PQs - October 2018

Parliamentary Questions asked of Government and answered in October 2018:

 

23 October 2018: HC 179249 (Prisoners: Deportation)

Jo Stevens (Labour) asked how many foreign nationals who have been given an indeterminate sentence for public protection have been deported forcibly and voluntarily in each year since 2010. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes said that the information is not held in the format required.

 

19 October 2018: HC 177778 (Immigrants: Detainees)

Wera Hobhouse MP (Liberal Democrats) asked the Home Secretary what assessment the Home Office has made of the psychological effect on immigrants of detention without a time limit and also what steps the Government plans to take to tackle overcrowding in immigration detention centres. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes replied and made mention of the Adults at Risk policy where "the consideration of any vulnerability, including mental health, is based on a case-by-case assessment of the appropriateness of detention for each individual". She said that all individuals detained have ready access to mental health services. She added that "the Home Office has published guidelines on acceptable room capacity in immigration removal centres, which build on requirements set out in secondary legislation. Capacity across the detention estate is kept under regular review."

 

18 October 2018: HL 10688 (Immigrants: Detainees)

Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrats) asked what action the Home Office are taking to prevent any verbal or physical abuse of detainees at immigration detention centres. Baroness Williams of Traffords spoke on behalf of the government, making reference to the complaints system whereby complaints are investigated by the relevant supplier. "All allegations of serious misconduct are referred to the Home Office Professional Standards Unit for investigation. If a detainee, or someone on behalf of a detainee, alleges that a member of staff has committed an offence against them the police will automatically be notified. For detainees who are dissatisfied with the way their complaint has been handled, there is an avenue of escalation to the independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman."

 

15 October 2018: HC 177281 (Mental Health Services: Detention Centres)

Luciana Berger MP (Labour) asked the Minister for Health what steps the Health and Social Care Department is taking to support the mental health of women held in detention centres in the UK. Minister Matt Hancock incorrectly said that women are only held in Yarl’s Wood in Bedfordshire (they are also held in Dungavel IRC in Scotland) and did not go on to provide an answer to the question.

 

1 October 2018: HC 146868 (Detainees: Compensation)

Stephen Doughty MP (Labour) asked the Home Secretary what the minimum compensation payment made was to an individual wrongly detained by the Home Office in each of the last three years. Minister for Immigration Caroline Nokes provided statistics on unlawful detention from Home Office records, showing that the lowest compensation payment has been £1 in each of the last three years (2014/15 - 2016/17).