In a highly critical report into the work of the now-abolished UK Border Agency (UKBA), the Home Affairs Committee found that 61 children were detained for immigration purposes during the last quarter of 2012, up from 48 during the previous quarter.
MPs did note that the majority of those detained were for short periods of time – during the third quarter of 2012, 59 children left immigration. Of these, 92 per cent had been held for three days or fewer compared to 87 per cent the previous quarter.
These latest figures come three years after Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg pledged to end child detention for immigration purposes and labelled it a “shameful practice”.
A recent CYP Now investigation showed that since May 2011, when a new case management system aimed at ending child detention was introduced, the use of child detention has risen.
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