The Home Office has come under fire again as it is now having to pay £1.8 million as compensation. This payment is among many which the Home Office must pay for due to a reported 6,015 legal claims made against the Home Office. The reported total due to pay for the 2016-2017 year is £40.3 million. This figure is allegedly on presenting the damages and so the true sum is believed of a large figure.
Diane Abbott, the Shadow Home Secretary says the large sum is the result shows the brutality of the immigration detention system. She said to the Left Foot Forward that, “It is not surprising that this many claims for compensation have been won in what is a broken detention system. This government has facilitated an incoherent and inhumane process riddled with delays. With the huge backlog of immigration cases currently at the Home Office, who knows how much more have a legitimate claim.”
Many of the claims made by former detainees are actually related to the Detained fast track process which was deemed unlawful by the high court last year. There have also been reports that detainees suffering from mental and physical who have received sufficient attention which makes up a considerable amount of the claims. This is alarming as it is costing the Government a substantial amount of money to compensate for the past actions but also it is even more alarming that the Home Office is trying to keep a lid on things.
Abbott raised concerns about conditions inside detention centres, saying she has not been allowed to visit. She said:
“There are endless stories and evidence from organisations supporting migrants. Sadly politicians have been denied the opportunity to investigate further. Despite repeated requests directly to the minister for immigration I am yet to receive a formal response or indication as to when I might be granted access to largest most controversial immigration detention centre, Yarls Wood. In 2015, the UN’s rapporteur on violence against women was also denied access raising alarming questions.”
These new claims only seem to put more pressure on the Home Office and on the Tory Government. The Home Office must make radical changes or it shall continue to pay more in compensation costing the UK Tax payers millions.
