Source · IMB Annual Report
Glasgow, Edinburgh and Larne House Short Term Holding Facilities
Year: 2020
Published: 21 Jul 2020
Type: Prison · Cat IRC (Short Term Holding Facility)
Recommendations: 8
Key concerns
Positive findings
This report covers the Glasgow, Edinburgh and Larne House Short-Term Holding Facilities from February 2019 to January 2020. The Board found that detainees are largely treated humanely and respectfully by DCOs across all establishments, noting good practice in various areas. However, significant concerns remain regarding the adequacy of airport Holding Rooms for longer stays, including lack of fresh air, natural light, showering facilities, and exercise opportunities. Other key issues include delays in building work at Glasgow Airport, inadequate separation of female accommodation at Larne House, and problems with accessing prescribed medication for detainees.
Safety statistics
| Indicator | This year | Previous |
|---|---|---|
| Self-harm incidents | 1 | — |
| Prisoner assaults | 1 | — |
| Assaults on staff | 1 | — |
| Use of force | 1 | — |
Positive findings
The Board observed that detainees are generally treated with respect and in a caring manner by DCOs, who maintain an empathetic culture. Several minor issues raised by the Board were immediately resolved or satisfactorily explained during the reporting year. The reception and induction process for detainees is thorough and caring, with appropriate assessments and accommodation allocations. Staff-detainee relationships are of a high standard, with DCOs being professional, sensitive to vulnerabilities, and providing clear and timely communication. At Larne House, there is 24-hour healthcare cover and good relationships with local NHS providers. The Board highlighted good practices, including DCOs calmly assisting distressed detainees, multilingual information leaflets, a welcoming PowerPoint presentation for new arrivals at Larne House, and DCOs providing support to a family not in detention at Edinburgh Airport.
Key concerns
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Some detainees are being held in the Holding Rooms, at Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports for periods of eight hours and more, and we have concerns about the impact on their wellbeing, given the location, size and limited capacity of the holding rooms. In particular there is a lack of fresh air and natural light. The meals provided are very basic with varieties to include for vegetarian and cultural needs. There is no access to showering facilities, which we feel are a basic personal hygiene requirement. Moreover, detainees are not afforded the opportunity to undertake basic physical exercise.
Estate/Conditions
The location of the Holding Room, at Terminal one in Edinburgh Airport has now become, with the greater utilisation of terminal two, remote. Traffic is now increasingly being focused on Terminal two (T2) and this has impacted on the efficiency of the detention process with detainees having to be sometimes walked 20-25 minutes through public areas to the HR. This has implications for both public security and the dignity of the detained person. While, in the majority of cases, detainees are transported by van, there is a limited number of United Kingdom Border Force (UKBF) Officers authorised as airside drivers and, in any case, the process impacts negatively on the efficient use of staff.
Estate/Conditions
The long outstanding building work at the Glasgow Airport, where a much needed additional HR is being created, has not yet been completed. This work has considerably overrun, exacerbated by having more than one commissioning agent with responsibility for completion of the work, and also funding, from several sources, with responsibility being similarly shared. This has had an impact on the overall capacity of the facility to provide a safe and efficient detention provision.
Safety
Repeated
We previously requested that, for privacy reasons, the toilet doors, in the holding room at Festival Court, be extended to the floor and ceiling. While this work was carried out, we now feel, on reflection, that the extension to the ceiling may limit the custody officers’ ability to monitor the safety of an individual detainee.
Equality/Diversity
The accommodation assigned to female detainees, at Larne House STHF, is inadequately separated from the male accommodation. We understand, however, that the female area is going to be partitioned with a locked entry door which will be utilised at night.
Equality/Diversity
Repeated
We continue to be concerned about the lack of ready available interpreting facilities within HRs and the STHF. We understand that electronic translators are to be provided in each establishment.
Regime/Time Out of Cell
Repeated
Detainees can be held, sometimes for up to seven days in the Larne House STHF. We feel that there is insufficient opportunity for them to take physical exercise, e.g. walking, in the daylight with fresh air, because the existing outside quadrangle, in the centre of the building, does not meet the requirement, in terms of area, to support this. In our opinion this area, while brightly decorated and furnished, is somewhat limited. It does act as a relaxation area for smokers and non-smokers alike, but it is unlikely that both could use it simultaneously.
Healthcare
Detainees often arrive in the HRs’ with their personal prescription medication, or alternatively require access to additional supplies of that medication. UKBF Officers and Care &Custody DCOs routinely remove the medicines from the individual detainees and are also forbidden, for health and safety reasons, to administer this medicine. We are concerned that this practice could adversely impact on detainees health.
Recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | That DEPMU undertake a review of the adequacy of the HRs, at Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports, to meet the basic requirements of detainees (see (a), above). A possible reference would be article 3 of the European Court of Human Rights detention conditions guidance. | Other | |
| 2 | That DEPMU undertake to provide a new Holding Room within terminal two at Edinburgh Airport (see (b) above). | Other | |
| 3 | That in future projects, funding for refurbishment be allocated from a single budget, with one agent having overall responsibility for successful completion of the work. This would avoid unacceptably long delays occurring, such as that experienced in the completion of the refurbishment of the HRs at Glasgow Airport (see (c) above). | Other | |
| 4 | That a gap be created at the top of the toilet doors, at Festival Court HR, to allow DCOs to monitor the safety of detainees. | Governor / Director | |
| 5 | That the proposed partitioning at Larne House STHF does not prevent detainees from the opportunity to socialise, during the day. We have not, however, been informed about the timescale for this work. We ask that the work be appropriately planned with clear, transparent and realistic timelines and that this information is shared with the Board. | Governor / Director | |
| 6 | That we are informed about the timetable for the provision of electronic translators. | Governor / Director | |
| 7 | That the provision of an alternative, adequate, outside exercise area, at Larne House STHF, be sourced. | Governor / Director | |
| 8 | That the administration of detainees’ personal prescribed medication, in airport HRs be resolved forthwith. | Home Office |
Other reports for Glasgow, Edinburgh and Larne House Short Term Holding Facilities
Report details
- Establishment
- Glasgow, Edinburgh and Larne House Short Term Holding Facilities
- Type
- Prison · Cat IRC (Short Term Holding Facility)
- Report year
- 2020
- Published
- 21 July 2020
- Recommendations
- 8
Population
| Operational capacity | 19 |
Service providers
Detainee Custody
Care and Custody
Immigration Enforcement
UK Border Force