Plaid Cymru’s leader in the House of Commons has written to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration calling for an urgent ‘full and transparent inspection’ into conditions at Penally camp, which was repurposed in September by the Home Office to accommodate asylum seekers.

In correspondence sent to Mr. David Bolt the Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration and the Rt Hon Priti Patel MP, Secretary of State for the Home Department, AS/MP Liz Saville-Roberts Westminster leader for Plaid said that the Home Office’s reluctance to divulge ‘key information’ about the former Military of Defence site makes the need for an independent inspection all the more urgent.

“When the site was first proposed in the second half of 2020, we in Plaid Cymru voiced our concerns about its suitability as long-term accommodation and the potential health concerns relating to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic,” stated Liz Saville-Roberts this week.

“Alongside local leaders, we warned that to use the camp would be an abdication of the UK Government’s duty of care for asylum seekers and for their dignity and human rights to be upheld.

“The UK Government pressed ahead in September regardless, and began using the Penally camp without proper consultation with either the Welsh Government or local people, setting, what I fear, is a very worrying precedent about how we house and integrate asylum seekers in our communities.

“We are now not only in the middle of winter, but cases of Covid-19 in Wales are alarmingly high. I am extremely worried that the conditions at these old military barracks are wholly unsuitable to deal with the cold weather and to facilitate effective social distancing,” she continued.

“The establishment and continued use of the camp under these conditions shows a clear disregard for the health and wellbeing of those housed inside,” she continued.

“Our questions to the Home Office about whether they can provide duty of care services effectively, given the camps remote location, and whether the camp was ever used by the Ministry of Defence during the winter months, remain to be sufficiently answered.”

Continuing her correspondence, Liz Saville-Roberts said that reports in December that food which had been arranged by volunteers and delivered by Unite Swansea Services and Energy Branch for camp residents, all in keeping with Covid-19 guidelines, had been confiscated mid-way through a meal was ‘shocking’ and further called into question the suitability of the site and its management by the contractors Clearsprings.

“A particularly worrying development stem from media reports of the use of non-disclosure agreements for staff and NGO workers who enter the camp. This coupled with the Home Office’s reluctance to divulge key information about the site makes the need for an independent inspection all the more urgent,” she remarked.

“I understand from answers to parliamentary questions that you have stated your intention to conduct an inspection in the area. I would greatly appreciate if you could give an indication of the timings of the inspection.

“I fully recognise the independent nature of your role and would not seek to influence decisions. I nevertheless feel strongly that a full and transparent inspection should be conducted as soon as possible, given the seriousness of reports from the site.

“The need for an inspection is particularly urgent given the alarming levels of Covid-19 transmission in Wales as well as worsening weather conditions,” she added.

At a plenary meeting held at the Senedd on Tuesday (January 12) Plaid Cymru's Mid and West Wales MS Helen Mary Jones put forward a question to the Counsel General for Wales, MS Jeremy Miles - as to what legal advice has been provided to the Welsh Government regarding the legality of housing asylum seekers in the Penally military base; and does he believe that the temporary planning permission that has been granted (which expires in March this year) is actually lawful and will continue to be.

“What further steps can he and the Welsh Government take through that legal process in an attempt to ensure that this evidently unsuitable site for these people ceases to be used in this way?,” she remarked.

“It's clear that the Covid crisis has made that particular site even less suitable than it was before for occupancy by these vulnerable individuals - so, is there more that the Counsel General can do, looking at the legality of the planning process, to attempt to influence the return of this property to the Ministry of Defence as soon as possible?” she continued.

Mr. Miles responded by stating that decisions relating to the asylum system are reserved and so are beyond the Welsh Government’s direct control.

“However, given the impact of the decision to utilise Penally on community cohesion and public services, we should have been fully consulted, and we are still unclear about the legal basis under which this development was initiated by the UK Government,” he remarked.

“The Member is of course absolutely right to say that this accommodation is inappropriate for the purpose to which it's being put - that is the position of the Welsh Government and we've obviously acted on that basis and made representations in that way to the UK Government.

“In relation to the underpinning legal infrastructure and framework around the decision that's been taken by the UK Government, we've received no confirmation from them of the legislative basis on which they are themselves basing their decision to use Penally, so it's unclear to us whether the powers they have been using in relation to that have been properly complied with.

“A range of powers potentially come into play—the Immigration and Asylum Act in particular, but also there'll be requirements in the Equality Act, the public sector equality duty, and the European convention that would require steps to be taken, which, it appears to us, may well not have been taken.

“There's a range of potential legal issues that might arise. But, as I say, at this point in time we still do not have clarity from the UK Government about the legal basis upon which it's been operating,” he added.

Following a staged protest on Wednesday night (January 13) and Thursday afternoon where a large group of asylum seekers from Penally camp marched from the village into Tenby in a show of “frustration” at the poor living conditions inside the facility and the fact that they feel that their grievances are being “ignored” by the Home Office, with the men chanting at times “we need freedom...not prison” - county councillor for Penally, Jon Preston remarked: “Wednesday night’s walk out will have no doubt raised local anxieties, but despite a wealth of evidence to support the case for the camp to be closed and for the service users to be accommodated within any of the designated UK support areas, the Home Office have chosen not to act.

“It is becoming increasingly evident that the Home Office do not have a robust legal case for the repurposing of Penally camp.

“The Welsh Government Counsel General has himself stated that the legal basis on which the Home Office has acted remains unclear. A planning application involving a public consultation remains to be submitted, giving rise to additional concerns over how the Home Office may proceed,” he continued.

“Immigration is not devolved to Welsh Government, so it remains a matter for Westminster Government to address.

“Given that our local MP Simon Hart as Secretary of State for Wales has been largely disregarded by the Home Office, it begs the question, who is representing our community at Westminster?

“Due to the whole process being circumvent of any meaningful consultation or representation, it is my intention to seek support for a public enquiry,” added Clr. Preston.

On the protest, a spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police stated: “Police were called to the Penally Asylum Accommodation Centre after a report of service users holding a protest outside the gates at around 7.40 pm on Wednesday.

“At around 9.25 pm, around 30 males from the camp walked down the A4139 into Tenby.

“No disorder was reported and the protest remained peaceful. Officers remained in attendance, and the service users returned to their accommodation shortly after midnight.

“Officers are working with the management team on the site in line with the four E principles of engage, explain, encourage and enforce.

“We take all breaches of Covid regulations seriously and will act accordingly,” they added.