Improve HMIP and IMB evidence gathering and reporting processes
Brook House Inquiry · The Brook House Inquiry Report · Issued 19 September 2023 · Addressed to: HM Inspectorate of Prisons
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
HM Inspectorate of Prisons and Independent Monitoring Boards working within immigration removal centres must ensure that they have robust processes for: obtaining and reporting on an enhanced range of evidence and intelligence from detained people and those who represent or support them, staff and contractors, including that which is received outside of inspections or visits; and reporting on any concerns about the Home Office and contractors.
Brook House Inquiry, The Brook House Inquiry Report · 19 Sep 2023 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- DSO 11/2025 (Use of Force for Adults in Detention), published December 2025, requires monthly oversight committees at all IRCs with IMB representation, providing a structural mechanism for IMB involvement in ongoing monitoring (Detention Services Order 11/2025, Home Office, December 2025).
- No published HMIP inspection of Brook House or estate-wide review of IMB evidence-gathering practices has been identified in publicly available reports to March 2026.
Response — verbatim from government
●Home Office
The government stated it is considering its reliance on external scrutiny organisations. This recommendation was directed primarily at HMIP and IMBs.
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
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.