Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the (a) accuracy and (b) implications for her policy of reports of potentially unlawful and inhumane treatment of asylum seekers on the Esparto 11 flight in August 2020.

We take the health and wellbeing of those in our care extremely seriously and proper safety procedures were followed throughout the Esparto 11 charter flight on 12 August 2020.

Published guidance, and the training received by detainee custody officers makes it clear that physical force, and the use of waist restraint belts or handcuffs, should only be used after a thorough assessment of risk, and in consideration of each individual’s personal circumstances. These risk factors may justify the application of restraints to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both the returnee and escorting staff. The Home Office reviews all reports resulting from a use of force to ensure that techniques are used proportionately, that they are justified, and are used for the minimum period required.

On occasion, people with no right to be in the UK go to extreme lengths to prevent their removal by attempting to cause physical harm to officers or themselves. In these instances, force will be used sparingly as a last resort for their own and others protection.

On 2 October 2020, HM Inspectorate of Prisons published a report of their inspection of the flight, which found that much of operation ran smoothly and they saw returnees generally treated with courtesy. The inspectorate raised no overall safety concerns with these procedures, but did make some recommendations for improvements, which are already being implemented.