Ministers Urged to Take Control at Yarl's Wood

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 3rd Apr 2002

Speaking following the recent closure of the Yarls Wood Complex, due to insurance problems, Liberal Democrat Group Leader, Michael Headley said:

"It is vital that responsibility for all detention centres should come under full governmental control. If this course of action had been followed in the first place we would not have had a situation where local tax payers were threatened with large council tax increases to cover the costs arising from the Yarls Wood riot. The failure to solve the insurance problem again shows that no one wants to take overall responsibility for these centres. Responsibility for detention centres should have been held by the government all along, not handed over to the private Sector."

He added:

"As for Yarls Wood itself, it is wrong to even suggest that it should be allowed to reopen until it is fully insured to protect the local tax payer from the threat of further Group 4 demands."