60
Correction:
NEW
Emails:
coordinator@aviddetention.org.uk
News from the Groups
Lindholm has been reduced to around 40 beds following a disturbance on 1st
May. The exact cause is unclear but
seems to have been triggered by a prison officers’ strike action which resulted
in restrictions for detainees.
JRS have two new outreach workers,
Two
‘new’ members of AVID
Brighton
Voices in Exile,(associated with AVID over a number of years)
Tel
01273 328598
Project manager:
They visit at Tinsley House, Colnbrook, Yarlswood
and work with those at risk of detention.
ECSR
The Welcome Centre,
105 –
Tel; 0208 778 7788
Project Coordinator:
Chair;
They visit at Colnbrook
Coordinators Conference
This year it is in
Report
The first of three reports of conclusions and
recommendations, ‘Saving Sanctuary’, comes out on May 20th. It presents evidence from the government,
stakeholders and the public, and includes the Commissioners’ conclusions and
recommendations on how to restore public support for sanctuary and improve the
way decisions are made on who needs
sanctuary in the
From 20th May you will be able to find a link to the full report on
the website: www.independentasylumcommission.org.uk.
If
you would like to be sent a hard copy, please email chris@cof.org.uk with
your postal address.
Healthcare Issues
There have been concerns about
unsuccessful asylum seekers access to health care. This written reply (
“Asylum
seekers are entitled to the full range of hospital treatment free of charge for
as long as their formal application is under consideration, including
appeals.
The basic humanitarian needs of
unsuccessful asylum seekers are met. They receive free treatment in Accident
and Emergency Departments and for many infectious diseases, such as
tuberculosis. For other life-threatening
conditions and for the purpose of preventing any conditions from becoming
life-threatening they will receive treatment regardless of their ability to
pay. Treatment will not be delayed or
withheld. Charging issues will be
resolved subsequently and National Health Service Trusts have the discretion to
write off any debts accrued when it would not be reasonable or cost effective
to pursue them.”
High Court Judgement
on Removals
Ruling of the European
court of Human Rights and the Court of Appeal (AS & DD (
The
key point in the High Court judgment is that people
can challenge removal/deportation to countries with whom the Government have
negotiated a Memorandum of Understanding. This could be of interest to
visitors of detainees from a number of countries.
Section 4 Support
The
Home Office will begin issuing ARC cards (identity document for all asylum
seekers released into the community on Temporary Admission) to those on Section
4 NASS support soon. The necessary order
was laid before Parliament in March.
All
applicants for Section 4 support - so that they can make a bail application -will
now be given an address. To prevent
delays the usual NASS Section 4 application form should still be used.
BID
and LSG pursuit has established that non asylum cases (even those who are not
removable) are always eligible for Section 4.
Complaints
procedure
There is now a new ‘agreed’
procedure for handling medical complaints, which entails Medical Centre staff
‘s obligation to report issues of torture and/or medical negligence/ discontinuity of care ‘upwards’
to UKBA, and a corresponding obligation for UKBA to respond with action.
The recent National Audit
Commission’s report stated that ‘76% of detainee complaints were dealt with
unsatisfactorily, especially since the first stage was handled by the
contractor, eg. not independent. It noted also that at
no stage had the detainee been interviewed independently. .
UKBA have produced a new
booklet on the complaints procedure. It was noted at the ARC Detention Users
Group that the first stage of the new
complaints procedure outlined in it still did not allow for independent
first complaint lodging, but that the
UKBA now ’values complaints’ and now handles them ‘proactively’. This was met
with some scepticism.
The new procedure is online:
http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/contact/makingacomplaint/
BID and Dover Visitors
produced 2 examples of having used the new complaints procedure which did not
suggest that complaints were being resolved more effectively. Please monitor this and send any feedback to
AVID.
Workshop at
The European Centre for Migration and Social
Care at the
Speakers include Dr Angela Burnett, (Sanctuary
Practice, Hackney and the Medical Foundation), Dr Charles Watters, European
Centre for Migration and Social Care, David Palmer, MIND Bexley, Professor
Suman Fernando and Dr Chris Endersby, Honorary Lecturers, University of Kent.
The cost of the workshop is £150 which
includes all lectures, seminars and teaching materials, meals and refreshments.
For more information please contact
K.Glezakou@kent.ac.uk
01227 827613
AVID needs a new
treasurer
AVID
is looking for a new Trustee/Treasurer.
Our
current treasurer,
coordinator@aviddetention