§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the report, "A Second Exile. The Mental Health Implications of Detention of Asylum Seekers in the United Kingdom", by C. K. Pourgourides, S. P. Sashidharan and P. J. Bracken at the North Birmingham Mental Health trust; and what plans he has to implement its recommendations. [8646]
§ Mr. KirkhopeCopies of this report have been forwarded to us. We cannot accept its main recommendation—that the policy of detaining asylum seekers should be abandoned—but we will take account of its detailed recommendations in taking forward detention policy.
Detention under the powers contained in the Immigration Act 1971 is used only as a last resort. Temporary admission is granted wherever possible. The primary consideration is whether a person is likely to comply with any restrictions upon him, including any arrangements for his removal from the country. Detention is unavoidable in a small number of cases if we are to retain an effective immigration control.