Update whistleblowing DSO with anonymous reporting mechanisms
Brook House Inquiry · The Brook House Inquiry Report · Issued 19 September 2023 · Addressed to: Home Office
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Home Office must update Detention Services Order 03/2020: Whistleblowing – The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 to require contractors that run immigration removal centres to: have a whistleblowing policy and procedure that is specific to the immigration detention environment; ensure that the whistleblowing mechanism is not limited to a hotline and allows for anonymous reporting of concerns; ensure that those who receive whistleblowing concerns have an understanding of immigration removal centres; take active steps to encourage staff to use whistleblowing processes, for reasons including those set out at paragraph 10 of Detention Services Order 03/2020; and ensure that whistleblowing concerns are investigated thoroughly by someone external to the immigration removal centre, and that the Home Office is informed of the nature of the concern and the investigation carried out. The Home Office must ensure that training about the updated guidance takes place on a regular (at least annual) basis for staff dealing with whistleblowing, as well as those responsible for managing them. The training must be subject to an assessment.
Brook House Inquiry, The Brook House Inquiry Report · 19 Sep 2023 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- In July 2025, DSO 03/2020 (Whistleblowing) was published as version 3.0, introducing a confidential whistleblowing hotline, a requirement for contractors to report to the Home Office Compliance Team and DS Counter Corruption and Investigations Unit within monthly returns, and updated PIDA guidance (Detention Services Order 03/2020 v3.0, Home Office, July 2025).
- The July 2025 DSO was further updated in November 2025 to reflect contact detail changes (Detention Services Order 03/2020, Home Office, November 2025).
Response — verbatim from government
●Home Office
The broader complaints and whistleblowing review covers whistleblowing processes, including review of Detention Services Orders and improving visibility of processes within IRCs.
Home Office · 19 Mar 2024 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
- 14 Jan 2025 Angela Eagle, Written PQ 23170 (15 January 2025): 'On track for closure by summer 2025.' Source →
- 19 Sep 2024 · Brook House Inquiry Chair Inquiry Chair Kate Eves described government response as "inadequate" and called for a "reset" with the new government. Warned abuse "becomes a question of when, not if" it happens again. Insufficient Progress
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