IRR News

Building for deportation
By Harmit Athwal
12 March 2009, 3:00pm
The government is creating more 'spaces' at removal centres as part of its drive to deport more asylum seekers.
In March 2009, giving oral evidence to a Commons Public Accounts Committee, Lin Homer, Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), said that a 'higher proportion' of deportations occurred of those in detention centres rather than those not detained. Sir David Normington (permanent secretary to the Home Office) added that in 2008 'just short of 12,000' failed asylum seekers were removed but, he went on, 'that is not yet good enough'. Now many new builds are in the offing.
This week, Bedford Borough Council granted planning permission to the UKBA to build an extension, to category B prison standards, of Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre (IRC) in Bedford to house 500 men. The planning application states that the new centre will essentially rebuild the half that was destroyed in a fire in February 2002. Yarl's Wood is currently run by Serco Home Affairs.
Next week, on 18 March 2009, a new immigration removal centre, Brook House, near Gatwick airport will open, close to Tinsley House IRC (which holds 166 people - including space for five women and four families). According to a government press release, Brook House will hold 426 men and women 'found to be not playing by the rules'. Brook House has been developed by the Airport Property Partnership (APP) on behalf of the Home Office and is situated within the boundary fence of Gatwick airport. The centre will be run by Global Solutions Ltd (GSL) which also runs the nearby Tinsley House and Oakington IRC in Cambridge as well as three prisons - Altcourse (Fazakerley, near Liverpool), Rye Hill (Warwickshire) and Wolds (East Yorkshire). Also read 'New immigration prison to open at Gatwick this spring'.
IRR News

Building for deportation
By Harmit Athwal
12 March 2009, 3:00pm
The government is creating more 'spaces' at removal centres as part of its drive to deport more asylum seekers.
In March 2009, giving oral evidence to a Commons Public Accounts Committee, Lin Homer, Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency (UKBA), said that a 'higher proportion' of deportations occurred of those in detention centres rather than those not detained. Sir David Normington (permanent secretary to the Home Office) added that in 2008 'just short of 12,000' failed asylum seekers were removed but, he went on, 'that is not yet good enough'. Now many new builds are in the offing.
This week, Bedford Borough Council granted planning permission to the UKBA to build an extension, to category B prison standards, of Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre (IRC) in Bedford to house 500 men. The planning application states that the new centre will essentially rebuild the half that was destroyed in a fire in February 2002. Yarl's Wood is currently run by Serco Home Affairs.
Next week, on 18 March 2009, a new immigration removal centre, Brook House, near Gatwick airport will open, close to Tinsley House IRC (which holds 166 people - including space for five women and four families). According to a government press release, Brook House will hold 426 men and women 'found to be not playing by the rules'. Brook House has been developed by the Airport Property Partnership (APP) on behalf of the Home Office and is situated within the boundary fence of Gatwick airport. The centre will be run by Global Solutions Ltd (GSL) which also runs the nearby Tinsley House and Oakington IRC in Cambridge as well as three prisons - Altcourse (Fazakerley, near Liverpool), Rye Hill (Warwickshire) and Wolds (East Yorkshire). Also read 'New immigration prison to open at Gatwick this spring'.

Read the rest:
 http://www.irr.org.uk/index.html