Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice awareness of plans to accommodate asylum seekers: FOI release

Information requested

The date on which Shirley-Anne Somerville first became aware that the Home Office intended to proceed with the plan to accommodate people seeking asylum in Cameron Barracks in Inverness.

Response

The answer to your question is that the Scottish Government, including the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, learnt of the UK Government’s formal decision to proceed with plans to use Cameron Barracks as asylum accommodation on 28 October through media reports.

UK Government officials first approached the Scottish Government to discuss the possible use of Cameron Barracks as asylum accommodation on 17 September. The Cabinet Secretary was informed that these informal discussions had taken place and then wrote to the Home Office on 26 September (Immigration and asylum: Letter to UK Government - gov.scot) and again on 29 October (Accommodation for people seeking asylum: Letter to UK Government - gov.scot) seeking an urgent meeting to discuss with UK Ministers. She met with the UK Government Minister for Border Security & Asylum on 4 November to outline the Scottish Government’s ongoing concerns and requested answers to the urgent questions we have posed (https://www.gov.scot/publications/clarification-on-housingpeople-seeking-asylum-letter-to-uk-government/) 

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