Bibby Stockholm: Asylum seekers must be moved again on the barge regardless of row over Legionella, says Steve Barclay

Asylum seekers ought to nonetheless be put again on the Bibby Stockholm barge regardless of the row attributable to the invention of Legionella, the well being secretary has mentioned.

Legionella micro organism may cause a doubtlessly lethal lung an infection often known as Legionnaires’ illness. It is contracted by folks inhaling droplets of water containing the micro organism.

None of the migrants on the barge have proven any signs of the illness, in keeping with the Home Office.

Asylum seekers had been removed from the barge on Friday after Legionella micro organism was discovered within the vessel’s water system.

It later emerged that people spent four days on board the barge after the bacteria was discovered and before they were removed by the Home Office as a “precautionary measure” – prompting a blame sport about what the federal government knew and when.

Dorset Council has mentioned Home Office contractors had been notified in regards to the outcomes final Monday – 4 days earlier than folks had been moved off the barge.

The council went on to assert {that a} Home Office employees member was knowledgeable in regards to the micro organism on Tuesday.

However, a authorities supply beforehand advised Sky News that there is no such thing as a file of this dialog, and claimed the Home Office solely acquired a written notification in regards to the Legionella on Wednesday night.

Speaking to Sky News, Mr Barclay mentioned ministers had been knowledgeable about traces of the micro organism solely on Thursday.

Asked about claims the Home Office was knowledgeable about check outcomes which found the micro organism on Tuesday, he mentioned: “This is a standard thing the council had done. There is no reason to suggest there were concerns. As a precaution the tests were done.

“As quickly as ministers had been notified on Thursday evening, there have been some considerations with that, they took on the spot motion.”

He added: “It could be the council notified the Home Office, that is a matter for these within the Home Office to answer, clearly it is a Home Office lead.

“My understanding from colleagues in the Home Office is it was notified to Home Office ministers on Thursday and they then took very quick action as a result.”

And requested whether or not folks must be put again on the Bibby Stockholm regardless of the controversy, Mr Barclay replied: “Yes, I do, because it’s costing around £6m a day in terms of the cost of hotels.

“It’s vital that we each preserve security requirements, but additionally replicate the stress on the taxpayer place when it comes to that £6m.”

The health secretary also said no migrants had shown signs of illness from Legionella.

“There has been no considerations when it comes to anybody that has been on the barge and all these individuals are being topic to well being assessments,” he mentioned.

The barge is one among plenty of different websites the Home Office is utilizing to finish reliance on costly motels for asylum seekers, which the federal government says is costing the taxpayer £6m a day.

Its operation has been mired in controversy after its opening was delayed several times earlier than it lastly opened to asylum seekers final Monday.

Charities have warned that those on board the boat have been “re-traumatised” after they had been evacuated following the invention of Legionella.

Conservative ministers have confronted calls to resign over the saga, with former Cabinet minister David Davis saying the evacuation “revealed the “startling incompetence of the Home Office itself”.

“The major factor that is been revealed has been the startling incompetence of the Home Office itself,” he told BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme:

“Rather famously a few years in the past, John Reid, when he took over as house secretary, talked about it being not match for goal, and I’m afraid you are seeing that right here.

“It’s really, really hard to understand how, at all layers, this could not be caught early.”

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He added: “Even working properly, the Bibby barge would only take effectively one day’s arrivals. So it’s not a solution to the problem and all of this is going to go on until the Home Office is able to process these arrivals more quickly.”

The authorities believes the existence of the barge will function a deterrent to these arriving in England by way of small boats within the Channel.

However, in an extra blow to Rishi Sunak, final week noticed the best each day variety of folks cross the Channel, with 755 migrants making the journey on Thursday.

It introduced the cumulative total since records began in 2018 to over 100,000.

The authorities was then pressured to defend its immigration technique after at least six people died after a small boat crossing from France to the UK capsized and sank, in what was described as an “appalling and preventable” tragedy.