Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the report published on 17 March by Women for Refugee Women, A Decade of Harm: Survivors of gender-based violence locked up in immigration detention, what action they will take regarding the finding that women under constant supervision are being watched by male staff.

The Government keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review, in consultation with a range of experts and stakeholders.

There is detailed published guidance for all staff working in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs). Detention Services Order 06/2016 'Women in the immigration removal estate', which sets out the processes that are undertaken in IRCs to ensure that the needs of women are identified and appropriately met and their rights to dignity and privacy are upheld.

The constant supervision of women who are subject to an Assessment Care in Detention and Teamwork (ACDT) plan, should wherever possible, be undertaken by a female detainee custody officer (DCO). In the unlikely event that this is not operationally possible for reasons of safety and security, the details for this decision must be fully documented by the duty manager on the ACDT plan.