On 24th June 2020, the APPG held an online meeting to discuss the Home Office’s Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention (AAR) policy.
Over 50 participants attended, including parliamentarians, experts by experience, and representatives from relevant external organisations.
The group heard presentations from David Bolt, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (ICIBI), whose first annual inspection of the AAR policy was published by the Home Office at the end of April; Michael Darko, a member of the experts-by-experience detention campaigning group Freed Voices; and Dr Mary Kamara, clinical advisor at Medical Justice, a charity offering medical to help to detainees.
The session was an opportunity to discuss the Adults at Risk policy in more detail, its problems, impacts and the changes needed going forward. It was also a chance to assess the government’s response to the ICIBI inspection so far, and to explore what follow-up actions might be taken in Parliament.
Following the meeting, fifteeen members of the APPG wrote to the Home Secretary to raise key points and concerns. A copy of the letter can be accessed here.
Detailed minutes from the meeting are available here.