Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many detention spaces are available for people seeking asylum who are due to be deported to Rwanda.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
As of 24 April, the Home Office has the capacity to detain around 2,200 people in immigration removal centres.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the start and end times were of the two day-time and one night-time lock-in periods at Brook House IRC as of (a) 12 April 2024 and (b) 1 November 2023.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The dignity and welfare of residents across the entire immigration detention estate is of the utmost importance and the use of periods of time where individuals’ freedom of movement is restricted contributes to the maintenance of a safe and secure environment in our centres.
From 4 December 2023 the Home Office changed the lock-in times from 12.00pm-12:30pm and 5.00pm-5:30pm to 11:30am-12:30pm and 4:30pm-5:30pm. All residents need to be in their rooms for one hour between 11:30-12:30 and 4:30pm-5:30pm, with meal services provided at the end of these times. The Home Office requested this change to ensure that all residents are accounted for, that staff can conduct welfare checks on vulnerable residents, and that planned discharges can be carried out safely.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government why no reason is given to inward travellers for being held for 6 hours; why they are offered no food or drink during such detention; and why no apology is offered when nothing untoward has been found in their travel to the UK.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
A passenger remains liable to examination on arrival in the United Kingdom until all necessary enquiries have been concluded and a decision is made on their application for permission to enter or admission.
Anyone detained beyond two hours is detained in compliance with the relevant guidance and legislation (notably The Short Term Holding Facility Rules 2018). The detained person is informed of their bail rights and reasons for their detention, and this is explained in a language that they understand.
Temperature controlled food was temporarily withdrawn from BF managed facilities during 2023 whilst we implemented a new training and governance procedure to ensure we were complaint with current food standards. Throughout this period, we followed Government guidance, continuing to serve water, hot drinks and snacks.
We always look to minimise detention as far as possible; however, the power to detain must be retained in the interests of maintaining effective immigration control.
It would not be appropriate for Border Force to apologise for conducting legitimate border security checks.
Asked by: Ellie Reeves (Labour - Lewisham West and Penge)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department is taking steps to reduce the number of vulnerable women held in immigration detention.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Home Office are committed to ensuring the proper protection and treatment of women, including vulnerable women, in detention and will seek to facilitate voluntary return as an alternative to detention and enforced removal. Further information can be found in published operational guidance DSO 06/2016 Women in the Detention Estate.
We fully accept that some groups of individuals can be at particular risk of harm in immigration detention. This is the basis of the adults at risk in immigration detention policy DSO 08/2016 Management of adults at risk in immigration detention, which strengthens the presumption against detention for vulnerable individuals.
Women who are victims of torture, trafficking or sexual violence are all covered by the adults at risk in immigration detention policy. Anyone who falls within the scope of the policy is regarded as unsuitable for detention unless the specific immigration circumstances in their case are considered to outweigh the vulnerability issues.
Plans are in place to convert Derwentside immigration removal centre (IRC) from a female only centre, into a detained facility for men, reducing female capacity across the existing estate.
Asked by: Stephen Kinnock (Labour - Aberavon)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many allegations of (a) sexual assault, (b) physical assault and (c) harassment by staff have been made by detainees in detention centres in each of the last five years.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
We operate a comprehensive complaints process in immigration removal centres, residential and non-residential short-term holding facilities (STHFs), pre-departure accommodation (PDA) and during escort. Complaints are managed in line with published guidance ‘Handling complaints in immigration removal centres’ - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) and are recorded under predetermined categories; service complaints, minor misconduct complaints or serious misconduct complaints.
Data on the overall number of complaints received in each category is included in published data at Customer service operations data: Q4 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many rule 35 reports were issued in detention centres in 2023.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
We regularly publish the data you have requested and it can be found at Immigration Enforcement data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The data is placed under the link entitled the same. Please note that quarter 4 (which will contain information from 1 October to 31 December 2023) is due to be published February 2024.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of (a) self-harm, (b) depression and (c) suicidal ideation have been reported by people living in government-provided asylum accommodation in (i) hotels, (ii) barges, (iii) former military sites and (iv) detention facilities and removal centres in each of the last 15 years.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Central records on the number of cases of self-harm and suicidal ideation that have been reported in immigration removal centres (IRCs) are not held as far back as 15 years. Additionally, no central records on the number of cases of depression reported in IRCs are held. This information relates to health conditions which are treated as medical in confidence and therefore the Home Office would not necessarily know if someone in detention was experiencing depression.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data his Department holds on the (a) longest and (b) average length of time people are held in Brook House immigration removal centre.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Home Office publishes data on detention in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on length of detention for people leaving detention is published in table Det_D03 of the ‘Detailed detention dataset’. The latest data relates to the end of September 2023. However this data is not broken down by last place of detention as this does not show where an individual spent their time in detention. In some cases, an individual may have spent a period of time detained elsewhere before being moved to their last place of detention.
Data on people leaving detention by last place of detention is published in table Det_04c of the ‘Detention summary tables’. However, this data is not broken down by length of detention, for the reason given above.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many pregnant people are detained in (a) prison and (b) an immigration detention centre.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
As of 20 December 2023, there are currently no pregnant women detained in immigration removal centres. Questions regarding pregnant people in prisons should be addressed to the Secretary of State for Justice.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) planned timetable and (b) scope is for the review of his Department's Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy; and whether he has plans to consult outside of his Department as part of that review.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Home Office is currently undertaking a review of the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention Policy. The policy aims to safeguard vulnerable individuals in immigration detention by providing a framework to assess if their detention or continued detention is appropriate.
The scope of the review includes the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy and Detention Centre Rules 34 and 35. The review is ongoing and the timetable for completion will become clearer as the review progresses.
Engagement outside of the Department will form part of this review and the process for this engagement is currently being considered.