Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how people arriving in the UK by small boat and who are then taken into custody by the Home Office are able to raise concerns about the whereabouts of their possessions.

We operate a comprehensive complaints system for detained individuals who feel that they have not been treated in accordance with our standards, which includes raising concerns about the whereabouts of their possessions. Detained individuals may raise a concern about the whereabouts of their possessions with on-site staff at Manston, or through the Home Office’s published complaints process.

We take complaints made by detained individuals very seriously, ensuring that they are investigated thoroughly and in a timely manner. Complaints that relate to detained individuals are investigated in accordance with published guidance; Detention Service Order 03/2015 handling complaints, which is available on the Gov.uk website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/handling-complaints-in-immigration-removal-centres .

Detained individuals who submit complaints are not disadvantaged in any way in relation to their treatment while in detention, or in relation to the outcome of their immigration case. Detained persons who are not satisfied with the way in which their complaint has been handled may ask for it to be reviewed by the Independent Prisons and Probation Ombudsman.

All other complaints (outside of circumstances when a person is detained) are governed by the published Complaints Management Guidance, which includes complaints to UKVI, HMPO, IE and Border Force, which is available on the Gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-management-guidance-version-7