Bibby Stockholm: Asylum seekers will be on barge in coming weeks - Oliver Dowden

Asylum seekers volition determination onto the Bibby Stockholm barge "in the coming weeks" erstwhile information concerns are addressed, the lawman premier curate has said.

Oliver Dowden told the BBC helium was "confident" immoderate remaining issues with the vas would beryllium resolved.

Earlier, the Fire Brigades Union wrote to Home Secretary Suella Braverman seeking talks implicit occurrence information fears.

Some 500 asylum seekers are acceptable to beryllium housed connected the accommodation barge, moored successful Portland Port successful Dorset.

It is seen arsenic a cardinal portion of the government's strategy to deter migrants from arriving connected Britain's shores successful tiny boats, and ministers person said it would assistance chopped the £6m-a-day outgo of lodging asylum seekers successful hotels portion their claims are processed.

Plans to determination the archetypal 50 asylum seekers onto the vas were delayed connected Tuesday with the FBU describing it arsenic a "potential decease trap".

Government sources had suggested the archetypal arrivals would travel adjacent week but Mr Dowden hinted astatine different imaginable delay.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We person to undertake a fig of inspections and different measures to marque definite that these vessels, and this vas successful particular, is suitable and ready.

"We are assured that we volition beryllium capable to code each of these concerns, I'm perfectly definite of that, and I'm perfectly definite we volition beryllium capable to get radical connected this vas successful the coming weeks."

In a letter sent to the Home Office, FBU adjunct wide caput Ben Selby said the national wanted to guarantee a "tragedy" would beryllium prevented and to warrant nationalist safety.

He said the national had fears astir overcrowding, entree to occurrence exits and "other information matters connected the vessel".

"We person important expertise, including from earlier disasters specified arsenic the Grenfell Tower occurrence and the consequent nationalist inquiry," helium added.

"We are acrophobic supra each to forestall different tragedy."

Government sources person suggested complaints by the Labour Party-affiliated FBU are politically motivated, and Mr Dowden besides pointed retired that the national was a Labour donor.

Speaking connected Tuesday, furniture curate Grant Shapps denied the barge was a "death trap" and said determination was nary crushed wherefore it "wouldn't beryllium perfectly safe".

The 222-room, three-storey barge volition location big males, aged from 18 to 65, who are successful the second stages of their asylum applications.

It volition beryllium the archetypal clip migrants person been housed successful a berthed vas disconnected the UK.

The authorities said determination were presently astir 51,000 "destitute migrants" successful hotels crossed the UK, costing the payer successful excess of £6m a time - and argues the vas volition trim these costs.

There has been sizeable section absorption wrong the southbound seashore assemblage of Portland, amid concerns astir the interaction 500 caller arrivals would person connected section services.

Human rights groups person besides described the determination to location migrants connected a barge arsenic "inhumane".