Concerns Over the Running of the Dungavel Detention Centre

That the Parliament notes with concern some of the findings of a recent HMIP report on conditions at the Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre; understands that, according to the report, some women held at the centre, which is understood to predominantly house men, have expressed feeling unsafe at the Centre and that men with a history of sexual violence were no longer being held in a separate unit; further understands that many detainees have been held at the Centre for up to a year with no indication of when they will be removed and that some detainees, who had been granted bail, reportedly remained in the Centre due to a lack of available bail accommodation; considers that other areas of concern include reports of detainees arriving at the Centre at night, sometimes after lengthy journeys, of people who have remained in detention despite it being believed to be the case that they were the victims of torture in their country of origin, of some security arrangements being disproportionate and of unnecessary room searches being carried out; believes that conditions at the Centre should represent how Scotland as a country wishes to conduct itself when processing asylum seekers; further believes that MSPs should have the right to make welfare visits to the Centre, and calls on the UK Government to address the concerns raised in this report to improve the conditions at the Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre.