Completed
· Chair: Kate Eves
· Established February 2020
· Commissioned by Home Office
The Brook House Inquiry examined mistreatment of detainees at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre near Gatwick Airport between April and August 2017, following undercover footage broadcast by BBC Panorama.
More about this inquiry
The Brook House Inquiry examined mistreatment of detainees at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre near Gatwick Airport between April and August 2017, following undercover footage broadcast by BBC Panorama. The inquiry found 19 incidents of mistreatment and made 33 recommendations.
The Home Office must ensure that each contract for the management of an immigration removal centre must expressly require compliance with the overriding purpose of Rule 3, which is to provide "the secure but humane accommodation of detained persons in a relaxed regime with as much freedom of movement and association as possible, consistent with maintaining a safe and secure environment, and to encourage and assist detained persons to make the most productive use of their time, whilst respecting in particular their dignity and the right to individual expression". The provisions and operation of each contract must be consistent with and uphold the requirements of the Detention Centre Rules 2001, the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention policy and the safeguards contained in detention services orders (including those concerning the use of force).
Since then (summary written by this site)
In a May 2025 letter quoted in a High Court judgment, Dame Angela Eagle, Minister for Border Security and Asylum, stated that the Home Office partially accepted the recommendation, explaining that each contract to manage an immigration removal centre expressly stipulates compliance with the overriding purpose of Rule 3 and upholds wider detention rules and safeguards (Dame Angela Eagle response, May 2025). Previously, in a January 2025 written parliamentary answer, the Minister reported that the recommendation was "met and closed as of October 2024" (Dame Angela Eagle, Jan 2025).
The Home Office must ensure that a maximum of two detained people are accommodated in each cell at Brook House.
Since then (summary written by this site)
In May 2025, Dame Angela Eagle, the Minister for Border Security and Asylum, stated in correspondence quoted in the High Court that the Home Office "accepted the recommendation to limit room sharing in principle" (Dame Angela Eagle response, May 2025). Previously, in a January 2025 written parliamentary answer, the Minister reported that the recommendation had been met and closed as of October 2024 (Dame Angela Eagle, Jan 2025). In March 2024, the department stated that no room designed for only two individuals at Brook House housed more than two and that there were no plans to change this (Home Office response, Mar 2024).
Written QuestionHouse of CommonsBell Ribeiro-Addy · Labour
Asked: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21024 on Migrants: Detainees, if she will specify whether each Brook House Inquiry recommendation has been (a) accepted, (b) partially accepted, (c) rejected; which are …
Answered by Home Office: 30 out of the 33 recommendations made by the Brook House Inquiry have been accepted or partially accepted. Following full consideration three recommendations (recommendations 7, 19 and 30) have been rejected. Positive progress continues to be made against the accepted recommendations, with 12 recommendations (recommendations 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 14, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26) met and …
Written QuestionHouse of LordsThe Lord Bishop of Chelmsford · Bishops
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hanson of Flint on 25 November (HL2389), in which he says that the Home Office review into immigration detention will not assess all areas of the Brook House Inquiry, whether they intend to …
Answered by Home Office: The previous government published a command paper on 19 March 2024 in response to the Brook House Inquiry report. Positive progress continues to be made in addressing the Inquiry’s findings. A cross departmental working group chaired by the SCS Deputy Director for Detention Services has been meeting since September 2023. The working group continues to meet monthly to consider and …
Written QuestionHouse of CommonsBell Ribeiro-Addy · Labour
Asked: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on implementing the recommendations of the Brook House Inquiry, published on 19 September 2023; and whether any of those recommendations have been completed.
Answered by Home Office: 30 out of the 33 recommendations made in the Brook House Inquiry report have been accepted or partially accepted, with 12 recommendations met and closed as of October 2024. The remaining recommendations remain on track for closure by summer 2025.
Written QuestionHouse of CommonsSiân Berry · Green Party
Asked: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 8868 on Mistreatment of Detainees at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre Inquiry, whether she plans to publish a response to each of the recommendations of …
Answered by Home Office: The abuse that took place at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in 2017 was unacceptable. Whilst there are no plans to publish a response to each recommendation raised by the inquiry, positive progress continues to be made against the 30 accepted recommendations. The Government will continue to reflect and act on Inquiry recommendations. Specifically on recommendations 14-17, on the …
Written QuestionHouse of CommonsOlivia Blake · Labour
Asked: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2024 to Question 9238 on Immigration: Detainees, whether the Adults at Risk review will consider the (a) Immigration (Guidance on Detention of Vulnerable Persons) Regulations 2024 and (b) …
Answered by Home Office: The scope of the Adults at Risk review includes the Immigration (Guidance on Detention of Vulnerable Persons) Regulations 2024. The review forms part of the response to one of the recommendations of the Brook House Inquiry (Recommendation 9: Review of the operation of Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001). The review will not cover all areas of the …
Written QuestionHouse of LordsThe Lord Bishop of Chelmsford · Bishops
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Hanson of Flint on 14 October (HL Deb cols 17GC–20GC), whether the review into immigration detention will consider the recommendations of the Brook House Inquiry and reassess which of its recommendations to accept.
Answered by Home Office: The Adults at Risk review forms part of the response to one of the recommendations of the Brook House Inquiry (Recommendation 9: Review of the operation of Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001). However, it will not cover all areas of the Brook House Inquiry and will not reassess the recommendations made.
Written QuestionHouse of LordsLord Scriven · Liberal Democrat
Asked: To ask His Majesty's Government which of the 33 recommendations in the Brook House Inquiry report they accept, and when each of these will be implemented.
Answered by Home Office: The abuse that took place at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in 2017 was unacceptable. The previous government published its response to the public inquiry into Brook House IRC on 19 March 2024, summarising the progress made since 2017 and addressing each of the ten key areas of concern raised in the report. Positive progress continues to be made …
Written QuestionHouse of CommonsBell Ribeiro-Addy · Labour
Asked: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled Government response to the Brook House Inquiry report, published on 19 March 2024, what progress her Department has made on implementing the recommendations of that report.
Answered by Home Office: The abuse that took place at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in 2017 was unacceptable. The previous government published its response to the public inquiry into Brook House IRC on 19 March 2024, summarising the progress made since 2017 and addressing each of the ten key areas of concern raised in the report. The new government is carefully considering …
The Brook House Inquiry examined events at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre following undercover filming by BBC Panorama in 2017 which revealed mistreatment of detained people. The inquiry made 33 recommendations addressing oversight, conditions, safeguarding, use of force, healthcare, staffing, and complaints processes.
The government accepted 27 recommendations in principle, accepted one fully, placed two under consideration, and rejected three. The rejected recommendations concerned a 28-day detention time limit, NHS England responsibility for healthcare quality assurance, and changing the seniority of the Professional Standards Unit head.
According to a Written Parliamentary Answer in January 2025, the Home Office reported that 17 recommendations had been 'completed and closed as of October 2024', with a further five 'due for closure by end of January 2025', and 11 'on track for closure by summer 2025'. However, the evidence base for these assertions remains limited in the public domain.
Documented changes include new contractual arrangements for immigration removal centres, establishment of compliance and engagement teams, prohibition of specific restraint techniques, and a new staffing model. An interim Detention Services Order on Rule 40/42 has been published, with substantive revisions underway. The government has committed to legislative reform for Independent Monitoring Boards, though this awaits Parliamentary time.
A High Court ruling in December 2025 found the Home Secretary had failed to comply with Article 3 ECHR systems duty in Rule 35 safeguarding at Brook House between July 2023 and March 2024, noting only 20 Rule 35 reports were filed despite 260 ACDT care plans during this period. This suggests ongoing challenges in implementing safeguarding recommendations.
Many recommendations involve ongoing reviews and policy development work, including comprehensive reviews of complaints processes, Adults at Risk policy, and use of force protocols. While the government has indicated progress through ministerial statements, published evidence of completed implementation remains limited for most recommendations.
Reforms attributed to this inquiry · AI-generated- New contracts for immigration removal centres requiring internal audit programmes and self-reporting by service providers - Introduction of Detention Services Compliance Teams and Detention Engagement Teams in each IRC - Quarterly Executive Oversight Boards bringing together senior Home Office officials and service provider executives - Publication of interim Detention Services Order clarifying Rule 40 (removal from association) and Rule 42 (temporary confinement) authorisation protocols - Prohibition communicated to all IRC staff that handcuffing behind backs whilst seated is not permitted - Updated Detention Services Order on food and fluid refusal linking to Rule 35 process and Adults at Risk policy - Implementation of maximum 9-hour overnight lock-in period - New staffing model delivering nearly double the ratio of custodial staff per detained individual compared to 2017 - Introduction of mandatory code of conduct and staff engagement strategy - Professional Standards Unit training updated to reflect Brook House Inquiry findingsUnfinished business · AI-generated- Legislative reform to provide Independent Monitoring Boards with statutory framework (commitment made in 2021 Prisons Strategy White Paper but awaiting Parliamentary time) - Substantive revision of Detention Services Orders on Rule 40/42 (interim order published but full revision ongoing) - Development of new Detention Services Order on use of force in consultation with experts - Development of operational standards for use of force on detained people with mental ill health (working with HMPPS, NHS England and DHSC) - Review of Adults at Risk policy and Detention Centre Rules 34 and 35 - Development of NHS England interim clinical guidance to support GPs on Rule 35 assessments - Comprehensive review of complaints and whistleblowing processes
Findings about the inquiry's recommendations as a whole
HM Inspectorate of Prisons(3 Sep 2025)
This site's summary of the finding: Rolling refurbishment of units and upgraded library described as "relaxed and welcoming space". However, cells remain inadequately ventilated with sealed windows.