HC Deb 24 January 1994 vol 236 cc61-3W
Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which destinations are considered to pose a greater risk to a police officer's safety than to that of the employees of private companies when escorting detainees; and what criteria are used in arriving at these decisions.

Mr. Charles Wardle

There is no comprehensive list of such destinations and the position may change from time to time. Assessments are made on the basis of all relevant information available to my Department and to the police.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will extend the planned use of standard request forms to private security firms as well as to police in requests for assistance in deportation cases.

Mr. Charles Wardle

Yes.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account the Home Office and police review of removal procedures in immigration cases took of the standard of training carried out by private contractors before concluding that the use of a private contractor is undesirable where there is a known propensity to violence on the part of the detainee; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Charles Wardle

The conclusion was based on considerations related to the powers and resources of the police rather than the standard of training provided by private contractors.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the improvements in training of police officers involved in escorting deportees announced in the recent Home Office/police review will be extended to the employees of private security firms involved in this work.

Mr. Charles Wardle

The companies which provide escorts are selected carefully, and their staff are expected to be fully trained. In considering the adequacy of that training the immigration service will take full account of the Home Office/police review of removal procedures.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which other European countries use(a) gags, (b) handcuffs, (c) bodybelts, (d) arm restraints and (e) leg restraints during deportations; and what discussions he has had with Ministers of other EC countries about the use of such restraints.

Mr. Charles Wardle

It would not be possible to provide this information without detailed inquiries of other European countries. I have had no discussions with Ministers of other European Union countries about the use of restraints.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) in what proportion of escorted deportations carried out by private security firms restraining equipment is used;

(2) in how many cases where deportees were escorted any sort of restraint was used in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of the total number of escorted deportations this represents.

Mr. Charles Wardle

Information in the form requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Available information on the use of restraints by the police relates to the Metropolitan police deportation group. I understand that during the period January 1992 to July 1993, 139 escorts abroad were undertaken by officers from the group, and that restraints were used in 37 of these cases.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to compensate deportees or their families who have been injured by the use of a gag during attempted deportation.

Mr. Charles Wardle

If it were established that the Home Department had been responsible for any injury, my right hon. and learned Friend would consider any claim for compensation.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what independent element there was in the joint immigration and nationality department/Metropolitan police review of deportations.

Mr. Charles Wardle

The review was conducted by senior immigration and nationality department officials and senior officers of the Metropolitan police. A representative of the Association of Chief Police Officers was also involved. There was no independent element, but the fact that the review was being conducted was made known publicly. It was open to anyone to comment on the issues involved and comments on the review's conclusions would still be welcome.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment the joint Home Office and police review made of same day removals in deportation cases; and if he will now make it his policy not to carry out such removals.

Mr. Charles Wardle

The review concluded that removal direct from the home to the airport can raise the overall level of anxiety in what is already a difficult process. Whilst the review did not rule out "same day" removals altogether, it concluded that there should be a strong presumption against them, and that they should occur only in highly exceptional circumstances and with the authority of a senior member of the immigration service.

As he made clear in answer to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Burton (Sir I. Lawrence) on 12 January, columns 212–13, my right hon. and learned Friend has accepted the recommendations in the review as a sensible basis for continued co-operation between the police and the immigration service in this sensitive area.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the standard request form for police assistance in deportations to be ready; and what elements it will contain.

Mr. Charles Wardle

As recommended in the joint review of removal procedures in immigration cases, it is intended to provide the police with all information relevant to them for planning purposes. The precise format has not yet been settled but is likely to include a brief case summary of the immigration history including the reason for removal; a reference to any known propensity to violence; any relevant medical history of which the immigration service is aware; and details of family members or others who may be expected to be on the premises. It is not yet possible to say precisely when the new arrangements will be introduced, but work is already in hand.

Mrs. Roche

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much notice immigration officers give to police divisions that they require police assistance in deporting someone.

Mr. Charles Wardle

Normally, a minimum of 24 hours' notice.