Cardiff Prison is on a list of possible locations

The first are expected to move into prisons from mid to late February.

The Prison Officers Association has already expressed reservations.

Member have said staff at the jail are not adequately trained, and have neither the resources nor the necessary language skills to cope.

But the Home Office insists that prisons are only a temporary measure while permanent facilities to be constructed.

Edwina Hart - responsible for the general well-being of any asylum seekers in Wales - has stressed that those billotted at the prison would be those whose applications for asylum had been rejected, and not those simply seeking asylum in the UK.

Pressure

The cost of re-housing asylum seekers in Wales over the next three years is expected to reach �25m.

Councils across Wales are talking to the Home Office about the numbers of people which can be accommodated.

They have suggested the figure of 1,300 - but the UK government is suggesting 5,000 in order to alleviate the pressure on councils in the south east of England.

Authorities in Wales also want to ensure that Westminster will pick up the bill for re-housing.