Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 15050 on Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre, what assessment her Department has made of the cost-effectiveness of (a) Campsfield House and (b) other immigration removal centres.

Detention plays a key role in maintaining effective immigration controls and securing the UK’s borders, particularly in connection with the removal of people who have no right to remain in the UK but who refuse to leave voluntarily.

The immigration removal estate is kept under review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient resilience, geographical footprint and capacity for those men and women it is necessary to detain for the purposes of removal, while providing value for money.

We are increasing detention spaces to support a higher pace of removals, including reopening Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). This increase will ensure there is additional capacity to facilitate higher levels of enforcement and returns so that rules are properly respected.

Development of Campsfield is being undertaken in two phases. A competition for the Phase 1 constructor was conducted between suppliers, using the Strategic Alliance framework, on a “Most Economically Advantageous Tender” basis, which considers both quality and costs. As part of the contracting process, tenders were reviewed by subject matter experts to assess quality, and the costs of the contract were assured by a third-party cost consultant appointed by the Home Office and independent of the constructor.

The commercial arrangements also underwent scrutiny via a multi stage approval process including the Home Office’s Commercial Assurance Board, Migration and Borders Transformation Programme Board, and departmental Investment Committee, with final approval by Cabinet Office Spend Controls.

The Home Office is committed to ensuring value for money on all IRC sites, and costs are refined during the planning process and once contractors have been onboarded. The Home Office does not comment on service provider procurement exercises, which are commercially sensitive. However, contracts are published upon the Contracts Finder website, once awarded.