Liberal Democrat MP Sarah Teather is to chair an inquiry into immigration detention, which will hear evidence from former detainees.
Ms Teather is chairwoman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Refugees. She said at the launch of the inquiry on Friday (04/07/14) that the decision to hold an investigation into immigration detention was in response to concerns over high-profile cases, such as the sexual abuse allegations surrounding Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre in Bedfordshire.
Catholic publication The Tablet reports that Ms Teather – herself a catholic – will chair a panel which will also include Baroness Lister and Lord Lloyd of Berwick.
Ms Teather said:
“There is a clear need for parliamentary scrutiny of how and why we detain people for immigration purposes.”
The inquiry will also involve All-Party Parliamentary Committees for both refugees and migrants – and will ascertain whether the current system of detention is failing vulnerable refugees.
There have been public protests and calls to release the women detainees at Yarl’s Wood, over concerns about the conditions they are being held in, as well as a recent inquiry into the sex abuse allegations at the detention centre.
In March, the Home Office refused access to Yarl’s Wood to the UN’s special rapporteur on violence against women, Rashida Manjoo, who was visiting the UK on a UN fact-finding mission.
The number female detainees in immigration centres in Britain has risen by 4% over the last year – and some migrants have been detained for long periods of time, including 39 migrants who have detained for two years or more.
Ms Teather’s office said that Catholic Labour MP Jon Cruddas would also sit on the panel for the immigration detention inquiry.