Question reference: S5W-25265
- Asked by: Alex Cole-Hamilton, MSP for Edinburgh Western, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 11 September 2019
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Current status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 24 September 2019
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether Scotland would be a good location for one of the pilot alternatives to detention (ATDs) announced by the former Home Secretary, and whether it has discussed with the Home Office the potential for it to work with the UK Government on ATDs.
Answer
Our policy is that the current immigration detention system is inhumane and needs to be overhauled.
Scottish Government Ministers have offered to explore the feasibility of undertaking a pilot on alternatives to immigration detention in Scotland on a number of occasions. To date, the Scottish Government has not received a response from the Home Office on the possibility of Scotland being a location for implementing alternatives to immigration detention or taken up our offer to discuss further.