§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Terrorism Act detainees in HM Prison Belmarsh include a double amputee; and whether he also suffers from mental illness. [HL707]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalAn order, issued by the Special Immigration Appeal Commission, prevents the publication of the names of the detainees or other information that would enable them or their families to be identified.
It would also be inappropriate to comment on the individual's mental health for reason of medical confidentiality.
7WA
§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the provisions for physical and mental health at HM Prison Belmarsh are sufficient to deal with the needs of long-term detainees under the Terrorism Act. [HL708]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalThe Government are satisfied that the level of medical care both within Belmarsh Prison and through its links with local hospital providers is sufficient to deal with the physical and mental needs of both the detainees and other persons held in custody.
§ Lord Hyltonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many persons, of what nationalities, are now held under the terrorism Acts in maximum security prisons; whether some detainees are held in other prisons; and how long in all cases they expect to detain them. [HL551]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalFourteen people are currently detained under the powers contained in Part 4 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. All of them are categorised as standard risk Category A detainees.
Thirteen of the detainees are held in high security prisons whilst the 14th detainee is held at Broadmoor high security hospital.
In relation to the nationality of the detainees, we do not disclose these details as to do so could enable the identification of the detainees in contravention of anonymity orders issued by Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).
The Act allows the Home Secretary to detain suspected international terrorists who pose a threat to our national security for an undefined period. However, under the terms of the Act, the legislation needs to be renewed annually by Parliament and has a sunset clause of November 2006, meaning that further legislation would be required if the Government were to detain any individual under these powers beyond that date.
In addition, the SIAC is charged with reviewing individual cases six months after determining the appeal and every three months thereafter. It is open to the detainees to make a voluntary departure from the United Kingdom at any time. In addition, the detainees may apply for bail at any time. In the first 10 cases so far reviewed by the commission, SIAC has upheld the Home Secretary's certification in every case.
It should also be noted that under the terms of the derogation, the powers applied by the Government should be no more than is strictly necessary. As a result, the Act includes the provision that the Home Secretary may repeal it during its validity if he considers this to be appropriate.
To date, six people have been convicted under the Terrorism Act 2000. Of these, four have now left detention. The two remaining prisoners are detained in high security prisons.
8WA
§ Baroness Coxasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people were arrested in November and December 2003 on suspicion of terrorist offences, and what were their nationalities and immigration status. [HL583]
§ Baroness Scotland of AsthalThirty-five people were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 in November and December of 2003: 20 of these were United Kingdom citizens, seven were Algerian, two Turkish, two Portuguese, one French, one Syrian, one Belgian and one Tunisian. Three individuals were found to have overstayed their leave to remain.