WELCOME FOR BROWN APOLOGY ON 20th CENTURY REMOVAL OF CHILDREN

WELCOME FOR BROWN APOLOGY ON 20th CENTURY REMOVAL OF CHILDREN

DEMANDS FOR 21st CENTURY END TO CHILD DETENTIONS

Welcoming news that Gordon Brown is to apologise for the UK's role in sending thousands of its children to former colonies in the 20th century, SNP MSP for Central Scotland Christina McKelvie has repeated calls on the UK Government to end the 21st century detention of children in UK Border Agency immigration removal centres.

The SNP oppose the detention of children in Dungavel and Scottish Government efforts have led to the establishment of a pilot project intended to keep children out of the centre. However, earlier this month SNP Home Affairs spokesperson Pete Wishart MP obtained officials figures, normally used for internal Border Agency information only, revealing that:

· between October 2008 and September 2009 103 children were detained at Dungavel in Scotland

· between July 2008 and July 2009 884 children were held at Yarls Wood in England

· between Sept 2008 and August 2009 328 children were held at Tinsley House

· 1315 children were detained in three detention centres across the UK in a 15 month period

· In the last 5 years 889 children from 488 families have been held for over 28 days – this requires ministers to personally approve continued detention.

Commenting, Ms McKelvie said:

“Gordon Brown is right to apologise for the UK’s role in sending these children to former colonies in the 20th century, this was a shameful period in our history and it is important that this is recognised.

“But today, in the 21st century, the detention of children behind barbed wire in immigration removal centres is also intolerable and must end.

“Right now Gordon Brown’s government is detaining the equivalent of a high school every year across the UK and over 100 children in Scotland. Detaining children in centres made for adults is simply wrong, and it’s time for the UK Government to end this practice.

"The SNP has had a long-standing commitment to ending this practice and has repeatedly called on the UK Government to act - not only in practice but in law through the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“The Scottish Government’s success in bringing a pilot project to Glasgow to keep families out of Dungavel is welcome, but it seems the UK Government is determined to ignore it’s commitments to end child detention in Scotland all together.”