That this House notes with concern the recent High Court judgment against the Government which found that the Home Office ‘s redefinition of torture in its flagship Adults at Risk immigration detention policy was unlawful; further notes that Mr Justice Ouseley ruled that the Home Office’s decision to narrow the definition of torture lacked a rational or evidence base; understands that many victims of torture and other vulnerable people are held in UK immigration detention centres; recognises that legal judgments and medical research have provided extensive evidence that immigration detention can seriously harm the mental health of detainees, particularly those who have suffered previously from ill treatment; calls on the Home Office to ensure its review of the Adults at Risk policy includes consultation with NGO stakeholders; and urges the Government to honour the promises made after the Shaw Report to strengthen and improve the protections for identifying and securing the release of vulnerable adults at risk of harm in immigration detention, as well as requiring that those with evidence of a history of torture or severe physical, psychological or sexual violence or other ill treatment are not detained for immigration purposes except in very exceptional circumstances.
Sponsors: Ryan, Joan / West, Catherine / Lucas, Caroline / Cameron, Lisa / Thomas, Gareth
House of Commons: 14/12/2017, http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2
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