It is unfair to suggest that locals were not consulted by the UK Government on plans to house 300 asylum seekers at a barracks in the Highlands, the Scottish Secretary has said.
Douglas Alexander told a Westminster committee the Home Office had consulted the Scottish Government as well as “a range of local organisations” on the plans in advance of them being made public.
Ministers last week announced proposals to house 300 male asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks in Inverness.
It comes as Labour ministers seek to move asylum seekers out of hotels and into what they deem “more suitable” accommodation.
At the Scottish Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Angus MacDonald, Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire MP, raised concerns about the decision.
He told the Scottish Secretary there is “considerable disquiet” from Highland residents because “we believe people will congregate” at a nearby shopping centre.
He also said military families are based at a camp in the barracks.
“The regiment is getting deployed next year, so the soldiers will be going away,” he said.
“So that is causing quite a lot of concern amongst the families.”
Mr MacDonald said the UK Government “did not have any engagement” with him, NHS Highland or Highland Council on the move.
He added: “There is quite a lot of pressure from the military, the locals, the council, me, everybody else, to say that this is not an appropriate place to have a camp, and I wonder if you would represent us in not having it based in Inverness.”
Mr Alexander said the UK Government had engaged with the Scottish Government on September 15 on the possibility to house people at the barracks and Scottish Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville wrote to the UK Government about the issue on September 26.
He said there were also video meetings with “senior representatives” of Police Scotland, NHS Scotland, Cosla and the Scottish Government on October 9. Meeting were also held several times after that, he said.
He told the committee: “I recognise that the legal obligation we have as a UK Government to provide appropriate accommodation to asylum seekers is one that is a matter of significant public sensitivity, but I don’t think it would be fair to suggest that there hasn’t been engagement by Home Office colleagues who lead on this matter for the UK Government with a range of local organisations, including the Scottish Government.
“So when I heard that Shirley-Anne Somerville had claimed she had heard about it while on the radio, I was perplexed, given that she’d already written a letter to the Home Office on the September 26 about Cameron Barracks.
“I do think this is an issue where good faith is absolutely critical, and I’m not for a second questioning your good faith, but I think we have a responsibility to act in a careful, deliberative and responsible way.
“Much of the work that is under way at the moment, engaging between the Home Office and each of those local organisations is attempted and is designed to address exactly the concerns that you have described.”
The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.
Separately, Scottish Conservatives leader Russel Findlay was asked about the Cameron barracks situation as he spoke to journalists in the north east of Scotland.
Asked if he would join protests outside the barracks, he said he had no plans to do so.
Mr Findlay also referred to protests outside the Cladhan hotel in Falkirk.
He said: “I can understand, I’ve said this before, why some people choose to demonstrate in Falkirk, due to the horrific rape of a 15-year-old girl…
“What’s been proposed at the barracks is with the colour of the skin, as has been said, of those people who might potentially be housed there.
“It’s to do with the fact that this will cause a huge strain on local services.”
