Immigration Detention

Lord Dubs Excerpts

Wednesday 3rd April 2019 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

The right reverend Prelate will be comforted to know that all decisions on detention benefit from the oversight of the independent detention gatekeeper. On the analogy with the criminal justice system, that system is different. Custody is in place to establish a criminal investigation, but detention has already established that the person needs to be removed.

[Lord Dubs (Lab)]

My Lords, is there ever a case for keeping a child in detention?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

It is very unfortunate if a child ends up in detention. The decision is balanced on the need of that child to be, perhaps, with its parents. As I told the noble Lord, Lord Morris of Handsworth, the number of children in detention has drastically reduced since 2009.