§ Mr. MaddenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consultation he has had with the legal, welfare and other organisations who are required to visit Latchmere house about the relocation of Latchmere house; what representations he has received about the relocation of Latchmere house; what facilities will be provided at the remand centre near Portsmouth for legal, welfare and other representatives; and whether staff from Latchmere house will be required to transfer to the relocated remand centre;
(2) to what purpose Latchmere house in London will be put when it is closed as an immigration remand centre; what consultation he has had with appropriate trade unions about the relocation of Latchmere house; what arrangements he is making for those held on remand near Portsmouth to be visited by relatives and friends; and by whom staff employed at the relocated Latchmere house will be employed;
(3) when Latchmere house, the London immigration remand centre is going to be closed and relocated near Portsmouth; how many people are currently held at Latchmere house; what is its capacity; what is the remand centre near Portsmouth to be called; what facilities will be provided; how many people it will hold on remand; and what is the total cost of relocating Latchmere house to Portsmouth and of any alterations or other necessary works.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe Home Office is planning changes at two prison service establishments, Her Majesty's remand centre Latchmere house at Richmond, Surrey, and Her Majesty's young offenders institution Haslar at Gosport, Hampshire. The certified normal accommodation of Latchmere house is 127. Its total population on 10 March was 157, including 94 persons detained under the Immigration Act 1971. Her Majesty's young offenders institution Haslar provides accommodation for 100 sentenced young offenders.
The aim, for which detailed plans are being prepared, is that the young offenders should be removed from Her Majesty's young offenders institution Haslar so that the Immigration Act detainees may be transferred there from Latchmere house. This, in turn, would allow the prison service to use the accommodation at Latchmere house to hold remand prisoners from the London area, many of whom are now held in police cells owing to overcrowding in the London prisons. The establishment at Haslar would remain under the control of the prison service and would be manned by prison service staff.
We informed many interested parties of this plan, including the relevant trades unions and the local authorities. Representations in response have been 10W received from my hon. Friend the Member for Richmond and Barnes (Mr. Hanley) and from Richmond borough council. Officials are to meet representatives of advisory agencies which specialise in immigration matters later this week.
It is not possible at this stage to answer all of the hon. Member's detailed questions, but I shall write to him when the answers are available.