Public Inquiry Recommendations

4 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Ensure reasonable internet and computer access for detainees

The Home Office and its contractors must ensure reasonable access to computers and the internet. Contractors must comply in full with Detention Services Order 04/2016: Detainee Access to the Internet, …

5 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Require proper cell sharing risk assessments

The Home Office must ensure that adequate risk assessment for cell sharing is carried out by contractors in relation to every detained person. This must be done at the outset …

6 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Review and reduce cell lock-in periods

The Home Office, in consultation with the contractor responsible for operating each immigration removal centre, must review the current lock-in regime and determine whether the period of time during which …

8 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Mandatory comprehensive Rule 34 and Rule 35 training

The Home Office (in collaboration with NHS England as required) must ensure that comprehensive training on Rule 34 and Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 is rolled out …

9 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Ensure effective operation and auditing of all Rule 35 limbs

The Home Office must, across the immigration detention estate, assure itself that all three limbs of Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001 (reports by a medical practitioner where: …

10 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Clarify authorisation for Rule 40 and Rule 42 segregation

The Home Office must amend, as a matter of urgency, Detention Services Order 02/2017: Removal from Association (Detention Centre Rule 40) and Temporary Confinement (Detention Centre Rule 42) and, if …

11 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Review E Wing suitability for vulnerable detainees

The Home Office and the current operator of Brook House must keep under review the appropriateness of the multi-purpose use of E Wing, particularly in relation to its suitability as …

12 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Annual training on Rule 40 and Rule 42 segregation powers

The Home Office and contractors operating immigration removal centres must provide regular training, at least annually, on the operation of Rule 40 and Rule 42 of the Detention Centre Rules …

13 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Quarterly auditing of Rule 40 and Rule 42 use

The Home Office must regularly (and at least quarterly) audit the use of Rule 40 and Rule 42 across the immigration detention estate, in order to identify trends, any training …

14 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Prohibit handcuffing behind back while seated

The Home Office and contractors operating immigration removal centres must ensure that all staff are aware that the technique of handcuffing detained people with their hands behind their back while …

15 Accepted (fully or in part) Urgent

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

New comprehensive use of force detention services order

The Home Office must introduce, as a matter of urgency, a new and comprehensive detention services order to address use of force in immigration removal centres. The detention services order …

16 Accepted (fully or in part) Urgent

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Independent review of use of force on mentally ill detainees

The Home Office must urgently commission an independent review (with the power to make recommendations) of use of force on detained people with mental ill health within immigration removal centres. …

17 Accepted (fully or in part) Urgent

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Mandatory use of force debrief training and multi-level review process

The Home Office must ensure, as a matter of urgency, that training is delivered on how to conduct an effective use of force incident debrief, ensuring that issues of detained …

18 Accepted (fully or in part) Urgent

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Update DSO on food and fluid refusal management and reporting

The Home Office must, as a matter of urgency, update Detention Services Order 03/2017: Care and Management of Detained Individuals Refusing Food and/or Fluid, to ensure that it deals with: …

20 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Update guidance on fit to fly and fit for detention medical assessments

The Home Office must review and update Detention Services Order 01/2016: The Protection, Use and Sharing of Medical Information Relating to People Detained Under Immigration Powers, to ensure that guidance …

21 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Update mental vulnerability and mental capacity DSO guidance

The Home Office must review and update Detention Services Order 04/2020: Mental Vulnerability and Immigration Detention: Non-Clinical Guidance to set out comprehensive guidance for detention and healthcare staff where there …

22 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Update healthcare complaints handling guidance

The Home Office must review and update Detention Services Order 03/2015: Handling of Complaints to ensure that appropriate guidance is given to healthcare providers on the investigation and handling of …

23 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Quarterly assessment of staffing levels against population needs

The Home Office and contractors operating immigration removal centres must ensure that there is ongoing assessment of staffing levels (at least on a quarterly basis), so that the level of …

24 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Mandatory staff training on mental health and trauma-informed approaches

The Home Office, in conjunction with contractors, must ensure that all relevant immigration removal centre staff receive mandatory introductory and annual training on: mental health; race and diversity; a trauma-informed …

25 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Ensure senior manager presence and accessibility to staff

Contractors operating immigration removal centres must ensure that senior managers are regularly present and visible within the immigration removal centre and are accessible to more junior detention staff.

26 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Ensure Home Office staff presence and visibility in IRCs

The Home Office must ensure that its staff are regularly present and visible within each immigration removal centre.

27 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Action plan to address staff desensitisation and secondary trauma

Contractors operating immigration removal centres must develop and implement an action plan to ensure a safe and healthy staff culture in immigration removal centres. The action plan must address: the …

28 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Address barriers to detainee complaints including fear of repercussions

The Home Office and its contractors operating immigration removal centres must take steps to identify and address the barriers to making complaints that are faced by detained people, including a …

29 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Improve Professional Standards Unit investigation procedures and training

The Home Office must update Detention Services Order 03/2015: Handling of Complaints to clarify that, in investigations carried out by the Professional Standards Unit into allegations of serious misconduct against …

31 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Update whistleblowing DSO with anonymous reporting mechanisms

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 …

32 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Strengthen Independent Monitoring Board statutory footing and responsiveness

The government must: respond to and publish responses to all concerns raised by any Independent Monitoring Board regarding immigration removal centres; take steps without further delay to amend the Detention …

33 Accepted (fully or in part)

Brook House Inquiry (2023)

Improve HMIP and IMB evidence gathering and reporting processes

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 …