Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled Evaluation of Action Access, an Alternative to Detention Pilot by UNHCR, published in January 2022, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of community-based alternatives to detention for women.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a range of experts and stakeholders.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that women have access to high-quality (a) interpretation and (b) translation services at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is detailed guidance for staff working at all Immigration Removal Centres (IRC), including Derwentside. Detention Services Order ‘Interpretation Services and use of Translation Devices’ provides instruction and guidance on the use of interpretation services and electronic translation devices. It sets out the provisions, including interpretation services and translation devices available for individuals held in immigration detention, and the circumstances in which these should be used.
During the arrivals and induction process, a primary and secondary language assessment is conducted. The outcome of those assessments is recorded on the individual’s profile.
For those requiring interpreters, staff at Derwentside have access to dedicated telephone interpretation services 24 hours a day. In addition, electronic translation devices are available to support informal engagement. Together, these enable support for women throughout their time in the centre.
Asked by: Kate Osamor (Labour (Co-op) - Edmonton and Winchmore Hill)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 40483 on Mahmoud Khalil, whether he has had recent discussions with his US counterpart on the detention of pro-Palestinian protestors by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As previously stated in response to Question 40483, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) does not comment on personal matters relating to former members of staff. Discussions surrounding the detention of non-British nationals are not for the FCDO to comment on, because it is a matter for the US and the nations of those detained.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to review her Department's guidance on British Nationals (Overseas) visa applications from people with political detention histories in Hong Kong.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to supporting members of the Hong Kong community who have relocated to the UK and those who may come here in future. We keep all aspects of the immigration system under review, in consultation with a wide range of experts and stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reasons for the finding in Women for Refugee Women's report that 71 per cent of women were under supervision by male staff despite the requirement under the Detention Services Order 06/2016 that detained women should wherever possible be supervised by female staff.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is detailed published guidance for all staff working in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). Detention Services Order (DSO) 06/2016 'Women in the immigration removal estate' sets out the processes that are undertaken in IRCs to ensure that the needs of women are identified and appropriately met and their rights to dignity and privacy are upheld. In addition, DSO 09/2012 ‘Searching Policy’ sets out the requirements for searching women in detention, providing clear guidance that women must only be searched by members of the same sex.
All staff working with women receive appropriate gender specific training (such as the protocol for entry to bedrooms), in addition to any generic training they receive when they undergo initial training or undertake appropriate refresher training. This includes equality and diversity, human trafficking and modern slavery.
The constant supervision of women who are subject to an Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) plan, should wherever possible, be undertaken by a female detainee custody officer (DCO). In the unlikely event that this is not operationally possible for reasons of safety and security, the details for this decision must be fully documented by the duty manager on the ACDT plan.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the finding by Women for Refugee Women that 48 per cent of the women they spoke to were searched by male staff despite the ban on this practice under Detention Services Order 06/2016.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is detailed published guidance for all staff working in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). Detention Services Order (DSO) 06/2016 'Women in the immigration removal estate' sets out the processes that are undertaken in IRCs to ensure that the needs of women are identified and appropriately met and their rights to dignity and privacy are upheld. In addition, DSO 09/2012 ‘Searching Policy’ sets out the requirements for searching women in detention, providing clear guidance that women must only be searched by members of the same sex.
All staff working with women receive appropriate gender specific training (such as the protocol for entry to bedrooms), in addition to any generic training they receive when they undergo initial training or undertake appropriate refresher training. This includes equality and diversity, human trafficking and modern slavery.
The constant supervision of women who are subject to an Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) plan, should wherever possible, be undertaken by a female detainee custody officer (DCO). In the unlikely event that this is not operationally possible for reasons of safety and security, the details for this decision must be fully documented by the duty manager on the ACDT plan.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of women's experiences of violence and abuse in the asylum system.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
There is detailed published guidance for all staff working in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). Detention Services Order (DSO) 06/2016 'Women in the immigration removal estate' sets out the processes that are undertaken in IRCs to ensure that the needs of women are identified and appropriately met and their rights to dignity and privacy are upheld. In addition, DSO 09/2012 ‘Searching Policy’ sets out the requirements for searching women in detention, providing clear guidance that women must only be searched by members of the same sex.
All staff working with women receive appropriate gender specific training (such as the protocol for entry to bedrooms), in addition to any generic training they receive when they undergo initial training or undertake appropriate refresher training. This includes equality and diversity, human trafficking and modern slavery.
The constant supervision of women who are subject to an Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) plan, should wherever possible, be undertaken by a female detainee custody officer (DCO). In the unlikely event that this is not operationally possible for reasons of safety and security, the details for this decision must be fully documented by the duty manager on the ACDT plan.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide alternatives to immigration detention for women.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a range of experts and stakeholders.
There is detailed published guidance for all staff working in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). Detention Services Order 06/2016 'Women in the immigration removal estate', which sets out the processes that are undertaken in IRCs to ensure that the needs of women are identified and appropriately met and their rights to dignity and privacy are upheld.
The constant supervision of women who are subject to an Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) plan, should wherever possible, be undertaken by a female detainee custody officer (DCO). In the unlikely event that this is not operationally possible for reasons of safety and security, the details for this decision must be fully documented by the duty manager on the ACDT plan.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the report published on 17 March by Women for Refugee Women, A Decade of Harm: Survivors of gender-based violence locked up in immigration detention, what action they will take regarding the finding that women under constant supervision are being watched by male staff.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a range of experts and stakeholders.
There is detailed published guidance for all staff working in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). Detention Services Order 06/2016 'Women in the immigration removal estate', which sets out the processes that are undertaken in IRCs to ensure that the needs of women are identified and appropriately met and their rights to dignity and privacy are upheld.
The constant supervision of women who are subject to an Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) plan, should wherever possible, be undertaken by a female detainee custody officer (DCO). In the unlikely event that this is not operationally possible for reasons of safety and security, the details for this decision must be fully documented by the duty manager on the ACDT plan.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of violence against women and girls in immigration detention.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a range of experts and stakeholders.
There is detailed published guidance for all staff working in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). Detention Services Order 06/2016 'Women in the immigration removal estate', which sets out the processes that are undertaken in IRCs to ensure that the needs of women are identified and appropriately met and their rights to dignity and privacy are upheld.
The constant supervision of women who are subject to an Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) plan, should wherever possible, be undertaken by a female detainee custody officer (DCO). In the unlikely event that this is not operationally possible for reasons of safety and security, the details for this decision must be fully documented by the duty manager on the ACDT plan.