Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if her Department will take steps to ensure that officials of her Department responsible for assessing the medical reports of victims of torture facing deportation have qualifications in forensic medicine; and if she will make a statement.

All members of staff who make decisions involving the assessment of medical reports receive training in how to consider the impact of a report on an immigration decision. They are not clinicians and are not expected to question the clinical findings made by qualified doctors in a medical report.

They will analyse reports, looking at who conducted the report, their qualifications, methodology used and clinical recommendations or observations as well all other evidence provided when making the decision.

No one who is found to be at risk of torture in their country of origin will be returned.