Scotland’s First Minister is not being “fully candid” about engagement with the UK Government on housing asylum seekers in Inverness, the Scottish Secretary has said.
The Scottish Government has consistently said there was no consultation before the decision was announced to house 300 asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks in the Highland city.
The proposals caused concern on the council and in the Government before being postponed on Friday, with First Minister John Swinney telling the Press Association on Saturday that the plans had been drawn up “on the back of an envelope”.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday Show, Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander said: “Highland Council, the Scottish Government, the local police service and indeed the local NHS were all informed prior to any public announcement.
“John Swinney is in the same position as some of his ministers of perhaps not wanting to be fully candid about the fact that they were informed.
“I can actually show you the correspondence that we received from Scottish ministers.”
The First Minister said on Saturday that the issue was a lack of “detailed engagement” in developing the proposals, rather than notification before they were being implemented.
Highland Council has said it was told the day before the announcement was made, while Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville claims to have been notified as the plans were announced.
After the decision to postpone proposals, the Scottish Secretary refused to put a timeline on when the 300 asylum seekers would be housed in the town.
“This needs to be done in a reasonable and appropriate way,” he said.
“You would be criticising us if we rushed this, you would criticise us if we didn’t do this in the right and proper way, that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Scotland’s Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “The Home Office’s postponement of proposals for Cameron Barracks is a welcome admission of the reality, that their management of the situation has been chaotic from start to finish.
“The Scottish Government was told that the UK Government was contemplating the use of Cameron Barracks and we asked a series of very serious questions, as did Highland Council.
“The Scottish Government only learnt of the UK Government’s formal decision to proceed through media reports.
“We are still awaiting satisfactory answers.
“I have written to the UK Government reiterating the urgency with which local agencies require information in order to properly plan and assess what support they may be able to offer.
“We stand ready to work constructively with the UK Government to provide safety and sanctuary for people seeking asylum and support integration into our communities.
“However, this must come with the appropriate financial assistance so local authorities and others can provide necessary support services.”
