asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the cost per inmate of running the Harmondsworth detention centre by Securicor Services Ltd.; and what is the cost of running comparable services with prison officers.

The estimated daily cost of detaining a person in immigration service detention centres, including Harmondsworth, is £115. This figure includes transport, escort and running costs, and the cost of employing staff from Securicor Ltd. The cost per day of detaining a person held under the Immigration Act 1971 in a prison department establishment, though not entirely comparable, is estimated at £34.