Select Committee
Parliament

Labour's Naz Shah asks Nathan Ward notes that he contacted a minister about his concerns in 2004.

He says he was referred to Kent Police where he was told that they "couldn't take evidence because it might be seen as stolen property."

Image source, HoC

Former immigration minister Esther McVey asks about the mix of the population at Brook House.

Nathan Ward says that half are foreign national offenders (FNO) who have served their sentence and should be deported.

He says offenders mix with asylum seekers.

He argues that the system is "deeply inefficient" because the government is paying to house people who should be deported.

Select Committee
Parliament

Nathan Ward suggests that Home Office staff do not have sufficient curiosity.

He says he was told that the Home Office were "under tremendous pressure" to get people through the system and deport them "because it was an election year".

He argues that the Home Office has become too close and is "too reliant" on G4S as a provider.

James Wilson agrees but adds that the Home Office is "ultimately responsible".

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Nathan Ward says that staff who do speak out are "marginalised" and that it is hard to step outside of the "dominant culture".

He says that culture comes not just from G4S but from the Home Office.

He quotes a Home Office manager who said to him: "It's all about who breaks first - the detainee or the Home Office."

Labour MP Stephen Doughty asks who said that. "Debbie Weston," replies Nathan Ward.

The prime minister will outline her vision for the UK outside the EU days before negotiations resume.

Select Committee
Parliament

James Wilson works at a charity that supports detainees at Brook House.

He says detainees told him about incidents but did not want to raise complaints "because they don't have faith in the system".

"Brook House is a desperate place," he says.

Nathan Ward agrees and adds that detainees worry that making complaints might damage their immigration cases.

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Chair Yvette Cooper begins the questioning by asking if the witnesses were surprised by what they saw in the footage.

Nathan Ward said he was shocked but that he had been raising concerns about staff culture since 2001.

He tells MPs that it was "difficult to uphold integrity".

He says he went to Kent Police with his concerns but "was told to go away because they didn't really believe me."

Nathan Ward worked as a senior manager for G4S at Brook House but left in 2014.

Select Committee
Parliament

• Yvette Cooper (Chair) Labour
• Mr Christopher Chope, Conservative
• Stephen Doughty, Labour (Co-op)
• Preet Kaur Gill, Labour (Co-op)
• Sarah Jones, Labour
• Tim Loughton, Conservative
• Stuart C. McDonald, Scottish National Party
• Esther McVey, Conservative
• Will Quince, Conservative
• Naz Shah, Labour

Select Committee
Parliament

Image source, PA

The Home Affairs Committee will shortly hear evidence on the Brook House Immigration Removal Centre.

Secret filming by a Panorama investigation revealed abusive treatment of detainees at Brook House.

The witnesses are:

• Revd Nathan Ward, former Duty Director at Brook House
• James Wilson, Director, Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group
• Peter Neden, Regional President, UK and Ireland, G4S
• Jerry Petherick, Managing Director, Custodial and Detention Centres, G4S

Welcome to the last day at Westminster before the recess for party political conferences.

We're going to be turning to the Home Affairs Committee this morning for in-depth coverage of its session on Brook House Immigration Removal Centre.

But there's plenty going on in the chamber too - including questions to culture ministers, an urgent question on police pay and two statements.

We'll be bringing you news from the chamber and from the Lords later on today.

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers vote 142 to 97 to back Lib Dem Lord Marks' motion to regret the Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2017 - which would set up a new costs protection regime for Aarhus Convention claims, providing more discretion for the court to put cost caps up or down according to the claimant’s resources.

After that, the House adjourns.

House of Lords
Parliament

Lib Dem Lord Marks forces a vote on his motion to regret the Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2017 - which would set up a new costs protection regime for Aarhus Convention claims, providing more discretion for the court to put cost caps up or down according to the claimant’s resources.

The Aarhus Convention is designed to protect people's rights to a healthy environment by maximising access to environmental information and environmental justice.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Justice spokesman Lord Keen of Elie winds up for the government, pointing out that "successive governments have taken steps to control the costs" of environmental cases at judicial review.

He puts it to peers that the new rules are to claimants' advantage in many ways, and that costs for lower-income claimants would be brought down below the level of the cap.

Courts "must always make cost orders that allow claims to proceed", he adds.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Responding to the debate for Labour, shadow justice spokesman Lord Beecham accuses the government of a "cavalier approach" in bringing in these rule changes through secondary legislation.

The instrument before the House would set up a new costs protection regime for Aarhus Convention claims, providing more discretion for the court to put cost caps up or down according to the claimant’s resources.

"It would reduce significantly access to justice," Lord Beecham asserts.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

The debate comes to an end as does the day in the House of Commons.

MPs return tomorrow at 9:30am for questions to the Culture Secretary.

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, HoC

Conservative Mike Penning now opens his adjournment debate on employment tribunals.

He tells the House of his constituent whose husband had been ill and stressed at work.

The husband decided to claim for constructive dismissal, however he died a few months later due to an underlying heart condition.

His wife, Mr Penning's constituent, tried to claim for constructive dismissal, but the judged ruled that she was out of time.

He calls on the government to extend the time period for exceptional circumstances.

Business Minister Margot James says she is "very sympathetic to the situation" and offers to meet Mike Penning's constituent.

She adds that she would like to see further evidence in order to see how widespread the problem is.

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour's Baroness Jones of Whitchurch says if Environment Secretary Michael Gove supports these rule changes "we'll have to revert to our earlier cynicism" on his environmental record.

She claims there's "no evidence" of unmeritorious legal challenges being made which these rules would be needed to deter.

House of Lords
Parliament

Image source, HoL

Green peer Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb makes a short contribution, declaring: "I am furious."

She expands that "justice is for everybody however rich or poor" and spreading the cap on costs of an environmental challenge across applicants will mean "groups who don't have the money will suffer from this".