Public Inquiry

Brook House Inquiry

Status: Completed Chair: Kate Eves Established: Feb 2020 Report: Sep 2023 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. The inquiry found 19 incidents of mistreatment and made 33 recommendations.

Response breakdown

33 recommendations total

82%

1 (3%) — Accepted

27 (82%) — Accepted in Part

3 (9%) — Not Accepted

2 (6%) — Under Review

Evidence & impact

AI-generated · 26 Mar 2026

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.

Reports & milestones

Reports

19 Sep 2023 33 tracked recs The Brook House Inquiry Report · Tracked recommendations · PDF

Timeline

01 Sep 2017 Panorama Broadcast BBC Panorama broadcast undercover footage from Brook House IRC.

05 Nov 2019 Inquiry Announced Home Secretary announced a statutory inquiry. · Source

05 Nov 2019 Chair Appointed Kate Eves appointed as Chair.

13 Feb 2020 Terms of Referenc… Inquiry to examine treatment of detainees April-August 2017. · Source

01 Nov 2021 Hearings Begin Public hearings commenced.

19 Sep 2023 Final Report Publ… Report found "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment" of detainees. · Source

22 Nov 2023 Government Respon… Home Office published response accepting recommendations. · Source

19 Sep 2024 One Year Progress… Home Office published progress update one year after report.

Recommendations

27 shown (filtered)

Code	Recommendation	Addressed to	Response
1	Monitor Brook House contract performance robustly The Home Office must actively and robustly monitor the performance of the Brook House contract, including satisfying itself that any self-reported information …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
2	Require IRC contracts to uphold Rule 3 humane detention principles The Home Office must ensure that each contract for the management of an immigration removal centre must expressly require compliance with the …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
3	Limit cell occupancy to maximum two people The Home Office must ensure that a maximum of two detained people are accommodated in each cell at Brook House.	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
4	Ensure reasonable internet and computer access for detainees The Home Office and its contractors must ensure reasonable access to computers and the internet. Contractors must comply in full with Detention …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
5	Require proper cell sharing risk assessments The Home Office must ensure that adequate risk assessment for cell sharing is carried out by contractors in relation to every detained …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
6	Review and reduce cell lock-in periods The Home Office, in consultation with the contractor responsible for operating each immigration removal centre, must review the current lock-in regime and …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
8	Mandatory comprehensive Rule 34 and Rule 35 training The Home Office (in collaboration with NHS England as required) must ensure that comprehensive training on Rule 34 and Rule 35 of …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
11	Review E Wing suitability for vulnerable detainees The Home Office and the current operator of Brook House must keep under review the appropriateness of the multi-purpose use of E …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
12	Annual training on Rule 40 and Rule 42 segregation powers The Home Office and contractors operating immigration removal centres must provide regular training, at least annually, on the operation of Rule 40 …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
13	Quarterly auditing of Rule 40 and Rule 42 use The Home Office must regularly (and at least quarterly) audit the use of Rule 40 and Rule 42 across the immigration detention …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
15	New comprehensive use of force detention services order The Home Office must introduce, as a matter of urgency, a new and comprehensive detention services order to address use of force …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
16	Independent review of use of force on mentally ill detainees The Home Office must urgently commission an independent review (with the power to make recommendations) of use of force on detained people …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
17	Mandatory use of force debrief training and multi-level review process The Home Office must ensure, as a matter of urgency, that training is delivered on how to conduct an effective use of …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
18	Update DSO on food and fluid refusal management and reporting The Home Office must, as a matter of urgency, update Detention Services Order 03/2017: Care and Management of Detained Individuals Refusing Food …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
20	Update guidance on fit to fly and fit for detention medical assessments The Home Office must review and update Detention Services Order 01/2016: The Protection, Use and Sharing of Medical Information Relating to People …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
21	Update mental vulnerability and mental capacity DSO guidance The Home Office must review and update Detention Services Order 04/2020: Mental Vulnerability and Immigration Detention: Non-Clinical Guidance to set out comprehensive …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
22	Update healthcare complaints handling guidance The Home Office must review and update Detention Services Order 03/2015: Handling of Complaints to ensure that appropriate guidance is given to …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
23	Quarterly assessment of staffing levels against population needs The Home Office and contractors operating immigration removal centres must ensure that there is ongoing assessment of staffing levels (at least on …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
24	Mandatory staff training on mental health and trauma-informed approaches The Home Office, in conjunction with contractors, must ensure that all relevant immigration removal centre staff receive mandatory introductory and annual training …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
25	Ensure senior manager presence and accessibility to staff Contractors operating immigration removal centres must ensure that senior managers are regularly present and visible within the immigration removal centre and are …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
26	Ensure Home Office staff presence and visibility in IRCs The Home Office must ensure that its staff are regularly present and visible within each immigration removal centre.	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
27	Action plan to address staff desensitisation and secondary trauma Contractors operating immigration removal centres must develop and implement an action plan to ensure a safe and healthy staff culture in immigration …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
28	Address barriers to detainee complaints including fear of repercussions The Home Office and its contractors operating immigration removal centres must take steps to identify and address the barriers to making complaints …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
29	Improve Professional Standards Unit investigation procedures and training The Home Office must update Detention Services Order 03/2015: Handling of Complaints to clarify that, in investigations carried out by the Professional …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
31	Update whistleblowing DSO with anonymous reporting mechanisms The Home Office must update Detention Services Order 03/2020: Whistleblowing – The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 to require contractors that run …	Home Office	Accepted in Part	View →
32	Strengthen Independent Monitoring Board statutory footing and responsiveness The government must: respond to and publish responses to all concerns raised by any Independent Monitoring Board regarding immigration removal centres; take …		Accepted in Part	View →
33	Improve HMIP and IMB evidence gathering and reporting processes HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Independent Monitoring Boards working within immigration removal centres must ensure that they have robust processes for: obtaining …	HM Inspectorate of Prisons	Accepted in Part	View →

Parliamentary activity

24 mentions since Sep 2023

1 debate 19 questions 4 statements

10 Jan 2025 Written Question Mistreatment of Detainees at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre Inquiry
Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour)

18 Dec 2024 Written Question Migrants: Detainees
Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour)

18 Dec 2024 Written Question Immigration: Detainees
The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops)

13 Nov 2024 Written Question Mistreatment of Detainees at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre Inquiry
Siân Berry (Green Party)

12 Nov 2024 Written Question Immigration: Detainees
Olivia Blake (Labour)

View all 24 mentions →