Steve Barclay insists ministers took "instant action" to move asylum seekers off the Bibby Stockholm.
I would bet decent money that someone went "Oh shit, did we check the hot water system for legionella after the barge was sat around for ages?", someone did the check at the last second, and here we are.
Just process the damn claims so they can start looking for work and a home of their own, rather than keep them in limbo as a 'deterrance' that costs us even more than we'd lose otherwise.
"Instant action" was taken to move 39 asylum seekers from the Bibby Stockholm barge after Legionella bacteria was found last week, the health secretary said.
The government eventually plans to house up to 500 men aged 18-65 on the vessel moored in Portland Port, Dorset, while they await the outcome of asylum applications.
Prof Dame Jenny Harries, the agency's chief executive, said that Legionella bacteria detected in routine tests would not "necessarily indicate there is a systemic problem".
Dorset Council said it informed government contractors about preliminary Legionella test results last Monday, adding a Home Office official was told the following day.
A senior Home Office source told BBC News the person notified on Tuesday was a "junior" member of staff who happened to be on a call with contractors.
David Davis, a Conservative MP, said that it highlighted "startling incompetence" in the Home Office, while former party chairman Sir Jake Berry described the removals as "farcical".
A senior Home Office source told BBC News the person notified on Tuesday was a “junior” member of staff who happened to be on a call with contractors.
I think it was Phill Moorhouse who called this one in one of his videos at the weekend. He said they would try to blame a civil servant. Max Robbespear pointed out that Steve Barclay was evading the answer when he was asked when they first knew about the results.
If anyone gets injured by this then this should be an investigation from the HSE for gross negligence.