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- MSs criticise UK Government decision to use the Penally camp without consultation or appropriate support.
- Far-right protestors accused of exploiting the situation through misinformation and being a general nuisance.
- Welsh Government supports closing the camp and re-housing asylum seekers in appropriate settings.
The Motion
The Senedd:
- Believes the UK Government should have held discussions with the Welsh Government and local representatives before housing asylum seekers at the Penally military base, near Tenby.
- Believes that the decision should be reconsidered because it is an unsuitable place for asylum seekers and is isolated from appropriate support networks.
- Condemns violent protests organised by far-right groups from outside Pembrokeshire.
- Praises local residents and volunteers from across Wales who have welcomed and supported the asylum seekers.
Joyce Watson MS (Lab, Mid & West Wales) said the Penally camp was selected without any consultation with relevant local authorities, including the health board and Pembrokeshire Council. A military camp was wholly unsuitable to house many people who’ve experienced the horrors of war first hand.
There were well-established networks in the major Welsh towns and cities with the necessary expertise and infrastructure to support asylum seekers, but there was nothing like that in Pembrokeshire.
Leanne Wood MS (Plaid, Rhondda) rounded on the far-right, who had “exploited the episode for all its worth” with misinformation easily spread via social media – making the counter-protests all the more heartening.
Angela Burns MS (Con, Carms. W. & S. Pembs.) criticised the motion for not providing any alternative ideas; the UK Home Office had to make quick decisions as there was nowhere to house people. She did, however, agree that the UK Government should provide appropriate funding to the local authorities and that a military camp was fine for the short term, but not for the long term.
Anti-immigration protesters were written off as “stroppy and aggressive agitators clogging the lanes, weeing in gardens and intimidating passers-by”.
In response, Deputy Minister & Chief Whip, Jane Hutt (Lab, Vale of Glamorgan), said the Welsh Government’s position was broadly in line with the motion. Although immigration and asylum are reserved matters and the UK Government’s responsibility, it was wholly appropriate for the impact on Welsh services to be factored in and addressed.
She criticised Home Office changes to improve conditions at the camp as being “disgracefully slow”. The Welsh Government supports the closure of the camp and asylum seekers should be housed in appropriate settings instead.
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