Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to page 28 of the independent report entitled Welfare in detention of vulnerable persons review: progress report, published on gov.uk in July 2018, what steps his Department is taking in response to the recommendation that it should take steps to identify women claiming asylum who are being held in detention whose cases would be better processed in the community.

Almost all asylum claims are processed in the community. Individuals who have their claim processed in detention have usually claimed asylum after being detained for removal, are detained for public protection reasons or have previously failed to comply with the UK’s immigration rules. In response to recommendation 10 in Stephen Shaw’s second report, we are considering whether more of those who claim asylum in detention could have their claims processed in the community.

In addition, the Home Secretary has undertaken to establish a pilot to manage vulnerable women in the community who would otherwise be detained in Yarl’s Wood and we anticipate that the pilot will have a role in addressing recommendation 10 for women who have claimed asylum in detention.