David Neal

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is Under Pressure to answer questions about conditions at a migrant processing centre at Manston in Kent.

There are now thousands of Migrants at The Camp and local Conservative MP Roger Gale says " it is overwhelmed and it is wholly unacceptable. "

Manston, a former military base in Kent, in February 2022, for the growing number of Migrants reaching the UK in small boats.

In December 2021, it would hold " illegal Migrants . . for up to Five Days as security and identity checks are completed".

It said it was part of a new immigration plan That would " see a Move Away from unsustainable hotel accommodation towards dedicated reception centres".

: " The aim was to run a site That had between 1,000 and 1,600 people Passing Through it Every Day , and That all of those checks would be completed in under 24 hours. For a large part of this year, That is exactly how it was operating".

There are currently around 4,000 Migrants at Manston, according to Mr Gale. The Home Office would not comment on the current numbers at The Camp .

Some Migrants are also being held for longer periods of time because of an apparent lack of alternative accommodation.

Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration David Neal visited The Camp on 24 October and said there were 2,800 Migrants there on That Day .

He told MPs: " I spoke to an Afghan family who had been in a marquee for 32 days. "

He reported That Migrants were being and said: " What is really concerning and alarming is That the numbers as described are clearly outstripping the capacity of The Site . "

A Home Office spokesperson said: " Manston remains resourced and equipped to process Migrants securely and we will provide alternative accommodation as soon as possible. "

That Ms Braverman was told at least three weeks ago That Migrants , including families, were being held there for four weeks, putting the government in breach of The Law .

The Bbc has been told That she was warned That the government was breaching statutory duties by failing to sign off on ways to immediately move people to hotels or alternative accommodation.

The Bbc has spoken to sources familiar with The Situation . One source said there was " crystal clear" advice That the Govt was not acting within The Law .

Mr Gale told BBC Radio 4 's Today programme: " I was told That the Home Office was finding it very difficult to secure hotel accommodation. I now understand That This Was a policy issue and That a decision was taken not to book additional hotel space. "

A Home Office spokesperson said: " The Home Secretary has taken urgent decisions to alleviate issues at Manston and source alternative accommodation. Claims advice was deliberately ignored are completely baseless. "

At The End of June 2022 there were waiting for an initial decision from the Home Office .

One reason for the increased Backlog - which is two and a half times higher than at The End of 2019 - is The Rise in number of asylum applications.

In 2021, there were 48,450 applications, compared to 63,089 So Far in 2022. Large increases in small boat crossings have driven this trend.

A published over the summer said That " antiquated IT systems, high staff turnover, and too few staff are among the reasons for this slow pace".

The asylum Backlog has left thousands of asylum seekers waiting in short term accommodation - Such as hotels - which is costing the government around £5. 6m per day.

The pressure in the asylum system worsened during the pandemic as people were prevented from being moved on to long-term accommodation because of the lockdown.

The Home Affairs Committee reported That in September 2021,13,000 asylum seekers were living in hotels.

The government uses another former airfield in Kent - Western Jet Foil - as a processing centre where initial checks take place. Another centre in The County - Tughaven - was closed in 2021.

Earlier this year, a processing centre was due to open in the Yorkshire village of Linton-on-Ouse. The Proposal was scrapped after opposition from The Local Conservative council

There are currently seven immigration removal centres located across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland which hold people who are about to be removed from the UK.

However, some Migrants have been sent here upon arrival when there is no space at processing centres.

Other types of detention centres - Such as short-term holding centres - are based in Manchester and Northern Ireland .

Source of news: bbc.com