Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what ratio of male to female staff members will be put in place at the new Hassockfield Immigration Removal Centre in response to its planned use to detain only women.

Our Detention Centre Rules are designed to ensure the rights and safety of those in detention are our foremost priority and we expect the highest standards from our contractors in this regard. This includes mandatory gender-specific training for those working with women in detention.

The workforce requirements for the new Hassockfield immigration removal centre (IRC) will reflect the lessons learned from detaining women at Yarl’s Wood IRC and will include a ratio of female to male custodial staff that is appropriate for the specifics needs of women in detention.