Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many notices of intent the Home Office issued to asylum applicants deemed potentially inadmissible under sections 80B and 80C of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 between July and September 2024.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office publishes data on asylum on gov.uk as part of the 'Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release'. Data on inadmissibility is published in tables Asy_09a and Asy_09b in the 'Asylum and resettlement summary tables'. Inadmissibility data for January 2024 onwards is currently unavailable due to ongoing work on a new case working system.
Between 2021 and 2023, 34,113 'notices of intent' were issued to individuals.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what rules regulate the commissioning of training and rehabilitation activities by prison governors.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Public Contracts Regulations (PCR 2015), which are enshrined in the Laws of England and Wales, along with Central Government commercial policies and processes are applied in the commissioning of all contracted-out core training and rehabilitation services in the prisons.
The Prison Governors are also empowered, at a local level, to contract bespoke rehabilitation services through a variety of compliant contracting routes. These contracting services are provided through a central commercial directorate to the prisons within the Ministry of Justice to achieve the best value for money whilst delivering our strategic priority of reducing reoffending.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent on rehabilitation and training services at each prison in England and Wales in each of the past three years.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Expenditure on rehabilitation and training services covers a range of provision, recorded under numerous budget headings, and cannot be collated without incurring disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the validity of the Maldives’ claim to sovereignty over the Chagos Islands.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Islands were between the UK and Mauritius, following a long-standing dispute. They were bilateral negotiations between the two countries: no other states were involved. The Maldives are a valued partner and we are in regular contact with them about a range of issues.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to lay the development consent order for the Lower Thames Crossing.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The statutory deadline for a decision to be issued on National Highways’ application for a Development Consent Order on the Lower Thames Crossing is 23 May 2025. Should consent be granted, the Development Consent Order will be made at the same time.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the death of a man detained at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre on 29 October, whether all suppliers in every immigration removal centre, including Brook House, undertook an ad hoc assessment of all open and post closure local 'assessment care in detention teamwork' files, as required by paragraph 52 of the Detention Services Order 08/2014, published in July 2021.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Any death in immigration detention is a tragic event and our condolences are with the family and friends of the individual who sadly died on 27 October at Brook House immigration removal centre (IRC).
The published Home Office Detention Services Order 08/2014 “Death in immigration detention” provides guidance as to the actions that Home Office and contracted supplier staff must take in the event of a death in detention.
Centre suppliers at Brook House IRC and across the immigration detention estate assessed all open and post closure Assessment, Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) cases the day following the death, with formal reviews undertaken for those considered particularly vulnerable to the news and at increased risk of self-harm.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the death of a man detained at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre on 29 October, whether formal 'assessment care in detention teamwork' reviews were completed for all categories of person set out at paragraph 52 of the Detention Services Order 08/2014, published in July 2021.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Any death in immigration detention is a tragic event and our condolences are with the family and friends of the individual who sadly died on 27 October at Brook House immigration removal centre (IRC).
The published Home Office Detention Services Order 08/2014 “Death in immigration detention” provides guidance as to the actions that Home Office and contracted supplier staff must take in the event of a death in detention.
Centre suppliers at Brook House IRC and across the immigration detention estate assessed all open and post closure Assessment, Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) cases the day following the death, with formal reviews undertaken for those considered particularly vulnerable to the news and at increased risk of self-harm.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the death on 29 October of a man while detained at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre, what steps have been taken to provide those detained there with counselling and other forms of bereavement support; and how and when were those people notified of such support.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Any death in immigration detention is a tragic event and our condolences are with the family and friends of the individual who sadly died on 27 October at Brook House immigration removal centre (IRC).
On the night of the individual’s death, notices were circulated by the supplier, notifying residents of the death and offering immediate wellbeing support with custodial staff tasked to make any necessary referrals to the healthcare mental health team for onward care. Centre staff and the healthcare and chaplaincy teams provided support to any residents who wanted to speak to staff, including face to face meetings and signposting to Samaritans and bereavement helplines. Additionally, the chaplaincy team arranged a memorial service for all faiths the following day. Residents attending this service who wished to talk were referred on to the healthcare mental health team.
Centre suppliers at Brook House IRC and across the immigration detention estate assessed all open and post closure Assessment, Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) cases the day following the death, with formal reviews undertaken for those considered particularly vulnerable to the news and at increased risk of self-harm.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned an independent needs assessment for the Wethersfield asylum accommodation site.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Home Office commissioned an independent needs assessment via the British Red Cross earlier this year. Following two visits to the site in March and April, the assessment was shared with the Home Office in May. The Home Office have been working with the British Red Cross to discuss recommendations and implement any necessary changes to the site.
Asked by: Lord German (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to increase occupancy of Wethersfield asylum accommodation so that it is capped at 800 once the conditions of the special development order have been discharged.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
Occupancy at the Wethersfield site is currently capped at 580 as part of the Special Development Order. This means that during current operation of the site, the population will not exceed 580.
Once the relevant Special Development Order conditions have been discharged, regular occupancy will be capped at 800. Any increase in occupancy will take place in a carefully managed way.