Question to the Home Office:

Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 4 July (HL Deb, col 789) stating that immigration removal centre providers must make a minimum number of opportunities available for detainees to participate voluntarily in paid activity, whether the contracts with those providers establish the rate of pay for detainees; if so, what is that rate of pay; and whether it is contractually permitted for the work undertaken by detainees to replace that which would otherwise be undertaken by contract staff.

Rule 17 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 permits detainees to engage in paid activities while in detention and is provided as a means to occupy detainees and alleviate boredom.

In accordance with Rule 17, pay rates are determined by the Secretary of State for the Home Department. The currently approved rates of pay are £1 per hour and, for specified projects, £1.25 per hour, as set out in the published Detention Services Order 1/2013 ‘Paid Work’.

It is not permitted contractually for private service providers to use the detainee paid work scheme to replace staffing obligations.

An internal review of the rate of pay for detainees is underway.