Tag Archives: oral evidence session

Immigration Detention Inquiry to hold second oral evidence session

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The Parliamentary Inquiry into the use of Immigration Detention in the UK, hosted by the APPG on Refugees and the APPG on Migration, will hold its second oral evidence session on Thursday 6 November 2014 at 10am in Committee Room 6, House of Commons.

The panel will hear evidence from:

At 10.00am:

  • Bamidele, ex-detainee
  • Penny, ex-detainee
  • Other ex-detainees TBC

At c.10.40am:

  • Dr John Chisholm, British Medical Association
  • Dr Naomi Hartree, Medical Justice
  • Dr Danny Allen

At c.11.20pm:

  • Justine Stefanelli, the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law
  • Adeline Trude, Bail for Immigration Detainees
  • Kay Everett, Immigration Law Practioners’ Association
  • Bhatt Murphy

Panel Members:

  • Sarah Teather MP
  • Paul Blomfield MP
  • David Burrowes MP
  • Caroline Spelman MP
  • Jon Cruddas MP
  • Julian Huppert MP
  • Richard Fuller MP
  • Baroness Lister
  • Baroness Hamwee
  • Lord Ramsbotham
  • Lord Lloyd of Berwick

The above meeting is open to members of the public. It is advisable to allow about 20 minutes to pass through security checks. There is no system for the prior reservation of seats for the meeting. Members of the public enter via the Cromwell Green visitor entrance to Parliament.

For more information, please contact Jon Featonby on 020 7219 8147 or click here.

Updates on the inquiry can also be found via the APPG on Refugees twitter feed: @APPGRefugees.

Transcript of first oral evidence session

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The transcript of the first oral evidence session, which took place on July 17 2014, is now available by clicking here: first evidence session_transcript.

The panel first heard evidence from Shami Chakrabarti (Director, Liberty) and Jerome Phelps (Director, Detention Action), who answered questions from the panel on, amongst others subjects, access to legal support and indefinite detention.

Detention Action’s written evidence to the inquiry can be read here: detention-action-detention-inquiry-evidence-0714.

The panel then spoke directly to three detainees currently held in Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre by phone link. The detainees told the panel about their own experiences in detention.

The third set of witnesses to give evidence were three former detainees: Alice, Maimuna and Souleymane. They told the panel about their experiences trying to access medical support, and about how their detention had effected their mental health.

Lastly, the panel heard from Dr Cornelius Katona and Dr Katy Robjant, both from the Royal College of Psychiatry and the Helen Bamber Foundation. Dr Katona and Dr Robjant discussed their own work with clients who had experience immigration detention, as well as the international evidence relating to the impact of detention on mental health outcomes.

An article on the mental health implications of detaining asylum seekers, co-authored by Dr Katona and Dr Robjant, is available here: Robjant Hassan and Katona 2009.

The panel would like to encourage all interested parties to submit written evidence to the inquiry. The deadline for submitting written evidence is 1 October 2014. 

 

Detention Inquiry holds first oral evidence session

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The APPG on Refugees and APPG on Migration joint inquiry into the use of immigration detention held its first oral evidence session today.

The panel first heard evidence from Shami Chakrabarti (Director, Liberty) and Jerome Phelps (Director, Detention Action), who answered questions from the panel on, amongst others subjects, access to legal support and indefinite detention.

Detention Action’s written evidence to the inquiry can be read here: detention-action-detention-inquiry-evidence-0714.

The panel then spoke directly to three detainees currently held in Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre by phone link. The detainees told the panel about their own experiences in detention.

The third set of witnesses to give evidence were three former detainees: Alice, Maimuna and Souleymane. They told the panel about their experiences trying to access medical support, and about how their detention had effected their mental health.

Lastly, the panel heard from Dr Cornelius Katona and Dr Katy Robjant, both from the Royal College of Psychiatry and the Helen Bamber Foundation. Dr Katona and Dr Robjant discussed their own work with clients who had experience immigration detention, as well as the international evidence relating to the impact of detention on mental health outcomes.

An article on the mental health implications of detaining asylum seekers, co-authored by Dr Katona and Dr Robjant, is available here: Robjant Hassan and Katona 2009.

The panel would like to encourage all interested parties to submit written evidence to the inquiry. The deadline for submitting written evidence is 1 October 2014. 

Parliamentary inquiry into immigration detention to hold first evidence session

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On Thursday 17 July, a cross-party panel of parliamentarians will hold its first oral evidence session as part of its inquiry into the use of immigration detention in the UK. Amongst others, the panel will hear evidence directly from detainees currently held in immigration detention via phone link.

Witnesses

Thursday 17 July, at 10.30am, in the Boothroyd Rood, Portcullis House

  • Shami Chakrabarti, Director, Liberty
  • Jerome Phelps, Director, Detention Action

At c.11.15am:

  • Current detainees via phone link
  • Former detainees: Maimuna Jawo and Alice (from Women for Refugee Woman) and Souleymane (from Detention Action)

At c.12.00pm:

  • Dr Katy Robjant, Royal Society of Psychiatrists
  • Professor Cornelius Katona, Royal Society of Psychiatrists

Panel Members:

  • Sarah Teather MP
  • Paul Blomfield MP
  • David Burrowes MP
  • Caroline Spelman MP
  • Jon Cruddas MP
  • Julian Huppert MP
  • Richard Fuller MP
  • Baroness Lister
  • Baroness Hamwee
  • Lord Ramsbotham
  • Lord Lloyd of Berwick

The above meeting is open to members of the public. It is advisable to allow about 20 minutes to pass through security checks. There is no system for the prior reservation of seats for the meeting. Members of the public enter via the Portcullis House entrance.

For more information, please contact Jon Featonby on 020 7219 8147 or click here.

Updates on the inquiry can also be found via the APPG on Refugees twitter feed: @APPGRefugees.