PQs - January 2018

Parliamentary Questions asked of Government and answered in January 2018:
 
29 January 2018: HC 124249 (Welfare of Vulnerable Persons in Detention Review)

Joan Ryan (Labour, Enfield North) asked the Home Secretary about implementation of points raised in the Shaw review on the welfare in detention of vulnerable persons. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes replied that "the Government is currently considering the judgment made by the High Court on 10 October 2017 in respect of the statutory guidance relating to the policy on adults at risk in immigration detention and will, in the near future, be engaging with a range of bodies with an interest in immigration detention as part of the process of revising the guidance. The Home Office will carefully consider any further recommendations or findings made by Stephen Shaw."

 

29 January 2018: HC 124276 (Immigration Bail)

Stuart McDonald (SNP, Shadow spokesperson for Immigration) asked about the repeal of section 4(1) of Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, and about the the new immigration bail proceedings from January 15th that only provide accommodation in certain circumstances and about the effect of this on levels of homelessness. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes replied that "the repeal of section 4(1) is not expected to have any discernible effect on the number of people released from immigration detention on immigration bail."

She explained that "Section 4(1) of the 1999 Act was used to provide accommodation to people released from immigration detention on bail and in limited circumstances to other categories of migrants who required support in order to avoid a breach of their rights under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Paragraph 9 of Schedule 10 to the 2016 Act replaces this with powers to provide accommodation to people released from detention on bail and to those who require it in order to avoid a breach of their Article 3 rights. Additionally, individuals granted immigration bail who are asylum seekers or failed asylum seekers still have access to support provided under sections 95 or 4(2) of the 1999 Act if they would otherwise be destitute and meet the normal eligibility criteria. Any migrant who is not entitled to support and who could leave the UK in order to avoid homelessness should do so."

 

29 January 2018: HL 4947 (Immigrants: Detainees)

Lord Ramsbotham (Crossbench) asked the Government whether they will introduce a robust screening process so that those who are "survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, and others who are recognised as vulnerable under their adults at risk policy, are identified before they are detained." Baroness Williams of Trafford replied without answering the question. She said that "The adults at risk in immigration detention policy has introduced a case-by-case evidence-based assessment of the appropriateness of detention for any individual, including victims of sexual or gender based violence, who is considered vulnerable, balanced against the immigration control considerations that apply in their case." She also noted that it is also a requirement for immigration removal centre doctors and detention centre staff to report to the Home Office any issues that may impact on the decision to detain.

 

25 January 2018: HC 123981 (Immigrants: Detainees)

Ruth George (Labour, High Peak) asked the Home Secretary when they plan to respond to the North and Midlands Monitoring Board for Short-Term Holding Facilities, Annual Report 2016. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes said that she "will review the annual report ... and respond in due course."

 

25 January 2018: HC 123978 (Immigrants: Detainees)

Ruth George (Labour, High Peak) asked how many immigration detentions took place in different areas in England in 2016 and 2017. Caroline Nokes provided information from the Government website.

 

25 January 2018: HC 123980 (Immigrants: Detainees)

Ruth George (Labour, High Peak) asked the Home Secretary what the maximum detention time in reporting centre holding rooms was in 2016 and 2017. Caroline Nokes replied that this information is not collected centrally by the Home Office but noted that holding rooms are not open overnight and so detention would not normally exceed twelve hours except when there are occasional extensions. 

 

25 January 2018: HC 123433 (Torture)

Joan Ryan (Labour, Enfield North) asked the Government what plans there were to hold discussions on the review of its Adults at Risk policy with Freedom from Torture, Medical Justice and Survivors Speak OUT. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes said that on 16 January 2018 the Home Office wrote to both Freedom from Torture and Medical Justice to propose a series of meetings "in order to elicit their views as part of the process for developing statutory amendments."

Nokes also said that the Adults at Risk policy provides guidance for the assessment of the suitability of individuals for detention. This assessment weighs up vulnerability considerations against immigration factors such as how soon the deportation is. As such, no group of vulnerable people are automatically excluded from detention and "the Government has no plans to put in place a framework which fully prohibits the detention of any group of individuals."

Victims of sexual or gender-based violence fall explicitly within the policy, while the victims of severe physical and/or psychologica violence do not, but would likely meet other indicators such as suffering from a mental health condition. 

"Following the High Court judgment on 10 October 2017 in the case of Medical Justice and Others v the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the Government has been considering how it can best address the Court’s findings in relation to the statutory guidance in respect of the adults at risk in immigration detention policy. This includes consideration of the definition of torture that should apply in the policy."

 

25 January 2018: HC 124168 (Deportation)

In follow up to a question asked three days ago, Shadow Minister for Home Office, Louise Haigh (Labour, Sheffield Heeley) asked the Home Secretary again about detainees who have sustained injuries while being deported. The Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes provided Immigration Enforcement transparency data from online but it does not appear to include any information pertaining to the question asked.

 

24 January 2018: HL 4702 (Deportation)

Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat) asked what assistance the Government gives those due to be deported in the seven day period where they are allowed to appeal. Baroness Williams of Trafford replied that the Home Office provides accommodation and support only in specific circumstances during the appeal period.

 

24 January 2018: HL 4700 (Deportation: Appeals)

Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat) asked the Government how many appeals against Immigration Removal Orders were successful in 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2015. Baroness Williams of Trafford responded that the Home Office does not hold this information in a reportable format.

 

24 January 2018: HL 4699 (Deportation)

Lord Roberts of Llandudnon (Liberal Democrat) asked how many Immigration Removal Orders were executed in 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2015. Baroness Williams of Trafford replied that the Home Office does not hold this information in a reportable format. The Government does hold statistics on deportations by year found on the Government website. [Link only provides information for Oct to Dec 2015]

 

24 January 2018: HC 123754 (Immigrants: Detainees)

Shadow Minister for Immigration Afzal Khan (Labour, Manchester Gorton) asked the Home Secretary what plans she has to introduce a screening process to identify those who are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence or otherwise recognised as vulnerable under the Adults at Risk policy, before they are detained and during detention. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes stated that there are "no plans to introduce additional proactive screening processes to identify people" at risk. She explained that in response to the Shaw Review the government introduced a range of measures to identify and safeguard vulnerable people. These measures include "case-by-case evidence-based assessment of the appropriateness of detention for any individual" under the Adults at Risk policy and also a requirement for immigration removal centre doctors and detention centre staff to report to the Home Office any issues that may impact on the decision to detain.

 

23 January 2018: HC 123719 (Detention Centres: Costs)

Shadow Minister for Immigration Afzal Khan (Labour, Manchester Gorton) asked how much the immigration detention estate cost in each of the last five years. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes gave that information from the Government website:

2016 - 2017 - £118 million

2015 - 2016 - £125 million

2014 - 2015 - £137 million

2013 - 2014 - £143.5 million

The total cost from 1 April 2013 - 31 March 2017 is thus £523.5 million

 

23 January 2018: HC 122929 (Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons Review)

Seema Malhotra (Labour, Feltham and Heston) asked the Home Secretary what progress has been made on implimenting the recommendations from the Shaw Review into the Welfare in Detention of Vulnerable Persons, published in 2016. Minister of Immigration Caroline Nokes noted that the follow up to the Shaw Review started on 4 September 2017. As part of this stocktake Mr Shaw will be assessing the implementation of all of his earlier review recommendations.

 

23 January 2018: HC 123731 (Ilois: Detainees)

Catherine West (Labour, Hornsey and Wood Green) asked the Government what information they had on Chagossian people held in detention and deported in the last five years. Caroline Nokes refused to provide that information, saying it would require manual checks that would be too expensive. 

 

23 January 2018: HC 122927 (Detainees)

Seema Malhotra (Labour, Feltham and Heston) asked how many minors (under the age of 18) were held in immigration detention centres in each year from 2014 to date. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes gave that information from the Government website

2014 - 128

2015 - 163

2016 - 103

2017 (minus Q4) - 33

Total number of persons under 18 in detention since 2014 is 427.

 

22 January 2018: HC 122955 (Deportation)

Shadow Minister for Home Office, Louise Haigh (Labour, Sheffield Heeley) asked the Home Secretary how many people sustained injuries or died while being deported on flights leaving the UK in each of the last five years. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes said that there have been no deaths during deportation in the last five years and that information on the "timing of injuries" was not readily available and would be too costly to retrieve from individual case files. Data on "attempted escorted removals" can be found on the Government website.

 

17 January 2018: HC 121736 (Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre)

Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat, Edinburgh West) asked who had requested permission to access Dungavel IRC, who had been denied and for what reason. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes replied that since January 2016 "management information shows that no organisation or body has had its request to visit Dungavel House immigration removal centre declined."

 

17 January 2018: HC 121985 (Home Office: Immigrants)

Andrew Mitchell (Conservative, Sutton Coldfield) asked the Home Secretary what the cost of unlawful detention claims paid by the Home Office was for each year from 2011 - 2016. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes outlined the following:

2016/17 - £3.3 million,

2015/16 - £4.1 million,

2014/15 - £4.0 million,

2013/14 - £4.8 million,

2012/13 - £5.0 million.

The total cost of unlawful detention since 2011 has been £21.2 million.

 

17 January 2018: HC 121753 (Brook House Immigration Removal Centre)

Shadow Minister for Immigration Afzal Khan (Labour, Manchester Gorton) asked what recent steps the Government has taken to improve conditions at Brook House IRC. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes responded that the Home Office has made clear to G4S that they expect the highest standards. She stated that "G4S are implementing a programme to enhance staffing and management and an action plan to deliver wider improvements at Brook House. These include the introduction of body worn cameras, improvements to the detection and prevention of drugs entering the centre and ensuring activities and facilities at the centre preserve and promote the mental and physical well being of detainees. Progress against this plan is being closely monitored."

She also added that Brook House is within the scope of Stephen Shaw's second review into welfare in detention of vulnerable persons and that the G4S board has commissioned an independent review which would look at staff morale, behaviour and attitudes to whistle blowing. 

 

17 January 2018: HC 121987 (Brook House Immigration Removal Centre)

Andrew Mitchell (Conservative, Sutton Coldfield) asked the Home Secretary what the average annual cost of detaining an individual in immigration detention is. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes stated that this information can be found on the Government website

 

17 January 2018: HC 121986 (Brook House Immigration Removal Centre)

Andrew Mitchell (Conservative, Sutton Coldfield) asked the Home Secretary what is the cost of running Brook House IRC in the financial year 2016-17. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes refused to answer, stating that this information is "commercially sensitive" and its release could "prejudice the Home Office’s interests."

 

16 January 2018: HL 4481 (Home Office: Detention Centres)

Lord Lipsey (Labour) asked the Government how many immigration detention estate Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) reports for 2016 they responded to; and when they intend to respond to the rest of those reports. Baroness William of Trafford replied that the Government has responded to the Brook House and the Cedars pre-departure accommodation IMB annual reports for 2016. She also stated that Minister of State for Immigration will "review the remaining IMB reports for the immigration detention estate and respond in due course."

 

16 January 2018: HL 4493 (Asylum: Detainees)

Lord Ramsbotham (Crossbench) asked the Government what the average duration of detention in the UK in 2017 was for adult asylum seekers, minors seeking asylum and unaccompanied minors seeking asylum. Baroness Williams of Trafford replied that this information on the length of detention of people leaving detention can be viewed on the Government website. This information includes a breakdown of adults and child detainees who have previously claimed asylum at some stage but does not identify those children who were unaccompanied.

The median length of detention for adults, who had claimed asylum at some point, Jan to Sept 2017, was between 15 and 28 days. A total of 20,730 people were detained and then released between January and September 2017, of whom:

680 people were detained from 6 to 12 months,

61 people were detained from 1 year to 3 years, and

2 people were detained from 3 years to 4 years.

 

11 January 2018: HC 121611 (Asylum: Detainees)

Gareth Thomas (Labour, Harrow) asked the Home Secretary how many asylum applicants were detained by the UK in 2017, broken down by the grounds for detention. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes gave information on asylum seekers detained from the Government website but could not provide information on the grounds for detention.

 

11 January 2018: HC 121613 (Asylum: Detainees)

Gareth Thomas (Labour, Harrow) asked the Home Secretary how many unaccompanied minors seeking asylum were detained by the UK in 2017. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes gave information on minors detained from the Government website, with a breakdown of asylum and non-asylum seeking, but could not identify whether minors were unaccompanied.

 

8 January 2018: HC 903106 (Mental Health Assessments: Detention)

Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott (Labour, Hackney North and Stoke Newington) asked the Under-Secretary to assure the House that "no children are currently being held in detention, that no pregnant women are currently being held in detention and that no one is being paid below the legal minimum wage in any of the immigration detention centres?". Victoria Atkins invited the Shadow Home Secretary to bring to her attention any individual cases.