§ Ms. Abbottasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make it his policy to refrain from making further use of prison ships since the lease on the Earl William has expired; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he has any plans to extend the leasing arrangement on the Earl William prison ship; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThe contract for the lease of the Earl William was for an initial period of three months, with the option of renewal for three further periods of three months. The first option of renewal was exercised and expires on 1 December. There are now no detainees on the ship. Its possible further use as an immigration detention centre is under review.
§ Ms. Abbottasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what degree of supervision his Department exercises over the Securicor guards employed on the Earl William; and if he will make a statement;
782W(2) what are the qualifications and training of the Securicor guards employed on board the Earl William; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonCare of persons detained on the Earl William rested under contract with Securicor. The company is very experienced in this field, having held the immigration detention contract since 1970. Orderlies were supervised by experienced shift leaders and chief immigration officers make frequent visits to the ship. Detailed operating instructions were issued by Securicor to its staff following close discussion with the immigration service and reflected the need for a high standard of care in every respect. Each recruit underwent five days' induction training on the job and a half day course from the immigration service.
§ Ms. Abbottasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether lay visitors have access to the Earl William prison ship on the same basis as that which they enjoy in Her Majesty's prisons; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThere are no formal arrangements for visits by lay visitors, but access to immigration detention centres, including the Earl William, is freely afforded, not only to relatives, friends and representatives of detainees but also to representatives of a wide variety of welfare, religious, cultural and political interests, including Members of both Houses. In the case of the Earl William, the vicar of Harwich, the Salvation Army and the Olive Tree Fellowship had unrestricted access.
§ Ms. Abbottasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether Her Majesty's Inspector of Prisons has access to the Earl William prison ship; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonIn accordance with the Government reply to the sixth report from the Home Affairs Committee Session 1984–85 HC 277 (Cmnd. 9632) immigration detention centres, including the Earl William, are open to inspection by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons.
§ Ms. Abbottasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether instructions in case of fire are available on board the Earl William in the main languages spoken by the detainees; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonFire drills were held regularly on the Earl William, under the direction and advice of the Essex fire and rescue service. Internationally approved pictorial fire evacuation signs were prominently posted and a fire evacuation notice in nine languages was posted in each cabin.
§ Ms. Abbottasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if there are interpretation facilities available aboard the Earl William; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonThere were no resident interpreters on the Earl William, but interpreters were provided when necessary.
§ Ms. Abbottasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the total cost of holding detainees on the Earl William prison ship; and what is the average cost per detainee.
§ Mr. RentonThe total direct costs of operating the Earl William as an immigration detention centre for the period 15 May to the end of September were of the order of 783W £650,000. The direct average cost per detainee during that period was about £65 a night. It is not yet clear how far these costs will be borne by the carriers.
§ Mr. Wheelerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements were made for those detained on board MV Earl William after the ship was reberthed following the storm on 15–16 October.
§ Mr. HurdThe Earl William broke loose from her moorings during the early hours of 16 October and drifted some 200–300 yds away from the berth before running aground on a sandbank. The vessel was slightly holed but nobody on board was injured. Advice from the senior harbour master was that no attempt should be made to evacuate the ship until she had been reberthed. At the time there were 78 detainees on board, of whom 72 had sought asylum in the United Kingdom. A contact telephone number at Heathrow was provided for relatives and friends wishing to make inquiries about detainees. The vessel was berthed at Parkeston quay at high tide at 20.00 hours on 16 October.
In all the circumstances, I concluded on compassionate grounds that it would no longer be right to continue to detain those concerned on board the Earl William. As there was no other detention accommodation immediately available, 70 of the 78 detainees were granted temporary admission on 16 October until their cases are determined. I am grateful to the British Refugee Council and organisations representing those detained for their co-operation in finding suitable accommodation. Of the other detainees, one has been granted leave to enter, six have been removed from the United Kingdom and one other is detained in Harmondsworth awaiting removal. The future use of the Earl William as a detention centre is under review.