Reports & recommendations
33 recommendations, each with the government response on the record. Filter by government response or delivery status.
Reports (1)
| Title | Volume | Publication Date | Recommendations | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Brook House Inquiry Report | Final Report | 19 Sep 2023 | 33 |
Recommendations (3)
Introduce 28-day maximum time limit on detention
The government must introduce in legislation a maximum 28-day time limit on any individual's detention within an immigration removal centre.
The Inquiry recommended introducing a statutory 28-day maximum time limit on immigration detention. In a January 2025 written answer, Dame Angela Eagle, Minister of State at the Home Office, stated that the recommendation had been rejected (Dame Angela Eagle response, Jan 2025; Dame Angela Eagle, Jan 2025). In July 2025, Mrs Justice Lang in the Administrative Court ruled that the department was lawfully entitled not to accept or implement the recommendation (Mrs Justice Lang, Jul 2025). HM Inspectorate of Prisons found in September 2025 that while the average stay had fallen to 69 days, 67% of detainees at Brook House had been held for over two months, with the longest stay exceeding 550 days (HM Inspectorate of Prisons, Sep 2025).
Healthcare staff guidance and training on use of force incidents
The Home Office must ensure that guidance is issued to healthcare staff in immigration removal centres clarifying their role in use of force incidents. It must liaise as necessary with NHS England and any relevant medical regulators. The Home Office must ensure that mandatory training is introduced for healthcare staff, and those responsible for managing them, on their roles and responsibilities in relation to planned and unplanned use of force (liaising with NHS England and any other relevant parties). The training must be subject to an assessment.
In a letter of May 2025, quoted in a court judgment of July 2025, Dame Angela Eagle, Minister for Border Security and Asylum at the Home Office, stated that healthcare staff do not undertake use of force, while noting that the NHS England Clinical Reference Group was working to produce an aligned guidance document for immigration removal centre healthcare providers (Dame Angela Eagle, May 2025). The Minister had previously confirmed in a written parliamentary answer of January 2025 that the department had rejected the recommendation following full consideration (Dame Angela Eagle response, Jan 2025; Dame Angela Eagle, Jan 2025).
Enhance Professional Standards Unit independence and seniority
The Home Office must: take steps to enhance the independence of the Professional Standards Unit from the Home Office and the perception of this independence; and increase the seniority of the Head of the Professional Standards Unit so that they are closer in status to the Heads of the relevant Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams.
In January 2025, Dame Angela Eagle, Minister of State at the Home Office, stated in a written answer that the recommendation had been rejected following full consideration (Dame Angela Eagle response, Jan 2025; Dame Angela Eagle, Jan 2025). The department had previously stated in its March 2024 response that the seniority of the Head of the Professional Standards Unit would not be changed (Home Office response, Mar 2024). The record holds no update since the department's response of January 2025 (Dame Angela Eagle response, Jan 2025; Dame Angela Eagle, Jan 2025).