Mr. Robert AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 6 June,Official Report, column 135 which expensive ad hoc accommodation is now being used less to hold Immigration Act detainees; and if he will provide relevant comparative figures relating to the use of such accommodation in the current and previous two financial years. [32069]
§ Mr. Nicholas BakerThe accommodation referred to includes short-term accommodation—up to five days, seven days if removal is to be effected within that period—provided by various private companies at ports of entry to the United Kingdom and police cells.
It is not possible without disproportionate effort to disaggregate the costs of such accommodation from overall detention costs. However, an average cost of a night's detention in police cells is £289, whereas a night in an immigration detention centre costs some £80.
Mr. AinsworthTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department expects to spending in total on detaining persons under Immigration Act powers in the current financial year. [32053]
§ Mr. BakerThe immigration service estimates that it will spend some £13.725 million on detaining persons 285W under Immigration Act powers, including escorting and related costs, this year. Some of that cost will be recovered from carriers.