Catherine West – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many detainees have been held in the Kingfisher Isolation Unit in Yarl’s Wood in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire

The accommodation in Kingfisher Unit is used for individuals removed from general association in accordance with Rules 40 (removed from association) and 42 (temporary confinement) of the Detention Centre Rules 2001.

Rule 40 states that an individual may be removed from association where it appears necessary in the interests of security or safety that they should not associate with other detained persons, either generally or for particular purposes.

Rule 42 states that a violent or refractory individual may be confined temporarily in special accommodation, but not as a punishment, or after he/she has ceased to be refractory or violent.

Management information held by the service provider, Serco, for Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre is only available for the number of instances that the accommodation was used for these purposes and cannot be provided for the numbers of individuals except at disproportionate cost.