Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many rule 35 reports were issued in detention centres in 2023.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
We regularly publish the data you have requested and it can be found at Immigration Enforcement data: Q3 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The data is placed under the link entitled the same. Please note that quarter 4 (which will contain information from 1 October to 31 December 2023) is due to be published February 2024.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many cases of (a) self-harm, (b) depression and (c) suicidal ideation have been reported by people living in government-provided asylum accommodation in (i) hotels, (ii) barges, (iii) former military sites and (iv) detention facilities and removal centres in each of the last 15 years.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Central records on the number of cases of self-harm and suicidal ideation that have been reported in immigration removal centres (IRCs) are not held as far back as 15 years. Additionally, no central records on the number of cases of depression reported in IRCs are held. This information relates to health conditions which are treated as medical in confidence and therefore the Home Office would not necessarily know if someone in detention was experiencing depression.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data his Department holds on the (a) longest and (b) average length of time people are held in Brook House immigration removal centre.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Home Office publishes data on detention in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on length of detention for people leaving detention is published in table Det_D03 of the ‘Detailed detention dataset’. The latest data relates to the end of September 2023. However this data is not broken down by last place of detention as this does not show where an individual spent their time in detention. In some cases, an individual may have spent a period of time detained elsewhere before being moved to their last place of detention.
Data on people leaving detention by last place of detention is published in table Det_04c of the ‘Detention summary tables’. However, this data is not broken down by length of detention, for the reason given above.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many pregnant people are detained in (a) prison and (b) an immigration detention centre.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
As of 20 December 2023, there are currently no pregnant women detained in immigration removal centres. Questions regarding pregnant people in prisons should be addressed to the Secretary of State for Justice.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield, Hallam)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the (a) planned timetable and (b) scope is for the review of his Department's Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy; and whether he has plans to consult outside of his Department as part of that review.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
The Home Office is currently undertaking a review of the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention Policy. The policy aims to safeguard vulnerable individuals in immigration detention by providing a framework to assess if their detention or continued detention is appropriate.
The scope of the review includes the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy and Detention Centre Rules 34 and 35. The review is ongoing and the timetable for completion will become clearer as the review progresses.
Engagement outside of the Department will form part of this review and the process for this engagement is currently being considered.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of foreign national prisoners made a claim for asylum prior to being detained in the latest year for which data is available.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office does not publish data on the immigration status of foreign nationals held in prisons.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum-related detainees in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on numbers of asylum-related detainees entering, leaving and in detention are published in table Det_01 of the ‘Detention Summary tables’. However data on numbers of foreign national offenders being detained are not published. Asylum-related cases refer to those where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior or during detention. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but detained for other reasons (such as criminality).
Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the end of September 2023 for entering and leaving detention data, and September 2022 for in detention data.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of foreign national prisoners have indefinite leave to remain in the UK.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Home Office does not publish data on the immigration status of foreign nationals held in prisons.
The Home Office publishes data on asylum-related detainees in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’. Data on numbers of asylum-related detainees entering, leaving and in detention are published in table Det_01 of the ‘Detention Summary tables’. However data on numbers of foreign national offenders being detained are not published. Asylum-related cases refer to those where there has been an asylum claim at some stage prior or during detention. This will include asylum seekers whose asylum claims have been refused, and who have exhausted any rights of appeal, those returned under third country provisions, as well as those granted asylum/protection, but detained for other reasons (such as criminality).
Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relates to the end of September 2023 for entering and leaving detention data, and September 2022 for in detention data.
Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time to receive a response to an application to the voluntary return scheme is.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
We do not routinely publish the information requested.
The Home Office publishes statistics on all types of removals from the UK which includes voluntary departures. The latest statistics are available at: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Published datasets for Voluntary Returns are available at: Returns and detention datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many applications to the voluntary return scheme have been (a) received and (b) concluded since 1 January 2023.
Answered by Michael Tomlinson - Minister of State (Minister for Illegal Migration)
We do not routinely publish the information requested.
The Home Office publishes statistics on all types of removals from the UK which includes voluntary departures. The latest statistics are available at: Immigration system statistics quarterly release - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Published datasets for Voluntary Returns are available at: Returns and detention datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the UNHCR, Evaluation of the Refugee and Migrant Advice Service’s Alternative to Detention Pilot, published 23 August; and what plans they have to use its findings to inform ministerial decision-making in regard to the development and implementation of alternatives to migrant detention in the UK.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
UNHCR’s independent evaluations of the Community Engagement Pilot series found no definitive evidence that community-based case management focused alternatives to immigration detention led to the quicker resolution of individual cases nor represented better value for money. Given that these key tests for the pilots were not met, we have no plans to progress any further community-based case management focused alternatives to immigration detention.
The published Home Office response to the evaluation of the Refugee and Migrant Advice Service pilot can be found within the evaluation report at Appendix C.