Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many deaths have occurred in immigration detention centres in each year since 2007.

The number of deaths in immigration removal centres (IRCs) is a subset of published detention data (table dt_5 and dt_5_q) in the Home Office quarterly Immigration Statistics release.

A copy of the latest release, Immigration Statistics July to September 2016, is available from the Home Office website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office/series/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release.

All incidents of self harm are treated very seriously and every step is taken to prevent incidents of this nature. Staff at all centres are trained to identify those at risk of self harm so that action can be taken to minimise the risk. Notices in various languages are displayed in IRCs setting out that where a detainee is concerned about a fellow detainee this should be brought to the attention of a member of staff. Formal risk assessments on initial detention and systems for raising concerns at any subsequent point feed into established self harm procedures in every IRC. These are in turn underpinned by the Home Office Operating Standard on the prevention of self-harm and detention services order 06/2008, Assessment Care in Detention Teamwork (ACDT).

Management information shows that on 21 December 2016 there were 78 detainees in the immigration detention estate being monitored in line with ACDT procedures. This is provisional management information that is subject to change. it has not been assured to the standard of Official Statistics.