Speeches by Maguire.

“Earlier than less than one day—”

“Three or four days?”

“Thanks, Chair, and thanks for coming in today. I will change tack slightly and talk about your communications with the Home Office and then, if I may, I will ask a few questions about safeguarding as well. The deputy leader of Wealden district council, Councillor James Partridge, who, I understand, is the local ward co…”

“There have been regular protests against the site. Has that led to any operational challenges or safety risks for your staff or the residents there?”

“You said less so at Crowborough. What kinds of incidents have you experienced there?”

“Have you seen specific safeguarding issues at the site?”

“That leads me on to my final question. What practical measures has the Home Office put in place to ensure the safety and security at the site?”

“Have you had any issues with information that you have received from the Home Office on any specific safeguarding cases?”

“Thanks, Minister, for coming in. A moment ago, as you might have heard, I asked the MD of Clearsprings about safeguarding issues at Crowborough. You have just said in response to Robbie Moore that we need safe, legal, decent accommodation, which I am sure everyone would agree with. In fact, you are even willing to pay …”

“A final question on that point: do you think that the larger sites model is a deterrent then, versus the hotel model? Is that the value that you are incurring?”

“You do not recognise any of those descriptions?”

“Minister, when you say “good enough”, does that mean that it is good enough to have severe damp, failing sewage systems and unexploded ordnance, or do you not recognise that?”

“Isn’t the fact that the backlog is still so high the reason that we have to accommodate those asylum seekers in the first place? What is it that the Government are doing to drive down that backlog, and what investment is being made to do that?”

“Other reports that we have heard are of re-traumatisation because these people are vulnerable people, some of whom have come from war zones. By definition, asylum seekers have fled conflict. I understand that gunfire is audible from shooting ranges and other training facilities nearby. Is that correct?”

“I am sorry. This is my final point, then. What mitigations are you putting in place for the things that I have mentioned like audible gunfire, like failing sewage systems, like unexploded ordnance, like acute asbestos, like potential physical hazards on site? What mitigations is the Home Office putting in place to make…”

“I have a quick question on the large sites versus hotels, because the NAO report said that the cost of the larger sites—which, Minister, you said you have a preference for over hotels, and you are moving away from the hotel model—versus hotels would be £46 million more. Earlier you mentioned some of the value of taking…”

“Going back, Minister, to the communications that your Department has had with the local authority, we understand that the local authority in the case of Crowborough was given less than a day’s notice of asylum seekers being moved there. Is that your understanding of what happened?”

“Why was it less than a day’s notice?”

“South West Water has pleaded guilty to illegal sewage dumping across my constituency, including at Bodmin and Harlyn. It will likely get yet another fine and a slap on the wrist—a cost of doing business. The Water Minister kindly met me recently, but she has confirmed in writing that vital sewerage upgrades will not ta…”

“Recent CPS data shows a welcome reduction in victim attrition in domestic abuse cases where the defendant was charged. However, the same CPS dataset shows little evidence of corresponding improvements in charging rates, timeliness or wider prosecution performance. By what metrics will the Solicitor General measure the …”