Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to reform the immigration detention estate.

The Government commissioned an independent review of the welfare of vulnerable individuals in detention by Stephen Shaw. We accepted the broad thrust of Mr Shaw’s recommendations, including the adoption of a wider definition of those at risk, and we have strengthened our policies and processes for dealing with the detention of persons who may be vulnerable.

The Government expect these reforms, and broader changes in legislation, policy and operational approaches, to lead to a reduction in the number of those detained, and the duration of detention before removal, in turn improving the welfare of those detained The immigration detention estate is kept under constant review to make sure we have the right resources in the right places and that we are providing value for money.