Derwentside immigration removal centre: factsheet
Published 15 January 2024
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/derwentside-immigration-removal-centre-factsheet/derwentside-immigration-removal-centre-factsheet
November 2023
Introduction
The Home Office is making changes to Derwentside immigration removal centre (IRC). The below factsheet provides some information.
Role of immigration detention
Detention plays a key role in maintaining effective immigration controls and securing the UK’s borders, particularly in connection with the removal of people who have no right to remain in the UK but who refuse to leave voluntarily.
The government is going even further through the Illegal Migration Act which will mean that people arriving in the UK illegally are detained and promptly removed to their country of origin or a safe third country.
Changes to Derwentside IRC
As part of our implementation of the Illegal Migration Act 2023, we are finding alternative solutions within the immigration detention estate to increase capacity.
Derwentside IRC opened in 2021 as a female only facility for 84 women. In 2024, it will be converted to a male only IRC with capacity for around 135 men.
Yarl’s Wood IRC and Dungavel IRC will continue to provide detained accommodation for women.
A comprehensive package of physical improvements will be made to the site to improve the provision and increase security as necessary.
Derwentside cohort
Once Derwentside has become a male only facility, the IRC will be used to detain a mixture of:
- time-served foreign national offenders
- immigration offenders
- those who have arrived into the UK illegally
prior to their removal under the Illegal Migration Act.
Changes to prepare for an increase in people on site
The Home Office is committed to continuing to meet welfare standards as well as maintaining a secure operating environment. Home Office and Serco staffing levels will increase, as will vital ancillary provisions such as healthcare, legal services, welfare facilities.
Services and facilities in IRCs
All IRCs have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses, commissioned by NHS England or appropriate providers and delivered to the equivalent standards as services are in the community.
Detained individuals arriving at IRCs are medically assessed by a nurse within 2 hours of their arrival and offered an appointment with a doctor within 24 hours.
Detained individuals are advised of their right to legal representation, and how they can obtain such representation, within 24 hours of their arrival at an IRC. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. Legal visits and email, phone, video call contact can be arranged 7 days a week.
All individuals in IRCs are also provided with a mobile phone and have access to landline telephones on request, email and video calling facilities which can be used to contact legal advisers, family and friends.
Visits are facilitated in line with those in other IRCs. Visitors arriving at the nearest main train station will be transported to the centre.
Oversight
The Home Office takes the welfare and safety of the people in its care very seriously and will accept nothing but the highest standards from service providers contracted to manage the removal estate and the escorting process.
The rights of all detained individuals are safeguarded by the Detention Centre Rules 2001, published Operating Standards for IRCs and individuals under escort and Detention Services Orders. Derwentside is operated in line with these regulations.
Independent scrutiny is a vital part of assurance that our detention facilities are safe, secure and humane. Robust statutory oversight is provided by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB), ensuring that detained individuals are treated with proper standards of care and decency.
The wider UK immigration removal estate
The Home Office currently operates 7 IRCs, 4 residential short term holding facilities (STHF) and one pre-departure accommodation for families (PDA).
The estate is kept under review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient resilience, geographical footprint and capacity for those it needs to detain for the purposes of removal, while providing value for money.