Government Offers £500 Million Contract to Manage Illegal Immigrant Reception Centers.

October 14, 2024 TruthUSA

The document states that the purpose of the services is to create a safe and secure environment where Border Force can register and process individuals arriving by boat.

The government has announced a contract valued at over £500 million to oversee two unauthorized immigrant reception sites in Kent for a minimum of six years.

The tender document released on Friday on the government website outlines that the contract will involve managing services at the Home Office’s Disembarkation and SOLAS (Saving of Lives at Sea) center at Western Jet Foil in Dover, where immigrants are brought after being rescued by Border Force or other maritime services in the English Channel. The provider will also handle operations at the Manston Reception center near Ramsgate, where arriving individuals are processed.

The overall estimated value is £521.3 million, divided into two sections. The larger portion is for operational management of Western Jet Foil and the Manston center, worth £462.6 million, with the other part for providing healthcare services, valued at £58.7 million.

Operational management services include canteen operations, transportation, administration, security, building and facilities management, as well as cleaning.

The new Labour government had previously indicated plans to upgrade infrastructure at Manston, stating in a government website update on Sept. 10 that they were going to “establish a purpose-built reception center to replace the current facilities on the same section of the site.”

The new bidding document reiterates the goal of the services as “providing a safe and secure environment for Border Force to register and process individuals arriving in the UK by small boats” from across the Channel.

10-Year Plans

Services may be required for up to 10 years at these sites. The contract details indicate that both parts will be awarded for initial terms of six years, with an option to extend for up to four additional 12-month periods, with extension values of £90.5 million and £11.6 million per year for operational management and healthcare services respectively.

However, the document mentions that the contract will include “break clauses,” which would be enforced “if, in accordance with UK Government policy, there is a successful reduction in the need for the services over time, resulting in corresponding decreases in the overall duration and value of the contract.”

The previous Conservative government had previously allocated £700 million for similar services at Manston and Dover to oversee the arrival of immigrants by small boat until at least 2030, with similar extensions available for up to an additional four years.

English Channel Crossings

The release of the contract follows the establishment of the multi-agency Border Security Command by the government, which aims to combat illegal immigration by addressing criminal people smuggling networks and collaborating with regional partners.

Recently, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pledged £75 million to Border Security Command for investments in monitoring technology, enhancing intelligence sharing among the UK’s police forces, and recruiting additional personnel at the National Crime Agency.

The Home Office explained that the funds were redirected from the budget initially designated under the prior Conservative government for the Rwanda program, initiatives that Labour abolished when they assumed office in July.

Despite efforts to deter illegal immigration, a high number of immigrants continue to arrive on British shores, with 471 individuals crossing the English Channel in nine small boats last Saturday—just one week after 973 made the same journey, marking the highest daily arrivals this year.

While the total number of illegal boat landings this year remains lower than the same point in 2022, the figures are still higher compared to last year at this time.

In a statement to the media, a spokesperson for the Home Office stated that the department is “committed to dismantling the criminal smuggling operations responsible for overcrowding people onto boats for financial gain.”

The spokesperson added: “We aim to reduce the number of service providers operating at the Manston site to lower costs and save public funds.

“With efforts to dismantle the people smuggling networks by the Border Security Command, we anticipate a decline in the exploitation of individuals to undertake these perilous journeys over time.”

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