Following reports that asylum seekers from the Manston Airport centre were dropped off at Victoria Coach Station with no onward accommodation, Nickie Aiken, Member of Parliament for the Cities of London & Westminster, spoke out in the House of Commons and sought assurances from the Minister for Immigration, Robert Jenrick MP, that we would not see a repeat.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Nickie said,
"I was concerned to learn from media reports last week that not once but twice, asylum seekers from the Manston centre were dropped off at Victoria coach station in my constituency. Does my right hon. Friend agree that we must deal with asylum seekers responsibly, firmly and compassionately, and can he assure me that we will not see a repeat of what we saw last week?"
Minister for Immigration, Robert Jenrick MP, responded,
"I thank my hon. Friend, who raised this issue with me immediately when it came to her attention, just as I did with officials when I learned of it. We have in recent times occasionally used a procedure whereby asylum seekers are asked whether they have a home of a friend or relative where they could stay, and if that is the case, they are bailed to that address. On balance that is the right approach, because it ensures that the taxpayer does not have to pay for them to stay in hotels, but we must get it right. In this case it appears that a small number of individuals were left at Victoria station due to a miscommunication. They were later taken to hotels, in Norfolk I believe, and are being cared for appropriately."
