Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to end the immigration detention of pregnant women.

It is not normally considered appropriate to detain pregnant women for immigration offences unless there is either a clear prospect of their early removal, and medical advice does not suggest that the baby is duebefore the planned removal date; or as part of the asylum fast-track process in the case of women who are less than 24 weeks pregnant.

Older people are only considered suitable for detention in exceptional circumstances, especially where constant or significant supervision is required which cannot be satisfactorily managed in detention.