HL Deb 27 July 1999 vol 604 cc185-6WA
Lord Evans of Watford

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What plans they have to amend the Immigration (Places of Detention) Direction 1996. [HL3975]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

The Immigration (Places of Detention) Direction has been amended and copies have been placed in the Library.

It was necessary to amend the direction in order to:

  • enable detention, where facilities have been specifically provided, at immigration offices which are not at ports of entry. This will allow our proposals for a new reporting centre at Becket House to be implemented in October of this year, when it is expected to be ready for operation;
  • delete the "out of date" reference to Meadvale detention centre, which is no longer in operation; and
  • amend reference to a "place of safety" in a Northern Ireland context to take account of the observations of the Legislative Counsel in Northern Ireland.