The two amendments in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Hollins, would require the Secretary of State, first, to lay before Parliament codes of practice providing for guidance to assess the mental and physical health needs of any asylum seeker; and, secondly, to consult before preparing those codes.
Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which reference has been made, provides that states recognise
“the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.”
I am sure that the Committee is grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Hollins, for the opportunity to have this debate because the trauma experienced by people who have suffered violence, persecution, forced displacement and separation from loved ones has been a focal point of our debates on many clauses in this Bill. Recent experience has shown, to put it bluntly, a distinct failure by the Home Office to screen or properly care for the physical and mental health of people who arrive to seek asylum.
The figures showed, I think, that one in five people placed in Napier barracks had to be transferred out owing to vulnerabilities that the department should have screened for and responded to; these included people who had been trafficked and tortured. The Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration said:
“There was inadequate support for people who had self-harmed.”
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The Government’s policy at Napier resulted in people, including those with significant medical conditions, being housed 28 to a single dormitory and sharing limited toilet facilities and communal areas that were cleaned
only once a week during the pandemic. While there have been changes at Napier, since the inspector’s findings, what is the breadth and effectiveness of current guidance on the assessment of the mental and physical health needs of asylum seekers? Is there specific guidance on how children should be assessed?
The amendment moved by the noble Baroness, Lady Hollins, seeks to address the assessing and addressing of the physical and mental health needs of asylum seekers. I hope the Government will find themselves able to respond positively to these amendments.