takes the welfare of people in Home Office care, including asylum seekers I short term holding facilities, extremely seriously, and fulfils its statutory duty to ensure decent, safe, and humane conditions. I welcome, therefore, that the Government has made a number of improvement to these facilities.

It is also important to note that short term holding facilities exist for the Home Office to triage arrivals to identify medical needs, vulnerabilities and any known criminality, and people are moved to suitable locations as quickly as possible.