Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the HMPPS no-smoking policy will be extended to cover Immigration Removal Centres.

Since 2007 we have been acting to reduce the exposure of staff and prisoners to the harmful effects of second hand smoke in all prisons controlled by the Ministry of Justice. Immigration Removal Centres (IRC) – including the one (Morton Hall) operated by HMPPS - are managed under Home Office rules and therefore the [HMPPS] Smoke Free Policy Framework does not apply. However, the Home Office had agreed that Morton Hall would adopt the same smoke free process as Ministry of Justice operated open prisons, whereby detainees are able to smoke in the open air in designated smoking areas and are not allowed to smoke inside any building.