Written question asked by Lord Hylton (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Baroness Neville-Jones (Conservative) on Wednesday, 22 December 2010.

Immigration: Detention

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the policies of the governments of Sweden and Australia in reducing or eliminating immigration detention.

Answer: The Government announced on 16 December the conclusions of the review into ending the detention of children for immigration purposes; a copy is available in the House Library. As part of the review, the UK Border Agency looked at the approaches taken in several other countries, including Australia and Sweden. No one jurisdiction provides all the answers, and comparisons are difficult to draw not only for reasons of culture and geography but also because of differences in the overall systems for dealing with migrants in other countries. But some common themes emerge from a number of countries around the emphasis on positive engagement with families and maximising the opportunities for them to co-operate with their return; these have been built into the approach we have now set out for the UK.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 5393; 723 c341WA
Session: 2010-12
Related items: Deposited Paper DEP2010-2305
Thursday, 16 December 2010
Deposited papers
House of Lords
House of Commons
Subjects: Children Detainees Australia Migrants Sweden
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk