Lord Tebbit – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Tebbit on 2016-03-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people held in Immigration Control Centres are not free to leave to go to other jurisdictions.

Lord Keen of Elie

There are no countries to which, as a matter of immigration policy, the Home Office does not return people if they wish to return voluntarily.

There may be a small number of people who might be detained for immigration purposes who are not free to leave the jurisdiction of the UK because, for example, of ongoing criminal proceedings but this is not centrally recorded.

For those being detained with a view to removal, detention may continue lawfully only for as long as there is a realistic prospect of removal within a reasonable period of time. Home Office guidance is clear that detention must be used sparingly and for the shortest period reasonably necessary to achieve its purpose.