§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give details of the accommodation available for persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 at all ports of entry to the United Kingdom other than Heathrow and Gatwick.
§ Lord EltonSmall detention units are available in immigration service premises at Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow Airports. At Dover, Harwich Newhaven and Sheerness arrangements exist for the use when necessary of port police accommodation. At other ports of entry where there is no detention accommodation, arrangements are made for persons detained to be accommodated in an immigration detention unit at one of the other ports (including those which serve Heathrow and Gatwick), or in police accommodation. Occasionally persons detained at ports of entry are accommodated in a prison or remand centre.
§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
What access to the telephone is afforded to persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 at Ashford Remand Centre, and at each of the places where such persons are accommodated from the ports of entry to the United Kingdom other than Heathrow and Gatwick.
§ Lord EltonPersons detained in immigration service detention accommodation or in accommodation provided by port police either have a public pay telephone in the detention accommodation or are given access to a telephone at any reasonable time. Those detained in police accommodation are given reasonable access to a telephone at the discretion of the officer in charge.
Persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971 in Ashford Remand Centre or any other remand 344WA centre or prison are treated as unconvicted prisoners and are subject to the same rules as others in that category: that is, they are not normally allowed to receive telephone calls, and may not make telephone calls unless the business is of an urgent nature and cannot reasonably be dealt with by other means.